Emerald Isle is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Crystal Coast and is located entirely on the Bogue Banks. The population was 3,488 at the 2000 United States Census, but as many as 50,000 visitors inhabit the area during the summer season, filling up vacant rental properties that do not count toward official census results.

Today, the oceanfront is lined with both large and small homes. While there is a scattering of condominiums, there are no oceanfront hotels, and Emerald Isle has maintained a family-oriented atmosphere.

Recent beach renourishment projects in North Carolina, including...

Emerald Isle is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Crystal Coast and is located entirely on the Bogue Banks. The population was 3,488 at the 2000 United States Census, but as many as 50,000 visitors inhabit the area during the summer season, filling up vacant rental properties that do not count toward official census results.

Today, the oceanfront is lined with both large and small homes. While there is a scattering of condominiums, there are no oceanfront hotels, and Emerald Isle has maintained a family-oriented atmosphere.

Recent beach renourishment projects in North Carolina, including Emerald Isle, have been both praised and questioned.

History
From about 500 AD to colonial times, Emerald Isle was home to Native Americans in the United States. Later, the area was settled by a small number of whalers and fishermen.

In the 1920s Henry Fort, who owned the Emerald Isle beaches and land surrounding them, hoped to open a large summer tourist attraction and ocean resort. Fort worked with developers, but the plans never materialized. After his death, his daughter Anita Maulick inherited Emerald Isle.