Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Harnett Township, New Hanover County, North Carolina |
Coordinates | 34°16′12″N77°45′0″W / 34.27000°N 77.75000°W |
Total islands | 1 |
Area | 1,300 acres (530 ha). [1] |
Administration | |
Demographics | |
Population | 441 households |
Additional information | |
Official website | www |
Figure Eight Island is a barrier island in the U.S. state of North Carolina, just north of Wrightsville Beach, widely known as an affluent summer colony and vacation destination. [2] The island is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Area, and lies between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean. As a private island, Figure Eight can only be reached by boat or via a guarded causeway swing bridge —the only private bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway in the American Southeast. [3] [4]
Nicknamed "The Hamptons of the South", [5] the island has been a destination for celebrities and politicians—including former U.S. Vice President Al Gore [1] and Senator John Edwards [6] —and a summer residence for noted businessmen, including John J. Mack and William Johnston Armfield. [7] [8]
Figure Eight Island was first recorded as part of the Province of North Carolina in 1762, during the reign of George III, as a tract in a royal land grant to James Moore Jr., brother of Orton Plantation's Roger Moore. In 1775, the island passed from James Moore to American revolutionary Cornelius Harnett and became known as The Banks. In 1795, Harnett's property was purchased at an auction by James Foy, and the island became part of Poplar Grove Plantation. It was renamed Foy Island and also popularly called Woods Beach. Foy Island remained a part of the Plantation for the next 160 years. [9]
During the American Civil War, on September 21, 1863, a Confederate States Navy screw steamer called Phantom, which was acting as a blockade runner, was chased into the shallows along the island by the USS Connecticut . [10] The ship was carrying rifle muskets, cannons, other arms, lead, whiskey, and gin. The crew set fire to Phantom and abandoned ship. Confederate sharpshooters shot and killed a U.S. Navy landsman who approached Phantom in an attempt to put out the fire. Following the shooting, USS Connecticut destroyed the ship in the New Topsail Inlet, just north of the island. [11] [12] Another Confederate blockade runner, the Anglo-Confederate Trading Company steamer Wild Dayrell, [13] wrecked in Rich Inlet, on the north side of the island, on February 1, 1864. [14] [15] [16] The shipwrecks are part of the Cape Fear Civil War Shipwreck Discontiguous District. [17]
On April 17, 1877 a lumber schooner from Norfolk, Virginia, the John S. Lee, wrecked at sea near the island after setting sail from the Cape Fear River in Wilmington towards Venezuela. [18] [19] [20] [21] A storm had caused the ship to break in half and wash up on the beach at Rich's Inlet. [18] All crew from the John S. Lee died at sea. [18] In 2015, the ship was rediscovered during the construction of a house on the island. [20] [22] [21]
During Prohibition in the 1930s, an illegal whiskey still was operated by Rod Rogers, a local fisherman, on the north end of the island. The remains of another still were found nearby. [23]
During World War II, the United States Coast Guard maintained a structure and small water tower on the island, which itself was patrolled via horseback. Coast Guard Auxiliary craft monitored the surrounding inlets. Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and Bell P-39 Airacobra aircraft based at Bluenthenthal Field used the island for strafing practice. [23]
In 1954 Hurricane Hazel hit the East Coast and destroyed much of the development from Myrtle Beach up to Topsail Beach, with more than 15,000 homes and structures destroyed and another 39,000 homes damaged. Beach properties were no longer in as high demand, and many landowners wanted to sell their properties. During this time, the Mayor of Wilmington, Dan Cameron, and his brother Bruce Cameron began acquiring the island from George Hutaff and the Foy family. The Camerons paid the Foys $50,000 for their portion of the land and then purchased two areas of adjoining marshland for $25,000 apiece in 1955. For the next 10 years, the property lay dormant. The Cameron brothers joined their cousin, Raeford Trask, and investor Richard Wetherill, forming the Island Development Company to develop the real estate on the island. They named the island Figure Eight to indicate Rich's Inlet Creek's crooked paths in the marsh. At this time, the only way to access the island was by boat, so the Island Development Company approached Champion Davis, owner of the marshland off Porters Neck, on acquiring more land to build a bridge to the island from the mainland. Davis turned down an offer to partner with the company. The Island Development Company eventually purchased two small tracts. A small parcel of land from the members of Edgewater Club to build a roadway bridge that now leads to Figure Eight Island's bridge. [24] The first bridge was built on top of a government surplus landing ship tank. [23]
