# Hatteras Inlet > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hatteras_Inlet > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hatteras_Inlet.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatteras_Inlet > Source revision: 1300613408 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Estuary in North Carolina, U.S. This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (July 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Map of the Outer Banks showing location of Hatteras Inlet **Hatteras Inlet** is an [estuary](/source/Estuary) in [North Carolina](/source/North_Carolina), located along the [Outer Banks](/source/Outer_Banks), separating [Hatteras Island](/source/Hatteras_Island) and [Ocracoke Island](/source/Ocracoke_Island). It connects the [Atlantic Ocean](/source/Atlantic_Ocean) to the [Pamlico Sound](/source/Pamlico_Sound). Hatteras Inlet is located entirely within [Hyde County](/source/Hyde_County%2C_North_Carolina). ## History The first "Hatteras Inlet" was formed south of the current [inlet](/source/Inlet), but closed around 1764. The modern "Hatteras Inlet" was formed on September 7, 1846, by a violent [gale](/source/Gale). This massive storm was the same storm that opened present-day [Oregon Inlet](/source/Oregon_Inlet). The new inlet at Hatteras became a profitable inlet because it gave the [Inner Banks](/source/Inner_Banks), [NC](/source/North_Carolina) a quicker and easier route to travel to and from the [Gulf Stream](/source/Gulf_Stream). It was easier to come into this inlet from the north than to [Ocracoke](/source/Ocracoke_Inlet). Because of the increase in commerce, [Hatteras Village](/source/Hatteras%2C_North_Carolina) [Post Office](/source/Post_Office) was established in 1858. The initial invasion of the [North Carolina](/source/North_Carolina) coast on [Hatteras Island](/source/Hatteras_Island) during the [Civil War](/source/American_Civil_War), called the [Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries](/source/Battle_of_Hatteras_Inlet_Batteries), came from Hatteras Inlet on August 28–29, 1861. The two [Confederate](/source/Confederate_States_of_America) [forts](/source/Forts) guarding the inlet quickly fell.[1] ## Hatteras Inlet today The inlet today is approximately two miles across, but this distance changes daily because of the convection of [brackish water](/source/Brackish_water). No [bridge](/source/Bridge) crosses Hatteras Inlet. A fleet of eight [ferries](/source/Ferry), owned by the [North Carolina Department of Transportation](/source/North_Carolina_Department_of_Transportation), provides a free 60-minute ride year round to people who want to traverse the inlet from Hatteras to Ocracoke. These ferries connect [North Carolina State Highway 12](/source/North_Carolina_State_Highway_12) between the two islands.[2] ## Further reading Claiborne S. Young (2005). *Cruising Guide to Coastal North Carolina*. Winston-Salem, NC: John F. Blair. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-89587-314-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-89587-314-1). ## Map [Google Maps - Hatteras Inlet](https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=hatteras+inlet,+nc&sll=35.219258,-75.803604&sspn=0.180347,0.376282&ie=UTF8&z=12&t=h&om=1) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["History of Hatteras Inlet"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070220115701/http://www.hatteras-nc.com/history/hatteras-village-history.shtml). Archived from [the original](http://www.hatteras-nc.com/history/hatteras-village-history.shtml) on 2007-02-20. Retrieved 2007-02-12. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Hatteras Inlet"](https://www.outerbanks.com/hatteras-inlet.html). *OuterBanks.com*. Retrieved 2022-08-23. [35°11′31″N 75°45′40″W / 35.19194°N 75.76111°W / 35.19194; -75.76111](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Hatteras_Inlet¶ms=35_11_31_N_75_45_40_W_) Preceded by Hatteras Beaches of The Outer Banks Succeeded by Ocracoke Island v t e Outer Banks of North Carolina and Virginia Landforms Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula Beacon Island Bodie Island Cape Hatteras Cape Lookout Colington Island Coquina Beach Core Banks Hatteras Island Knotts Island Mary Island Monkey Island No Ache Island Ocracoke Island Pea Island Portsmouth Island Roanoke Island Shackleford Banks Shelly Island Places City of Virginia Beach Sandbridge Currituck County Carova Beach Corolla Knotts Island Dare County Avon Buxton Colington Duck Frisco Hatteras Kill Devil Hills Kitty Hawk Manteo Nags Head Rodanthe Salvo Southern Shores Wanchese Waves Whalebone Junction Hyde County Ocracoke Carteret County Cape Lookout Village Portsmouth Waterways Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway North River Bays Back Bay Knotts Island Bay Onslow Bay Raleigh Bay Sounds Albemarle Sound Back Sound Core Sound Croatan Sound Currituck Sound Pamlico Sound Roanoke Sound Inlets Barden Inlet Beaufort Inlet Drum Inlet Hatteras Inlet Isabel Inlet New Inlet Ocracoke Inlet Oregon Inlet Lighthouses Bodie Island Lighthouse Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Cape Lookout Lighthouse Currituck Beach Light Ocracoke Light Protected areas and wildlife National seashores Cape Hatteras National Seashore Cape Lookout National Seashore Wildlife refuges Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge Currituck National Wildlife Refuge Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge State parks False Cape State Park Jockey's Ridge State Park State coastal reserves Buxton Woods Kitty Hawk Woods Game lands Buxton Woods Game Land Currituck Banks Game Land North River Game Land Roanoke Island Marshes Game Land Preserves Nags Head Woods Preserve Roanoke Island Marshes Preserve Museums, zoos, and institutes Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island University of North Carolina - Coastal Studies Institute Other Currituck Banks North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve Fort Raleigh National Historic Site Mountains-to-Sea Trail Pine Island Audubon Sanctuary Roanoke Island Festival Park Run Hill State Natural Area Wright Brothers National Memorial Wildlife Banker horse Red wolf Transportation Routes Historic Albemarle Tour North Carolina Ferry System North Carolina Highway 12 Bridges Captain Richard Etheridge Bridge Herbert C. Bonner Bridge Marc Basnight Bridge Melvin R. Daniels Bridge Mid-Currituck Bridge Rodanthe Bridge Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge Washington Baum Bridge William B. Umstead Bridge Wright Memorial Bridge Airports Billy Mitchell Airport Dare County Regional Airport First Flight Airport Ocracoke Island Airport History Events and places Battle of the Atlantic Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Freedmen's Colony of Roanoke Island Graveyard of the Atlantic Hatteras Weather Bureau Station Pea Island Life-Saving Station Roanoke Colony Torpedo Alley Whalehead Club People Marc Basnight Blackbeard Croatan Virginia Dare Richard Grenville Manteo Raleigh Roanoke people Wanchese John White Weather 1936 Outer Banks hurricane 1945 Outer Banks hurricane Hurricane Helene (1958) Hurricane Fran (1996) Hurricane Isabel (2003) Hurricane Irene (2011) Hurricane Dorian (2019) Hazard mitigation Authority control databases National United States Israel Other Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Hatteras Inlet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatteras_Inlet) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatteras_Inlet?action=history)). 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