that inhabit the sound that brushes the 

 shore at Barry Nelms' soundfront restau- 

 rant and hotel in Grandy. 



When he bought the place four years 

 ago, hunters and fishermen from across 

 the country booked reservations months in 

 advance. 



"In October 1986, we did $36,000 in 

 business," Nelms says. "This year, I'll be 

 lucky if we do $8,000." 



But if economies are floundering on the 

 mainland, they're booming on the beach. 



Property values have appreciated 30 

 percent a year since the mid 1970s, says 

 developer Larry Riggs. Riggs' father, 

 Samuel N. Riggs, spearheaded much of 

 Currituck's early growth. 



"A lot that sold for $30,000 in 1976 

 would easily sell for $175,000 today," 

 Riggs says. 



And even at that price, lots are selling 

 like umbrellas on a rainy day to the new 

 rich from Virginia and points north. 



"Why not," says Nelms. "They can buy 

 a house and a lot here for what they pay 

 for a lot on the Jersey shore." 



And every time the cash register rings 

 up another lot sale, rental or property tax 

 payment, coins drop into county coffers. 

 But so far the county offers little in 

 return, Riggs says. 



The isolation of the beach communities 

 and the self-contained style in which they 

 were developed has created little need for 

 services. 



But that's changing, Riggs says. 



With the addition of a health club, 

 swimming pools and tennis courts and 

 plans for a golf course, realtors are trying 

 to entice year-round residents to the Cur- 



Along the Currituck banks, travel has always been troublesome. 



In the 1960s, the road north along the banks stopped in Duck. To reach Corolla, 

 folks had to put their four-wheel drive in gear and bump along a sand "pole road" 

 that ran beneath the power lines. 



When it came time to stock supplies, most residents hit the beach at low tide for 

 a ride north to the Virginia communities of Sandbridge and Virginia Beach. But to 

 reach these areas, folks wheeled along Virginia beaches owned by the Back Bay Na- 

 tional Wildlife Refuge and False Cape State Park. 



That was fine in the early 60s when there weren 't too many people making the 

 trip. But when developers started snapping up the Currituck banks, carving it into 

 subdivisions and launching hard-sell advertising campaigns, there were more dune 

 buggies on the beach than ants at a picnic. 



Between 1961 and 1971, the number of vehicles trekking across the Back Bay 

 refuge skyrocketed from 10,000 to 348,000 a year. 



Concerned about the effect of the traffic on the environment, the Interior Depart- 

 ment in 1973 closed the refuge beach to everyone except those with a permit. 



To receive a permit today, Currituck banks residents must meet certain boun- 

 dary stipulations, residency dates, prior access requirements or work needs. The 

 refuge issues about 30 permits, says refuge manager Tony Leger. 



Most permit holders are limited to two round trips a day. A few folks, mostly 

 commercial fishermen, have commercial permits that allow them unlimited access, 

 Leger says. 



From Oct. 1 until April 30, bankers can make the trip any time of day. But dur- 

 ing sea turtle nesting season , everyone must stay off the beach between midnight 

 and 5 a. m. 



Permit holders cannot sell or transfer their passes to their children if they move 

 away or die. And all permits will be withdrawn if other access, a bridge or ferry for 

 example, becomes available. 



Meanwhile, for the hundreds of new banks residents, the only way north is a 

 trip south to Dare County, west over the bridge and finally north up the mainland 

 to Virginia. 



rituck banks— residents who would like 

 county services such as water and trash 

 pickup, residents who want quicker access 

 to medical facilities and shopping meccas, 

 residents who want a better evacuation 

 route if a hurricane threatens, residents 

 who want a bridge. 



And many mainlanders are just as anx- 

 ious for a connection. They would welcome 

 the added job possibilities. As it stands 

 now, any labor force needed along the 

 Currituck banks, be it construction 



Continued on the next page 



Photo by C.R. Edgerton 



