This project was begun in 1994 by the Internet and general business consulting group Ruffin Associates, Inc. [RAI], as a way to provide helpful information to visitors and friends of North Carolina's Outer Banks. It, along with the Outer Banks E-Mail Centre, began "live" operations on the Internet in April of 1995. Today NCOB is ranked #1 by most of the major search engines [key word 'north carolina outer banks'], handles thousands of inquiries each month and welcomes millions of visitors who visit the site each year.

From the very beginning, the number of writers, artists, photographers and lovers of the Outer Banks who have made unselfish contributions to NCOB has never ceased to amaze us. They have given freely of their time and resources to make certain that NCOB's content is factual, timely, fair, balanced and accurate and to share their love of these barrier islands.

For many of our early sponsoring organizations and companies, NCOB was their first introduction to the Internet. Well before they had their own domains many of our sponsors took their first Internet steps right here on NCOB. The Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce was, we believe, the first Chamber in North Carolina to have a presence on the Internet. It was here on NCOB. The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau first launched its Internet presence on NCOB .. the list goes on and on.

All of these writers, photographers, artists, sponsoring organizations and companies have joined together to provide straight forward, useful information to potential visitors regarding vacationing and perhaps, relocating to North Carolina's Outer Banks. To all of them we are grateful.

Coverage Area

A word about our coverage area and our reporting. The definition of what, exactly, constitutes North Carolina's Outer Banks has been rather loosely defined recently, to say the least, by a number of internet sites apparently hoping to bestow 'official' Outer Banks status upon themselves and confuse the internet public in the process. This site has from the beginning adopted the Columbia University Press definition reprinted below.

Outer Banks or the Banks, chain of sand barrier islands and peninsulas, c.175 mi (280 km), along the Atlantic coast of SE Va. and E N.C. Separated by inlets and enclosing several saltwater lagoons, or sounds, the main islands, from north to south, are Bodie, Roanoke, Hatteras, Ocracoke, Portsmouth, and Core Banks; the islands and peninsulas south of Core Banks to Smith Island are sometimes not considered part of the Outer Banks. Three prominent capes, Cape Hatteras (Hatteras Island), Cape Lookout (Core Banks Island), and Cape Fear (Smith Island), mark the locations of shifting Atlantic shoals that are the graveyards of many ships. The Banks are generally 1 mi (1.6 km) wide or less, and are subject to frequent hurricanes. Cape Lookout and Cape Hatteras national seashores and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge are in the Banks, which are a popular vacation area. Behind the Banks, Currituck Sound begins S of Back Bay in SE Virginia, expands into Albemarle Sound, narrows into Croatan and Roanoke sounds (between which lies Roanoke Island), expands again into Pamlico Sound (the largest by far), then narrows again in Core and Bogue sounds. South of Bogue, the Banks are separated from the mainland largely by the still narrower channel of the Intracoastal Waterway, part natural, part canal. Several large estuaries extend inland from Albemarle and Pamlico sounds.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2005, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

NCOB has always been about making friends for North Carolina's Outer Banks.

Purpose

• Promote local, natural and business interests of the Outer Banks community via the internet
• Provide professional, family-oriented information and services for visitors
• Foster communications between the Outer Banks community and it's visitors
• Provide high-quality, relevant, results-oriented service and technology to NCOB Sponsors

Site Recognition

NCOB has received many awards and much recognition since its inception. A few special recognition awards appear below:

Best of the USA: NCOB chosen as one of two best sites in the state of North Carolina

NCOB was chosen by "Best of the USA" as one of "Only the Two Best Sites" in North Carolina (the other was the Charlotte Observer). Sites were chosen based upon creative design, visitor recommendations and content benefiting their State.

Charlotte Observer: A glowing review

"And speaking of the Tarheel State, take a virtual visit to North Carolina's Outer Banks. Beautiful site, with lots of pretty pictures, information about the lighthouses, points of interest, places to stay, directions (including ferry schedules), and area businesses".

The NCOB Lighthouse Collection at www.4kids.org. It was featured in over 150 UPS (Universal Press Syndicate) newspapers in the US and Canada and on their website.

Links to businesses, artists and historical societies, the NCOB site provides an overview of tourist attractions on the Outer Banks. Order ginger teriyaki sauce from the Whalebone Seafood Market, read the community calendar of events and marvel at the goodies in the Belcross Bake Shoppe.

StudyWeb Educational Resource Award: A featured site as one of the best educational resources on the web

StudyWeb is one of the Internet's premier sites for educational resources for students and teachers. Since 1996 their professional reviewers have been scouring the Internet to select only the finest sites to be included in StudyWeb's reviews. Each site in StudyWeb includes a detailed review describing it's merits.