Southern Shores offers quiet island living between busy OBX towns
Life at the beach isn’t as crowded in Southern Shores as other nearby coastal spots. This small community in the Outer Banks was the first planned town on the barrier islands and is nearly entirely residential, home to about 3,100 people. The enclave rests between the bustling tourist destinations of Duck and Kitty Hawk but offers a quieter atmosphere, as its shoreline isn’t open to the public. “Southern Shores is mostly your year-round residents. There are more trees. It’s part of the maritime forest,” says Susie Sullivan Rainwater, a senior associate broker at Sun Realty Kitty Hawk, who’s lived in the OBX for decades. “If you want island living or if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, it’s a great place.”
From Southern Shores Flat Tops to towering waterfront properties
Southern Shores offers a range of single-family homes, from sprawling waterfront estates to tree-hugged Cape Cods and coastal-style neo-traditional builds. The community also has its own architectural style known as the Southern Shores Flat Top, which is similar in look to the midcentury modern style, but with flat roofs. Some properties rest on stilts, while others are built on ground level along creeks. Properties surrounding Duck Woods Country Club have golf course views.
The median price for a single-family home in Southern Shores is around $760,000, significantly above the national median. Most properties fall between $450,000 and $870,000. However, particularly large homes start at $900,000 and can exceed $2 million for beachfront properties.
Southern Shores has private beaches and parks away from tourists
Southern Shores features about 4 miles of beach, which is only accessible to residents and those staying at rental properties. This creates a calmer atmosphere on the oceanfront compared to the tourist-packed beaches nearby in Kitty Hawk. Along with the beach, Southern Shores offers a few parks, including Sea Oats Park, which has pickleball courts and a playground. It’s also home to Duck Woods Country Club, where members can take on an 18-hole golf course designed by architect Ellis Maples, swim in an outdoor pool and play racquet sports. Residents can also join the Southern Shores Civic Association Boat Club, which sponsors community events like the annual Fourth of July Picnic and a holiday party in December. The town has two private marinas, where boaters can set off on a cruise into the Currituck Sound.
The rest of the Outer Banks offers much to explore, from the tree-shaded hiking trails in Kitty Hawk Woods Preserve to learning about the first successful airplane flight at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills. One of Sullivan Rainwater’s favorite places to visit is Carova Beach, which is only reachable by four-wheel drive vehicles and boats. “It’s just wide open. Wild horses roam free, and they have wild horse tours,” she says.
U.S. Route 158 offers big-box stores and local flavor
Most shopping in Southern Shores takes place along U.S. Route 158, where several shopping centers are home to national retailers like Walmart Supercenter and grocery chains like Harris Teeter and Food Lion. A handful of locally owned businesses are in this area. Residents have been buying freshly caught fish and shrimp from the Carawan Seafood Company since the 1980s. Nearby, Cosmo's Pizzeria offers a relaxed atmosphere for New York-style pies, while Front Porch Café is the morning stop for coffee and baked goods. Kitty Hawk and Duck offer more shopping and dining, from the open-air Scarborough Faire Shopping Village to oceanfront restaurants and beach bars.
Southern Shores students can attend highly rated public schools
Dare County Schools receives an A-minus rating from Niche and has 11 schools serving about 5,000 students. Homes in Southern Shores are zoned for the B-plus-rated Kitty Hawk Elementary, which offers a dual language Spanish immersion program. Students can move on to the A-minus-rated First Flight Middle and the B-plus-rated First Flight High, which have adjacent campuses along Veterans Drive.
All roads in the Northern Outer Banks lead to State Route 12
Southern Shore’s residential streets branch off state Route 12, also known as Duck Road. This gently curving two-lane thoroughfare is the main road linking communities along the Northern Outer Banks and can get congested during peak tourist travel times. A greenway parallels Route 12 for walking, running and biking. The town has direct access to U.S. Route 158, one of two routes to reach the mainland. Outer Banks Health Hospital, a full-service hospital serving all of the barrier islands, is about 16 miles away in Nags Head. Norfolk International Airport offers the closest commercial flights, about 80 miles away in Virginia.
Important to know
Flooding, high winds and hurricanes are realities of living in Dare County. Mandatory evacuations are possible throughout the Atlantic Hurricane Season. Like all of the communities in the Outer Banks, Southern Shores has a beach maintenance plan to combat erosion.
