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◄ Welcome to Rodanthe
/ Waves / Salvo, North Carolina
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While traveling to Hatteras Island from the
north you will first cross over the Oregon Inlet bridge on Rt.
12 and then enter the Pea Island US Fish and Wildlife Sanctuary.
Peaceful Rodanthe will be the first Hatteras Island village at
the north end of the island.
Although these three villages are each separate, it will be
difficult to tell when you leave one and enter the next. One
thing that can be said for sure though is that all three of our
little villages have always been outdoor enthusiast friendly and
they are as peaceful and quiet as you will find anywhere.
Whether you prefer fishing, surfing, beachcombing, jogging,
kiteboarding, shell hunting, sunbathing or just plain sitting on
your lounge chair sipping a drink and relaxing, this is a place
that you can do it.
For a current webcam view of Hwy 12 entering Rodanthe from the
north side click on the camera.→ |
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Our Village Names:
This area of Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo were
three distinct early settlements once referred to as the
Chicamacomico Banks. Believe it or not, this area was heavily
wooded and these three settlements were separated by small
creeks and bridges only. As of 1850 the census reported the area
with 37 families with a total of 205 people.
The villages of Rodanthe and Waves were the more closely knit of
the trio. The original name for Rodanthe was North
Chicamacomico and for Waves it was South Chicamacomico. At that
time Salvo
was originally Clarks and sometimes Clarksville and although the
three villages were close knit Clarks functioned more
independently then its northern neighbors.
After that..........
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Rodanthe: In 1874 the US Post Office refused to
use many of the long Indian names that were common for Outer
Banks villages. No one is sure why North Rodanthe was chosen but
it is theorized that it is named after a non-native flower “Rodantha.”
Some of the other names Rodanthe has gone by in early years are
Big Kinnakeet, Chichinock-Cominock, Chicky, Midgett Town,
Northern Woods and even Northard Woods |
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Waves: First named South Chicamacomico and then
South Rodanthe, villagers accepted the name Waves P.O.
which was proposed by local postmaster Anna Midgette
with an eye toward tourism in 1939. Villagers wanted to
keep P.O. in the name to show their strong reluctance of
changing the name and giving up the original
Chicamacomico designation. Soundside mariners often
referred to Waves simply as “the hump in the middle.”
Salvo: Salvo was originally named Clarks or Clarksville
and received its village name very strangely indeed. A Union
ship's commander passing the Island asked his crew what
was the name of the village that he was seeing. While looking
at his chart, the crewman said that he could not see any
name. The commander ordered, “Give it a salvo anyway,”
(salvo = a simultaneous cannon firing). The crewman then
logged “salvo” on the chart which was noted and used on
future charts and actually stuck as the official Union
name. |
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SURF
OR
SOUND
REALTY |
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Premier Hatteras
Island Vacation Homes |
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As might be expected, the Chicamacomico Banks
had many historical ties to the Manteo and Wanchese areas. Also,
despite the reputation of being people from a very isolated
area, the locals from this area were actually well traveled
because of the area’s close connections with the US Coast Guard
and their relocations all up and down the east coast. In many
decades of the mid-twentieth century, Rodanthe was the
northernmost stop of the Manteo-Hatteras Bus Line using sand
roads. This bus line helped familiarize the southern Hatteras
Island villagers with their northern neighbors.
Rodanthe had the distinction of having the
areas only man made refuge for boats in the region. In 1936 the
US Coast Guard built a channel and T-shaped harbor named the
Blackmar Gut built for the US Chicamacomico Coast Guard Station.
Today, nearly all remnants of the earlier villages have all but
disappeared along with much of the original natural landscape.
Visitors will be interested that there was once a wetland area
called Aunt Phoebe’s Marsh in the current area now covered with a
theme park, waterslide, go-cart tracks and campgrounds. |
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Basic Travel Preparation |
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I am
often asked to provide a list of things that I might consider to
be basic travel preparations. One of the things that many
visitors are always concerned about is exactly what our area has
available in case of medical emergencies. Rest assured that
Hatteras Island has exceptional medical attention always
available. Please visit this page
for a listing of medical and dental facilities that are
currently available.
However, many visitors have special concerns and possibly even
special needs. One hundred and fifty miles from home or around
the world, a Medjet membership is the perfect addition to any
itinerary. Designed with the savvy traveler in mind, a Medjet
membership adds peace of mind and an additional level of
security and comfort while
traveling domestically or abroad.
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We Have
Activities Galore! |
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Of course there is never a shortage of recreation for you to do while you
are visiting this area. Click on an activity: |
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Optician's Choice |
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Our
Local Controversy Should Be A National Concern!
Currently Hatteras Island is deeply embroiled in some serious
issues. Along with the fuel and housing crunch that all
American's are feeling, the local businesses and citizens are
also forced to take an active roll in defending the area’s right
to your free and open beaches which have been the trademark of
this area. Please don't forget that open beaches has always been
the basis of our local economy long before the National Park
Service and US Fish and Wildlife arrived with their promises to
keep it that way. Check out this
[video]
for a local's viewpoint
If you would like to read more about the
Hatteras Island "beach access" issues please refer to the NPS
website and read about why the
NPS
felt it necessary to close public
access to our North Carolina public beaches despite their own
statistics showing that it was unnecessary. Please also research
the opposing views presented and documented at the
Island Free Press.
Local Hatteras Island citizens would like for any potential
visitors to be better informed before they make any decisions
regarding their beach access or eventual loss of it.
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Interesting Statistics: As of the
2007, the Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo area is listed as having a
population of 1734. The median home cost was a whopping $750K.
The per capita income is listed as $23,800 and the per household
income is listed as $48,000. Of course these statistics
are very misleading after the economic crash of 2008. |
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Worried
about UV protection for your family?
Watch this
video and
then click on the link for Alex & Me Company for the solution. |
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