INLETS

Abstract

Flickr Commons. [2]Several dozen inlets have existed along North Carolina's Atlantic coastline since European settlers first arrived in the sixteenth century. A few important inlets have remained nearly permanent travel corridors between North Carolina's coastal towns and the open sea, while others, created in the Outer Banks [3] during hurricanes and other severe storms, stayed open for very short periods of time. Throughout the years, hurricanes have also closed a number of the state's inlets, some of which have been reopened at great public expense.