Salvo, North Carolina

Salvo, North Carolina
Location in Dare County and the state of North Carolina.
Location in Dare County and the state of North Carolina.
Coordinates: 35°32′56″N 75°28′8″W / 35.54889°N 75.46889°W / 35.54889; -75.46889
CountryUnited States
StateNorth Carolina
CountyDare
Named forArtillery discharge following the American Civil War
Area
 • Total
0.97 sq mi (2.51 km2)
 • Land0.97 sq mi (2.51 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
3 ft (0.9 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
303
 • Density312.69/sq mi (120.78/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EST)
ZIP code
27972
FIPS code37-58940
GNIS feature ID2628655[2]

Salvo is a census-designated place located in Dare County, North Carolina, United States, on Hatteras Island, part of North Carolina's Outer Banks. As of the 2010 census, Salvo had a population of 229.[3] Originally (with Rodanthe and Waves) part of the settlement of Chicamacomico, Salvo was originally known as "Clarks" or "Clarksville."

The name "Salvo" allegedly stems from the American Civil War, during which a passing Union vessel spotted the settlement, which was not marked on their maps. The commanding officer ordered an attack, and a sailor marked the site on his map with the word "Salvo." The name was formally given to the town when it received a post office in 1901. The Salvo post office, ZIP code 27972, one of the smallest postal facilities in the United States, was damaged by an arsonist in 1992. A new post office was constructed later in the decade for all of Chicamacomico. Hurricane Irene in August 2011 damaged much of the Outer Banks area including Salvo.

The residents of Salvo are governed by the Dare County Board of Commissioners. Salvo is part of District 4, along with Avon, Buxton, Frisco, Hatteras, Rodanthe and Waves.

On June 24, 2014, a Virginia vacationer became buried alive in beach sand when trying to dig a tunnel, and then died.[4]

Salvo Post Office was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.[5]

  1. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Salvo, North Carolina
  3. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Salvo CDP, North Carolina". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  4. ^ http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/Man-Dies-On-OBX-Beach-After-Being-Buried-Alive-264434311.html Man buried alive trying to dig a sand tunnel
  5. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.