Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

The Apogee of the Auto-Centric Beach Resort

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by

James A. Bacon
in

Ugh, so much for sitting on a shady, breezy porch and sipping Margaritas! The Bacon family and friends are spending the night in Morehead City, N.C., before heading to Ocracoke. Last night was insufferably hot and humid, relieved only by a 20 mph breeze coming off the sound. Today, the temperature read 77 degrees — at 6 a.m.! Looks like another day in the sauna.

Morehead City is a poster child for dysfunctional human settlement patterns. There is the germ of a quaint downtown business district and residential area in the historic area on the waterfront. The streets are lined with cool, wind-beaten trees with gnarly branches — someone said they were a kind of oak, but I have no idea if that’s accurate — distinguishes Morehead City from Virginia burgs of its size. But most of the town, from what we have seen, consists of an endless commercial strip running along state highway 70. Mile after mile of shopping centers and big boxes.

A few miles down the coast lies Beaufort, an ante-bellum port city, with a larger, better preserved historic district. Beaufort is truly charming. Although Beaufort’s historical core, too, has been swallowed by dreck, the dreck is at least relieved by an abundance of colorful crape myrtle trees. Across the sound, is Atlantic Beach. Beautiful beach but godawful human settlement patterns: an endless succession of residential and commericial pods strung along a single coastal road. Forget walking anywhere, riding your bike or even riding a golf cart. Virtually the entire North Carolina coast — Ocracoke Island excepted — represents the apogee of the auto-centric beach resort.

Argh! My goal for the day is to head to historic Beaufort, camp out at one of those little restaurants on the waterfront, drink Coronas and finish reading “The Elegant Universe.” I suspect, though, that my wife may have other plans in mind.

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14 responses to “The Apogee of the Auto-Centric Beach Resort”

  1. E M Risse Avatar
    E M Risse

    The big problem here is that there a millions of places that exhibit dysfunctional settlemetn patterns but few who understand the causes and that there are alternatives.

    EMR

  2. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    Given your comments you may want to drink Corollas in Beaufort but you won’t want to drive to Corolla on Rt 12.

    North Carolina made an interesting set of decisions as to what it should do with its coastal areas – especially that part of the coast along the Outer Banks from Duck to Corolla Light. It’s hard to imagine that the area along the coast north of Duck was sparsely inhabited until the 1970s. In fact, it was so sparsely inhabited in the 1950s that it was used as a bombing range for naval aircraft. There are still areas with newly installed signs warning of the possibility of unexploded ordinance.

    However, please do not blame roads for the problems of expensive development in the noethern Outer Banks. Rt. 12 ends at Corolla Light. There is no road along the northern Outer Banks after that. So – you have to figure that the expensive beachfront development ends where the road ends – right?

    Well, not exactly.

    Here’s a $3M house in the “4 wheel drive area”:

    http://www.eraobx.com/featured.cfm?id=46290

    The 4 wheel drive area is that part of the Outer Banks noth of where Rt 12 ends. You have to drive your 4 wheel vehicle up the beach at the end of Rt 12.

    A lot of people say it’s a shame that so much beautiful coastline has been spoiled by so much development.

    Maybe.

    However, I wonder how the residents of Curritick County, NC see things. All that development creates a lot of employment and a lot of taxes for a relatively rural county which used to get the Navy’s bombs from its oceanfront paradise. In fairness, there have long been fishing towns and hunting clubs on the northern outer banks but nothing like it is today.

    What should the people of Currituck County have done:

    1. Banned development and done the best they could with fishing and farming?

    2. Insisted that a railroad be built up the outer banks before they’d allow beach communities to be developed?

    3. Made people get to their beachfront homes via bicycle?

    The prices of homes on the Outer Banks makes Fairfax County real estate look positively cheap. And … most of the people who own those homes on the outer banks don’t even live in Currituck or Dare Counties. Heck, those houses only get heavily used 5 months a year. Their kids go to school back in Northern Virginia or New Jersey or wherever they live. They only drive around the outer banks so they don’t put any congestion pressure on the inland roads in the counties (except, of couse, Rt 158 – which you almost have to use to get to the Outer Banks).

