Outer Banks one of America’s Most Scenic Byways
October 26th, 2009
According to Dorothy Toolan of Dare County Public Relations Federal Highway Administration designated the Outer Banks as one of America’s distinctive and diverse byways this month.
It follows North Carolina’s northern coastline as it juts east into the Atlantic Ocean. Byway visitors travel a route that traverses Bodie and Hatteras islands in Dare County, Ocracoke Island in Hyde County and Down East in Carteret County.
Boards of Commissioners in Dare, Hyde and Carteret counties nominated the state-designated byway for national status in December 2008.
The Federal Highway Administration’s National Scenic Byways Program recognizes roadways that have outstanding scenic, historic, cultural, natural, recreational and archaeological qualities.
The Outer Banks National Scenic Byway’s nomination highlights the unique maritime culture shared by 21 coastal villages that dot the byway route. That culture, says the nomination, is intimately linked to the byway’s natural world of barrier islands, capes and shallow sounds as well as nationally significant historic places.
