Manteo and Roanoke Island at a Glance  

Roanoke Island, geographically speaking, is not part of the Outer Banks.  It is surrounded by the Croatan Sound on the west and the Roanoke Sound on the east - really a single body of water - and sits midway between the banks and the mainland of North Carolina. The island’s principal town is Manteo, perhaps best known as the site of Sir Walter Raleigh’s attempt to establish the first English colony in the New World in 1584. 

Although there is much speculation, no one really knows what happened to the original colonists, who disappeared between Raleigh’s first voyage and his return in 1587. Following this mysterious disappearance, the next recorded activity was nearly 100 years later, in 1676.  The Lords Proprietors ordered their representatives in Carolina to establish three port towns of which "the Chief towne and the place where the Councell Assemble should meete," was to have been located on Roanoke Island; however, the orders were never carried out.

Despite this, over the years the area attracted residents, due in large part to its location near the midway point of the island and its large, safe harbor, Shallowbag Bay. By the 1800’s, Shallowbag Bay was a popular place for docking boats and conducting business. A courthouse and a post office were soon built to support that activity. When the town was officially established in 1870 and chosen as the Dare County seat, the name was changed to Manteo in honor of one of the indigenous Algonquian Indians who befriended the original colonists.

Perhaps it is the sense of history that surrounds it, or perhaps it is the town’s location off the beach, that gives Manteo a different "feel" from the Outer Banks proper. Manteo’s tall, green, piney woods and miles of sheltered soundside shoreline provide a refreshing contrast to the open dunes of the outer islands. Sidewalks and biking paths wind from the Croatan Sound through the business district to the thriving waterfront downtown and continue to the Roanoke Sound. Town docks draw hundreds of boaters from the nearby Intracoastal Waterway, adding to an already popular sailing and fishing boat destination.

Many year-round residents prefer living in Manteo because it still has that small town atmosphere,  where everybody knows everybody. An elementary school; middle school, high school; and a branch campus of the two-year community College of the Albemarle are located here. This quiet community offers eight public tennis courts at the middle and high schools; a soundside beach; two parks; and the main branch of the public library.  The waterfront downtown area is filled with wonderful restaurants and great shopping and is the perfect downtown to wander through on foot -- it's all within a several block area.

Also located here is the Fort Raleigh State Park, where one can walk the trails of the maritime forest, visit the Elizabethan Gardens, or attend the Lost Colony Outdoor Drama; and the new Festival Park on Ice Plant Island near downtown Manteo, which features outdoor concerts, art displays and historical exhibits. 

Manteo is also home to all County offices; the Dare County Regional Airport; the Dare County Health Department; and a public research library known as the Outer Banks History Center.

For more information on Manteo and Roanoke Island, give us a call today.