The Camerons hired Richard Bell Associates to design Figure Eight's development concept. John Oxenfeld and Haywood Newkirk, Sr. were brought on to design the early houses. The first lots sold for as little as $5,000, and the first house was constructed in 1966. On March 30, 1971, the Camerons sold Figure Eight Island to Young M. Smith, Jr., an attorney and developer from Hickory, North Carolina, for $4 million. Smith's company, The Litchfield Company, was already in the process of building a luxury condominium complex near Pawleys Island, South Carolina. When the change of ownership over Figure Eight took place, thirty houses and one hundred and twelve lots were sold. Smith brought architects Ligon Flynn and Henry Johnston in on the development project and landscape architect Dick Bell. Smith's wife was the grand-niece of the late Julian Price, a wealthy insurance executive of Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Company in Greensboro. Price's son, Ralph Clay Price, who inherited the business, left his niece and brothers as heirs to the Price estate. Much of their fortune was invested in the development of Figure Eight Island. The local marina club opened on August 11, 1973. [23]
While Figure Eight enjoyed early success in the home and lot sales in the early 1970s, the recession hit The Litchfield Company hard. Its subsidiary, Figure Eight Development Company, went into bankruptcy in 1974. The marina club closed down. After two open auctions were held at the New Hanover County Courthouse in 1975, Continental Illinois National Bank and Trust Company emerged as the island's new mortgage holder. The marina club reopened in 1976 and adopted the title of Figure Eight Yacht Club in the spring of 1977. [23] In 1980, a modern bridge from Port Royal, Virginia was bought to replace the old bridge connecting the island to the mainland for $1.5 million.
The Figure Eight Homeowners Association now owns the island. The first full-time administrator of the Association was hired in 1982, and after several short-term managers, Arthur Poineau served as administrator for 20 years. David Kellam, the son of earlier residents on the island, has held the position since 2001. There are approximately 475 houses developed on Figure Eight. Figure Eight's boathouse was one of the first structures constructed on the island in the 1960s. [25]
In August 1974, a federal grand jury indicted fifteen people connected to smuggling 14,000 pounds of marijuana from Colombia at Figure Eight. The smuggling ring was operated by an attorney who had rented two houses on the island. The drugs were smuggled into the island's yacht marina by the use of a sports fishing boat. [26]
Since Dino De Laurentiis opened his studio in Wilmington in 1983, Figure Eight has been a popular temporary residence for Hollywood actors working on films in Wilmington. [27] [28] [29] Alec Baldwin, Kim Basinger, Kathy Bates, Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, Andy Griffith, Richard Gere, Barbra Streisand, and Paul Newman have all been guests on the island. [30] [31] Due to it being a popular vacation destination for wealthy North Carolinians, celebrities, and politicians, the island has been referred to as "The Hamptons of the South." [5]
The Shark Research Institute has recorded two non-fatal shark attacks on surfers at Figure Eight; the first on 8 August 2010 and the second on 27 August 2014. [32]
On March 14, 2018 a $2 million house on the island was destroyed by a fire while undergoing renovations. [33] No one was injured in the incident. [34]
On August 8, 2019 a funnel cloud formed off of the north tip of Figure Eight. [35]
In October 2020, a house sold on the island for $5.5 million, becoming the highest sale ever recorded in the North Carolina Regional Multiple Listing Service. [36]
The island has tennis courts, a boat ramp, a yacht club, and a marina. The Eagle Point Golf Club, located on the mainland, has connections to Figure Eight, built by several Island residents. [8] The Figure Eight Yacht Club is a private island club for dining and formal events. Figure Eight is not accessible to the public by car but is by boat. [37] The majority of the residents of Figure Eight are seasonal. An estimated 90 percent of the houses on Figure Eight Islands are second homes, and fewer than one hundred houses are on the rental market. [38] Houses on Figure Eight average above $2 million in property value. [39]
In July 2024, "The Whale", a 6,700-square-foot oceanfront home on Figure Eight Island, sold for $13.9 million, becoming the highest home sale price in North Carolina. [40] The previous record was the August 2023 sale of a $13 million oceanfront home on Figure Eight Island. [41]
In September 1996, Hurricane Fran damaged the island properties. All utilities and telephone lines were knocked out, septic tanks overflowed, the roads were blocked by debris and standing water, all docks were washed out, and one house was destroyed. [23] It took one week to pump floodwater out of low-lying areas. The yacht club building was closed for seven months for repairs.
