|
|
 |
|
|
  |
|
|
|
So You Want to Live on ... Ocracoke Island, North Carolina
|
| Built around placid Silver Lake Harbor, this Outer Banks village lures escapees from the mainland. |
|
 |
|
 |
|
Leisurely bicycle rides reflect the island's languid pace. Here, there's no mall, no arcade, and nothing like a McDonald's in sight. "My kids won't eat fast food," says one local. The pace was even slower before ferries started running in the 1940s.
(Photo: James Nedresky)
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Locals swap stories on the storefront porches that line village streets. "People on Ocracoke never ask what you 'do,' " says resident Al Scarborough. "Friends are the people who share your interests, not your income."
(Photo: James Nedresky)
|
|
By Jennifer Chappell
Tonight, about 50 locals and tourists gather on a screened porch-turned-stage to hear the
foot-stomping music of the Ocracoke band Molasses Creek. "Folks move here for the
community," says the group's "Fiddler Dave," a.k.a. David Tweedie. "The spirit of the
village is wonderful."
You'll recognize people in the audience, even if you arrived earlier today. They'll
speak to you, too, because among about 700 residents, newcomers are noticed. Pamlico Sound
separates this North Carolina barrier island from the mainland. For many, isolation is its
best feature. Once on Ocracoke, however, hardly anyone keeps to himself. Longtime islander Al Scarborough says, "The best thing is that you essentially know
everybody, and the worst thing is that you know everybody." He laughs, divulging the
unofficial Ocracoke motto: "We don't care what you do, but we want to know about it in
intimate detail." Small towns are known for gossip, but residents here are genuinely interested in
neighbors' ups and downs. "Everyone takes care of each other," says Lou Ann Homan, a
storyteller who extended a work trip here into a vacation. She's bicycled over for the
concert. Standing by the bike rack, where only tourists use padlocks, she says, "When
someone comes here, they do what they can to stay."
|
|
|
|
1 | 2  |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
