Development on the Outer Banks: A Case of Public Perception

By Peter Rowe - Many U.S. coastal resort areas with high amenity values have experienced a high influx of both residents (full-time and part-time) and vacationers over the last two decades. This is the case for the Outer Banks of North Carolina, a narrow barrier island jutting out some thirty miles into the Atlantic Ocean. Many popular media accounts have suggested that the Outer Banks are destined to become like much of the New Jersey and Florida coastlines, and some fear this has already begun to happen. This study evaluates differences in perceptions of development between local residents and non-local residents...