    Ridiculous autonomic culture?

    Good economic decision for the citizens of Currituck and Dare Counties?

    Both?

  3. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Nice comment, Groveton.

    What would Duck look like if it had been “preserved”? I’ve seen films of an early failed rocket launch at Duck, which resulted in the missile doing some impromptu surfing, followed by cartwheels on the beach, before it slithered back down to the water and porpoised out of sight. It’s pretty funny video, but not too convivial with $3M homes.

    Morehead City is one of NC’s major seaports, and it has a lot of truck and rail traffic, and a lot of transient activity as a result. It is also located near New Bern, and the naval station there, also big traffic generators.

    Given the geography and commercial military activity Morehead got stuck with, it’s hard to see how they could have done much better.

    RH

  4. Jim Bacon Avatar
    Jim Bacon

    Groveton, you pose a set of false alternatives: the existing development pattern or no development at all. You don’t allow for the possibility of development patterns that increase the tax base and create employment opportunities for locals in a way that is consistent with creating more sustainable resort communities. Next time you come to the Outer Banks, you should visit Ocracoke Village to see one possible alternative.

    While visiting the Cape Lookout light house, we watched a beautiful video about the Outer Banks. One of the most interesting points to emerge: the Outer Banks is the most geologically dynamic region in the world. In other words, the barrier islands are migrating and shifting shape more rapidly than land masses anywhere else in the world. Supposedly, many of the islands consisted of no more than sand banks at the time of Christopher Columbus. Many are fast eroding, including the most developed areas. I hope visitors enjoy those $3 million beach-front houses while they can. I just hope they don’t hit up taxpayers for federally subsidized insurance when their McMansions on stilts tumble into the sea.

  5. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    I have been going to Morehead since the mid 1950s when I was a little kid. One reason which Mr. Bacon may not realize is that the town is very tightly confined by water on either side. So there’s no where to go except strip-style.

  6. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    Jim:

    For the record – I have never owned any real estate anywhere in NC. I think it’s a great state but my comments are unbiased by personal economics. I rented a vacation home for a week on the Outer Banks for many, many years but have switched to The Bahamas because:

    1. There are casinos in The Bahamas but not on the Outer Banks.
    2. The amount of traffic getting to / from the Outer Banks was making the trip almost as long as flying to The Bahamas. This was especially true for Saturday – to Saturday rentals or Sunday – to – Sunday rentals. The few Friday – to Friday leases really were a lot easier regarding traffic.

    I question whether Ocracoke Village generates anything like the taxes provided by the resort homes on the northern Outer Banks. As I understand North Carolina’s position regarding Ocracoke Island – all development is limited to 10,000 acres of the island (which has an area of 9.6 sq mi) in order to preserve the remainder of the island. I am sure you have a better handle on things in Ocracoke than I do so you can correct me if I misunderstand the facts.

    I do believe that (with the exception of areas with clear historical relevance like Williamsburg) decisions to “preseve” areas diminish the potential of those areas to generate economic gain. Please note that I said “diminish”. I did not say “eliminate”.

    Let’s take a “sneak peak” at the 3 counties which comprise the Outer Banks. If my geography is correct, those counties are Hyde (which has Ocracoke Isaland), Dare (which has Nags Head, et al) and Currituck (which has the northern Outer Banks including places like Corolla). All of these counties also have land that is off the outer baks as well. What are the demographics?

    Hyde –

    “The median income for a household in the county was $28,444, and the median income for a family was $35,558. Males had a median income of $25,216 versus $20,482 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,164. About 10.30% of families and 15.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.50% of those under age 18 and 23.00% of those age 65 or over.”

