[14] Being so far out in the Atlantic Ocean, Ocracoke Island is frequently in the path of tropical cyclones, notably Hurricane Dorian in 2019, which destroyed approximately 1,000 feet (300 m) of pavement along NC 12.

Okracoke was called Wococcon by the 16th century explorers, possibly a reference to an Indian settlement at the site.

[18][19] In 1585, Sir Walter Raleigh's ship the Tiger ran aground on a sand bar in Ocracoke Inlet and was forced to land on the island for repairs.

This effectively halted European settlement in the area until 1663, when the Carolina Colony was chartered by King Charles II.

[24] Throughout the mid-to-late 18th century, the island was home to a number of especially skilled schooner pilots who could get smaller ships through the inlet to Pamlico Sound.

Warehouses were built to hold goods off-loaded from larger ships offshore and then loaded onto smaller schooners to be delivered to plantations and towns along the mainland rivers.

[25] By the late 19th century, the shipping business was gone, and the United States Life-Saving Service became a major source of steady income for local men.

[29] Ocracoke continues to suffer frequent storm damage, including the recent Hurricane Dorian in 2019, which destroyed approximately 1,000 feet (300 m) of pavement along NC 12.

The Confederates abandoned and partially destroyed the fort in August 1861 after Union victories on nearby Hatteras Island.

Beacon Island and the fort subsided beneath the waves of the inlet after the 1933 hurricanes that struck the area.

[32] In May 2021, Ocracoke was one of 11 communities (along with nearby Nags Head, North Carolina) chosen by the United States Department of Energy to participate in the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project, a program to provide federal aid for remote communities to modernize their electric infrastructure and resiliency through natural disasters and outages.

[33][34] An electrified ferry fleet would increase hurricane evacuation access while decreasing reliance on fossil fuels.

Other than the village of Ocracoke and a few other areas (a ferry terminal, a pony pen, a small runway), the entire island is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

The village is located at the widest point of the island, protected from the Atlantic Ocean by sand dunes and a salt marsh.

The United States Coast Guard station on Ocracoke Island takes care of the property.

The second ferry dock, located in the village, has toll connections to Swan Quarter, on the mainland and Cedar Island, near Atlantic.

A passenger ferry operates across Ocracoke Inlet to the deserted village of Portsmouth, at the northern end of the Core Banks.

Ocracoke Island Airport (FAA Identifier W95) is located slightly southeast of the village, allowing small aircraft to land.

Being so far out in the Atlantic Ocean, Ocracoke Island is frequently in the path of tropical cyclones, notably Hurricane Dorian in 2019, which destroyed approximately 1,000 feet (300 m) of pavement along NC 12.

During the spring, summer, and early fall, an influx of tourists occupies hotels, campgrounds and weekly rental houses—and day visitors arrive by ferry from Hatteras Island.

Several bars, a brewery, dozens of restaurants, and many shops, stores and other tourist-based businesses open for the tourist season.

[52] During the winter, the island's only main employers are construction, the NC Department of Transportation, and the businesses that support the small population.

[53][54] Ocracoke Island and other parts of the Outer Banks historically have a distinct dialect of English, often referred to as a brogue.

Due to the influx of tourists and greater contact with the mainland in recent years, however, the brogue has been increasingly influenced by outside dialects.

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