Buxton, North Carolina

Buxton, North Carolina
Census-designated place
Welcome sign Welcome sign
Location in Dare County and the state of North Carolina. Location in Dare County and the state of North Carolina.
Buxton Location in the United States
Coordinates:
Country	United States of America
State	North Carolina
County	Dare
Area
• Total	2.98 sq mi (7.73 km2)
• Land	2.96 sq mi (7.67 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.06 km2)
Elevation	11 ft (3 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,273
• Density	430/sq mi (166.0/km2)
ZIP code	27920

Buxton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) on Hatteras Island (part of the Outer Banks) near Cape Hatteras. It is located in Dare County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,273.

North Carolina Highway 12 links the community to other Outer Banks communities such as Avon, Frisco, and Hatteras. Buxton is most famous for being the location of Cape Hatteras Light, and prides itself as being the home of the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club.

The residents of Buxton are governed by the Dare County Board of Commissioners. Buxton is part of District 4, along with Avon, Frisco, Hatteras, Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo.

In addition to Cape Hatteras Light, the SS Lancing shipwreck was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

Recreation

File:HatterasLighthousefromBeachJune2007.JPG

A view of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse from the beach

Watersports are common on both the Pamlico Sound side and the Atlantic Ocean side of the community. Proximity to the convergence of the Labrador Current and the Gulf Stream result in the largest surf available on the East Coast. On the protected soundside of the island, watersports such as windsurfing, kayaking, kiteboarding, and swimming are all readily available and accessible.

The Hatteras Histories and Mysteries Museum focuses on the possible fate of the inhabitants of the Roanoke Colony, who disappeared around 1587. The privately owned museum was opened in April 2010 by Scott Dawson, a historian and author of the 2009 book Croatoan: Birthplace of America, and it displays 16th century artifacts discovered in 2010 archaeological digs conducted on Hatteras Island, where Dawson theorizes the colonists may have resettled. The museum also displays artifacts from the American Civil War battles at nearby Hatteras Village and Rodanthe in 1861.

Education

Construction of the new Cape Hatteras Secondary School

Residents are served by the Cape Hatteras Elementary, Secondary School and High School (Home of the Hurricanes) all located in Buxton. Both schools are part of the Dare County Schools district.