    Dare –

    “The median income for a household in the county was $42,411, and the median income for a family was $49,302. Males had a median income of $31,240 versus $24,318 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,614. About 5.50% of families and 8.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.90% of those under age 18 and 5.30% of those age 65 or over.”

    Currituck –

    “The median income for a household in the county was $40,822, and the median income for a family was $46,382. Males had a median income of $32,619 versus $22,641 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,908. 10.70% of the population and 8.90% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 16.10% are under the age of 18 and 8.90% are 65 or older.”

    Interestingly, Ocracoke Island is a Census Designated Place (CDP):

    “The median income for a household in the CDP was $34,315, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $26,667 versus $25,625 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,032. About 7.7% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.”

    Those are pretty big economic differences.

    Are the differences attributable to the developemnt decisions that have been made regarding each county’s level of development on the Outer Banks? I don’t know but I suspect that there is some level of correlation.

    So, just for giggles, let’s assume that preservation has a cost in economic development on the Outer Banks. The cost is in forgone economic development, lost state income taxes, lost sales taxes, real estate taxes, etc. The benefits are disproportionately enjoyed by those living adjacent to the preserved areas (heck – you have to take a boat to even get to Ocracoke Island).

    Who should pay for these location – dependent costs of preservation? People in Charlotte? People in Raleigh?

    I believe that there should be open and honest debate about the merits of preservation versus economic development. If you (or anybody else) has a plan whereby preservation can be accomplished without any reduction of potential economic gain – I am “all ears”. Obviously, that would be best for everybody. However, I question whether that is really feasible. I suspect that preservation has a cost and a benefit and I believe that both the costs and benefits have a substantial location – specific component.

    As for the tenuous nature of the Outer Banks? Oh yeah. You got that right. There are parts of the northern Outer Banks where you can see both the ocean and the sound simultaneously from Rt 12. One big hurricane will change everything.

    In fact –

    “Oregon Inlet is an inlet along North Carolina’s Outer Banks. It joins the Pamlico Sound with the Atlantic Ocean and separates Bodie Island from Pea Island.

    Oregon Inlet was formed when a hurricane lashed the Outer Banks in 1846, separating Bodie Island from Pea Island. One ship that rode out that storm in Pamlico Sound was named the Oregon. After the storm the crew of this ship were the first to tell those on the mainland about the inlet’s formation. Hence, it has been known as Oregon Inlet ever since.

    Akin to many other inlets along the Outer Banks, Oregon Inlet moves southward due to drifting sands during tides and storms. It has moved south over two miles since 1846, averaging around 66 feet per year.”.

    Oregon Inlet is a big inlet! The fact that it was created by a hurricane and moves 66 feet per year should be scary to anybody owning realestate on the Outer Banks.

    Ocean City, MD may be even more vulnerable.

    And, yes, the placement of Ocracoke Villiage and the ban on development elsewhere on the island give the people and developed property much more “survivability” than elsewhere on the Outer Banks. However, I understand that many properties in Ocracoke Villiage are built on stilts to avoid flooding so I guess nothing is perfect.

    Have a great vacation.

    Note: All quoted statistics from Wikipedia.Com.

  7. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    “I just hope they don’t hit up taxpayers for federally subsidized insurance when their McMansions on stilts tumble into the sea.”

    You mean like moving the Hatteras light?

    You are right, the islands move and change shape constantly, and the flow of sand that keeps them there is affected by events as far away as New York. In Wrightsville Beach there is a hotel referred to as the Holiday Inlet, because it is built on the site of what used to be the entrance to the harbor, before the entrance was closed/moved by a hurricane.

    You have to wonder why we build multimillion dollar homes on shifting sands, instead of taking the Japanese or Carribbean approach: build lightly and cheaply so you don’t lose much when disaster strikes.

