By Suzanne Gwaltney, SRES
Oriental North Carolina itself is a quiet place to live, a place where the air is crystal clean and the waters are still pure and the people see no reason why they shouldn’t be friendly, yet modern shopping centers, historic attractions, and beautiful resorts are only a short drive or an easy voyage away. With less than 900 residents, Oriental is a village on a bank of the Neuse, the widest river in the nation (five miles wide at Oriental and never, never crowded).
We are 6 miles up the river from the Pamlico Sound, second only in size to the Chesapeake Bay along the entire east coast. To the east, across the wide Pamlico Sound, lies the 125-mile necklace of barrier islands called the Outer Banks, with miles of uncrowded beaches, charter fishing fleets, campgrounds, nature trails, wildlife refuges, the tallest lighthouse and the highest sand dunes on the coast, the Wright Brothers National Memorial and Museum, and the famous outdoor drama, “The Lost Colony”. You can go out to the islands by private boat or state-operated ferry.
To the northwest, about 25 miles from Oriental, there is the city of New Bern, which offers complete shopping facilities and unusual attractions such as the historic TryonPalace restoration, and a tour of a dozen fine old homes that line the tree-canopied streets.
We are pleasantly aware of the four seasons, but our fall is long and warm, and our winter is only occasionally dusted with snow and mild enough to allow year-round jogging, tennis, golfing, and boating on miles and miles of meandering waterways. Many people know Oriental as the “Sailing Capitol of the Carolinas”.
We have a great many acres of fine land left, much of it on creeks, canals, and rivers. Our traffic flows freely and nobody waits in line for anything, and so our people are relaxed and happy, and we’re taking every precaution to keep things that way.
The capitol city of Raleigh is only three hours away, and the mountains are within reach for a vacation weekend any time.
If you’re planning a visit, email us at sgwaltney@ sailloftrealty.com or call 800-327-4189 and our team at Century 21 Sail/Loft Realty will help you arrange accommodations. If you’d like, we’ll be happy to offer you a tour of our beautiful area. Give us a call to learn more about Oriental and PamlicoCounty.