Just over five square miles, Colington Island has one of the longest histories of habitation of any of the communities of the Outer Banks. Tucked behind the Wright Memorial, down a long curvy road, this is an area of the Outer Banks most visitors never see.

Historians suggests the first islanders were Algonkian Indians. Centuries passed with little change to the small island, until the British began to colonize America. Eventually, land grants were given to friends of the Crown. On September 8, 1663, the first transfer of land under the Lords Proprietors in Carolina took place. The grant, made to a planter in Barbados by the name of Sir John Colleton , stated possession “for the heretofore called Carlyle now Colleton Island.”

Early Map showing the small island of Colleton

By the winter of 1664, Captain John Whittie established a plantation on Colleton Island as Colleton’s agent. Whittie constructed “a 20-foot dwelling house,” which became one of the earliest “Albemarle houses.” This would have been a modest dwelling  of maybe one or two rooms, which was later expanded upon.

Whittie was unsuccessful and so Colleton’s business partner Peter Carteret took over, attempting to grow tobacco and grapes (in hopes of a winery.) However, his only appreciable profit was from the sale of oil extracted from dead whales which washed ashore on the Banks. Hurricanes, drought and floods plagued the settlement, which failed by the 1670s.

By 1750, the entire island was owned by Thomas Pendleton, of Pasquotank County, who died that year and left the island to his three daughters. That year, the residents divided the island into two parts by excavating a canal. That is when Big Colington and Little Colington Islands were born.

Until the 1950s, Colington was accessible only by boat. The population had barely increased over the past 100 years. The community had a one-teacher school with four grades. The Meekins store was the only one on Big Colington (a typical country store selling gun shells and soft drinks). The post office had been discontinued and the postal designation was Kitty Hawk RFD No. 2. There was still very little industry on Colington Island. Catching and selling eels was a big business, as was trapping muskrats in the winter.

In the ‘60s, a large portion of Big Colington went to company which developed it into the neighborhood of Colington Harbour. The initial price for “naturally beautiful beachfront and wooded homesites” was $1,995. Development began in 1968. Colington Harbour’s existing canals were further enhanced, allowing for fantastic boating access, and many even have their own private docks.

Residences are a combinations of seasonal cottages, house trailers, campgrounds, small businesses and an array of new residential subdivisions. It has become a place of permanent residence for a thousand families, and children galore. Workers commute to and from their homes in droves, so much so that Colington’s State Route 1217 has become one of the busiest secondary roads in North Carolina. Today’s unofficial estimate of the population is around 3500.

What is there to do on Colington, you ask?

If you’re exploring that way, on an empty stomach, be sure to stop into Colington Café or Salt Box for a delicious meal! During soft shell season, you’ll find many busy fishermen attending their shedders. Billy’s Seafood is one of best places to go for soft shells and fresh fish.

If you’re tired of the beach vibe, the communities of Bay Cliff and Swan View Shores offer elevated lots nestled in a ancient maritime forest that feel worlds away from the near by sand swept beaches for which the Outer Banks is famous.

And if you’re lucky enough to have a boat, or better yet a friend with a boat, sailors meet in the harbor every Wednesday for a friendly race to the first channel marker and back, and every December the Colington Harbour Yacht Club hosts the parade of boats, all strung with Christmas lights.

And if you’re interested in making Colington your next home or second home, properties in Colington Harbour range from gorgeous soundfront estates to modest beach boxes on the interior lots.