    RH

  8. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    Ray:

    I once considered buying one of those homes on shifting sands. The argument to buy was that the home would generate a fortune in rental income and could be depreciated per applicable tax law. All of this was subject to a number of restrictions including, but not limited to, the amount of time the homeowner could spend in the home during any given year (two weeks as I recall).

    These houses are often businesses, not homes. You buy them to rent them, to keep your cash flow relatively neutral and hope you can sell some years later at a much higher price. For the last 15 years or so, I understand it’s been a good investment. However, one big hurricane would change everything – especially for the really big and expensive houses with beachfronts which rent for small fortunes every week through the summer.

    I decided not to buy for a lot of reasons including the cost of the houses and the possibility of destruction in a storm. I never really considered the possibility of the government bailing me out if my rental property got destroyed in a hurricane or by shifting sands. I figured that I either needed to find insurance or take my chances.

    Maybe I was naieve.

    There was also that thing about no casinos in North Carolina.

  9. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    There’s something crazy about complaining that Morehead City, N.C. isn’t some smart growth emlem. It has always been an industrial port city. It serves as a commercial hub for nearby resort areas. It serves has the embarkation point for Marines of the Second Division at Camp Lejeune.
    Why is it supposed to look some Post Modern planners dream?
    It’s like going to Portsmouth, excluding Olde Towne and making the same complaint.

  10. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Anon. That’s pretty much what I was trying to say, but you said it better.

    I guess we can have Utilitarian and Cheap or Gorgeous and Expensive.

    Groveton:

    I looked into it also. What I found was that it was hard to get into a positive cash flow situation: I did better by just keeping the Alexandria place (steady income, less grief with changing tenants), and less risk of hurricane. I suppose you trade that for the risk of neighborhood ethnicity change….

    I just heard of one of those beach places rented for a wedding party–$15,000 for the week.

    There are some places where you used to be able to get flood/storm insurance, but where where it is now no longer available because the 100 year flood plain lines got redrawn. Carolina Beach might be one. You can get a place there dirt cheap, but you bear all the risk. Otherwise, the only flood insurance available is through the government, so all those mega-cottages are there on account of government help.

    RH

  11. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    Ray:

    “…the Alexandria place…”

    When I was growing up and kicking around in Alexandria my forends and I used to discuss another former resident of that great city – Jim Morrison (former singer for the Doors). Some thought Jim Morrison was dead and buried in Paris. Others thought he got sick of the limelight, faked his death and was living in rural Virginia writing poetry.

    Recently you wrote:

    “I’ve seen films of an early failed rocket launch at Duck, which resulted in the missile doing some impromptu surfing, followed by cartwheels on the beach, before it slithered back down to the water and porpoised out of sight. It’s pretty funny video, but not too convivial with $3M homes.”.

    Very poetic description of a failed missile test.

    You’re not, by chance, humming “LA Woman” right now are you, “Ray”?

  12. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    Ray is Jim: The evidence mounts.

    Just read this:

    “The way we find the middle of the road is to examine carefully where the edge of solid pavement starts to crumble and fall off into the gutter.

    Extreme or not, left or right, such thinking is important, both to determine the edges of what is acceptable, and to consider the possible consequences of doing nothing or too little.

    When examining the limits of actions, reaactions, and consequences, we do ourselves a disservice if we start from a position that has a name. Celestial mechanics, for example, is a lot harder if you start from the position that the Earth is the center of the universe. It took an extremist like Copernicus to outline a radical view that happens to be closer to the truth, and also simpler.”.

    Jim (aka Lizard King) – Have you written the melody for that one yet or do you only write lyrics (OK, sorry … poetry) now?

    I knew it!

    I knew you didn’t die in Paris!

    When are you going on tour?

  13. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Well gee, thanks, I guess. But no, I don’t do drugs, even if my writng may sound that way.

    If there is anything resembling poetry in there, credit goes to my father, who was an english professor and a published poet.

    RH

  14. Kely Avatar
    Kely

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