Dare County seems like a paradise to many of our visitors. But the area’s popularity has led to escalating housing prices that have placed home ownership, and even rental housing, beyond the reach of many hardworking Dare County residents.

The majority of area jobs, including essential services jobs such as teachers, nurses, police officers and firefighters, offer wage and income levels well below that needed to afford housing in the area. Dr. William Ettinger, author of Living and Working in Paradise and an authority on affordable housing problems in resort communities, has noted that by some measures, housing prices in the Outer Banks exceed median wages by ten times, a far worse situation than is found in famously expensive cities such as Boston and San Francisco.

The Outer Banks Community Development Corporation (CDC) was created to strengthen our community by advocating, facilitating, and developing housing for low- and moderate-income citizens while providing related economic, social, and educational services.

The goals of the CDC are to:
• Develop affordable housing
• Provide housing counseling
• Advocate for affordable housing
• Participate in economic development efforts