In September 2018, Hurricane Florence hit the North Carolina coast, damaging some of the properties on the island. [42] [43] [44] [45]
In September 2019 the island was evacuated prior to Hurricane Dorian making landfall. [46] [47] Hurricane Dorian caused a waterspout to move ashore onto the north end of Figure Eight Island, causing damage to some beachfront houses. [48]
Figure Eight Island is located just north of Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington. The island has an area of 1,300 acres (526 ha), [1] most of which is marshland.
Between the northernmost part of Figure Eight and Lea-Hutaff Island lies Rich Inlet, one of the few natural inlets in North Carolina. [49] To the south, between the island and Wrightsville Beach, lies Mason Inlet. [50] The former is a stable inlet, while the latter is migratory. [23]
Due to the island's proximity to the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, the ocean temperatures off of Figure Eight are comparable to destinations much further south and considerably warmer than the ocean off the Outer Banks. [51]
Location | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR 1-15 | APR 16-30 | MAY 1-15 | MAY 16-31 | JUN 1-15 | JUN 16-30 | JUL 1-15 | JUL 16-31 | AUG 1-15 | AUG 16-31 | SEP 1-15 | SEP 16-30 | OCT 1-15 | OCT 16-31 | NOV | DEC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Duck, NC | 45 | 44 | 46 | 58 | 60 | 66 | 68 | 73 | 74 | 71 | 71 | 73 | 75 | 76 | 74 | 71 | 66 | 59 | 52 |
Wilmington, NC | 58 | 58 | 62 | 69 | 72 | 75 | 78 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 82 | 83 | 83 | 82 | 79 | 75 | 69 | 62 |
Daytona Beach, FL | 61 | 59 | 65 | 70 | 73 | 75 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 81 | 83 | 82 | 79 | 76 | 71 | 65 |
Figure Eight Island has never been subject to water quality advisories, which have been issued for nearby beaches. [52]
The local chapter of the National Audubon Society has recorded 104 different species of birds on Figure Eight. Most live in Rich Inlet, generally considered the southernmost nesting area for the critically endangered Great Lakes piping plover. [53] In 2015, approximately 800 Least Tern nested on the northern section of the island, making it the largest Least Tern colony in the state and one of the largest on the Eastern seaboard. Other birds that nested there include American Oystercatchers, Common Terns, Black Skimmers, Piping Plovers, Wilson's Plovers and Willets. [49] Savannah Sparrows, Atlantic Plovers, Greater Yellowlegs, and pelicans have been found in Mason Inlet to the south. [50]
Sea turtles have been monitored and protected on the island since 1986 and monitored daily. Sea turtle nests are cordoned off for protection. In 2016, there were 8 nests on the island. [54] In 2001 and 2002, the homeowners association commissioned a survey of endangered plants and animals on the island, including piping plovers, sea turtles, sea beach amaranth, and marine mammals. [55] The University of North Carolina at Wilmington surveyed the island's bird populations as part of the $50,000 "Mason Inlet Relocation Project" commissioned by New Hanover County. [50]
In early 2016, the Figure Eight Island Homeowners Association's Board of Directors pursued the construction of a terminal groin by the United States Army Corps of Engineers on the northern section of the island to stabilize Rich Inlet and prevent erosion. Various environmental groups, including the North Carolina Coastal Federation, the Southern Environmental Law Center, and the National Audubon Society, criticized the proposal, deeming it largely unnecessary and potentially harmful to local bird and fish populations. [53] [56] On November 17, 2016, the Figure 8 Island Homeowners Association announced that the proposal to pursue a Terminal Groin did not pass and would not proceed. [57]
In June 2001, author Wanda Canada published a murder mystery novel titled Island Murders, which takes place on Figure Eight Island. [58]
Figure Eight is referenced in the 2020 Netflix original series Outer Banks as an affluent neighborhood where the "Kooks" live. [59] [60]
Holden Beach is a seaside town in Brunswick County, North Carolina. The population was 575 at the time of the 2010 census. It is part of the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Oak Island is a seaside town located in the southeastern corner of North Carolina, United States. Part of Brunswick County, the major portion of the town is on Oak Island which it shares with Caswell Beach. Founded in 1999 as the result of the consolidation of two existing towns, Oak Island's main industry is tourism. Per the 2020 census, the town has a permanent population of 8,396 while its summer population is near 50,000. It along with the town of Caswell Beach is part of the Wilmington, NC, Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Wrightsville Beach is a town in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. Wrightsville Beach is just east of Wilmington and is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,477 at the 2010 census. The town consists of a 4-mile (6 km) long beach island, an interior island called Harbor Island, and pockets of commercial property on the mainland. It served as a filming location of Dawson's Creek.
