Welcome to Oriental

"If you love sailing, why aren't you here?"

Oriental was settled by Louis B. Midyette in the 1870s. Legend has it that "Uncle Lou," as he was known, anchored his sailboat in the protected waters of Oriental to escape a gale. He was sailing from New Bern to his home in Dare County, where he was a farmer and fisherman.

Storytellers claim that Lou went ashore the next morning and climbed a tree. He was captured by the beautiful landscape and waterfront created by the many creeks and returned home to persuade others to join his family in moving here.

The U.S. Postal Service established an office here in 1886. Lou Midyette was named postmaster of what was then known as Smith's Creek. But Lou's wife, Rebecca, thought the village needed a better name. She had found the nameplate from the sunken steamer "Oriental" on the beaches of the Outer Banks (other stories say she just saw it in a Manteo home - either way, the name made an impression on her). The village became known as "Oriental" a few years after the post office was established. It was incorporated in 1899.

From the early 1900s Oriental's economy was supported by lumber, fishing and farming. Fishing remains an important business of the town. Fishing trawlers still grace the harbor, bringing in a catch of shrimp, crab or perhaps flounder depending on the season.

The last sawmill closed just about the time that sailors discovered the area in the early 1960s. Just four  sailboats called Oriental home then. Today that number has grown to over 2,700, giving Oriental its reputation as the Sailing Capitol of North Carolina.

Oriental is also a popular stop for snowbirds cruising south for the winter or heading north for the summer. Many residents will tell you that their first visit to Oriental was by water while cruising the Intracoastal Waterway or coastal North Carolina and that, like Uncle Lou, they decided to make Oriental their home. The population of the village is about 900, with many newcomers settling in the subdivisions that surround it.

Visit Oriental's official web site at www.visitoriental.com. For some local color go to www.towndock.net. Also home to Oriental's HarborCam!

ABOUT THE STEAMER ORIENTAL

The sailing steamer Oriental was built in Philadelphia in 1861 and was used as a Federal transport ship during the Civil War. She met her fate in May of 1862 when she was shipwrecked off Bodie Island, 33 miles north of Cape Hatteras. Her passengers and crew were saved.

Today, one of her portholes is on display in the Oriental Town Museum. Sadly, the fate of her nameplate is unknown.