Cape Hatteras is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina.
U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that spans in the Southeastern United States. It runs close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its length, with the exception of the portion between Punta Gorda and Jacksonville, Florida, and the portion from Fredericksburg to Winchester, Virginia, both of which follow a more inland route. Major metropolitan areas served along US 17's route include the Punta Gorda, Greater Orlando, and Jacksonville metropolitan areas in Florida, the Brunswick and Savannah metropolitan areas in Georgia, the Charleston and Myrtle Beach metropolitan areas in South Carolina, the Cape Fear and New Bern metropolitan areas in North Carolina, and the Hampton Roads and Winchester metropolitan areas in Virginia.
U.S. Route 76 is an east–west U.S. highway in the Southeastern United States that travels for 548 miles (882 km). Its western terminus is at US 41 and the eastern terminus of US 72 in the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, where it travels in a generally due east direction, to its eastern terminus at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. It travels through the cities of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Ringgold, Georgia, Columbia and Florence, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina.
The Outer Banks are a 200 mi (320 km) string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separating Currituck Sound, Albemarle Sound, and Pamlico Sound from the Atlantic Ocean. A major tourist destination, the Outer Banks are known for their wide expanse of open beachfront and the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The seashore and surrounding ecosystem are important biodiversity zones, including beach grasses and shrubland that help maintain the form of the land.
North Carolina Highway 12 (NC 12) is a 148.0-mile-long (238.2 km) primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina, linking the peninsulas and islands of the northern Outer Banks. Most sections of NC 12 are two lanes wide, and there are also two North Carolina Ferry System routes which maintain continuity of the route as it traverses the Outer Banks region. NC 12 is part of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway. The first NC 12 appeared on the 1924 North Carolina Official Map and at its greatest length ran from NC 30 in Pollocksville to NC 48 near Murfreesboro. Over time it was replaced by both U.S. Route 258 (US 258) and NC 58 and ceased to exist in 1958. The current NC 12 first appeared on the 1964 state highway map running from US 158 in Nags Head to Ocracoke. In 1976 NC 12 was extended to US 70 on the mainland and in 1987 was extended north to Corolla.
The effects of Hurricane Isabel in North Carolina were widespread, with the heaviest damage in Dare County. The hurricane made landfall in the Outer Banks of North Carolina on September 18. There, storm surge flooding and strong winds damaged thousands of houses. The storm surge produced a 2,000 feet (610 m) wide inlet on Hatteras Island, isolating Hatteras by road for two months. Several locations along North Carolina Highway 12 were partially washed out or covered with debris. Hurricane Isabel produced hurricane-force wind gusts across eastern North Carolina, knocking down trees and power lines. About 700,000 residents lost power due to the storm, although most outages were restored within a few days. The hurricane killed three people in the state – two due to falling trees, and the other a utility worker attempting to restore electricity. Damage in the state totaled $450 million.
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Pleasure Island is a coastal barrier island in Southeastern North Carolina, United States, just south of the City of Wilmington. Pleasure Island is located within Federal Point Township, in New Hanover County. The coastal resort towns of Carolina Beach and Kure Beach, as well as the annexed communities of Wilmington Beach and Hanby Beach are located on the island. The southern end of Pleasure Island was separated from Bald Head Island by Corncake Inlet until the inlet was shoaled and closed in 1998 by Hurricane Bonnie; thus Pleasure Island and Bald Head Island are no longer separate islands.
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The effects of Hurricane Floyd in North Carolina was the costliest natural disaster in the state's history until it was surpassed by Hurricane Florence in 2018.
Hurricane Dorian caused severe flooding and hurricane-force winds over parts of the coastal Carolinas during early September 2019. After stalling over The Bahamas for three days as a Category 5 hurricane, Dorian proceeded generally to the northwest, before moving along the Atlantic Coast, striking the town of Buxton, North Carolina, on September 6.
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