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Emerald Isle, North Carolina (U.S.)

Carteret County

image located by Vanja Poposki, 30 August 2013

Description of the flag

See also:

Description of the flag

The town of Emerald Isle (3,655 inhabitants in 2010 - as many as 50,000 visitors in summer season; 1,370 ha) is located in Carteret County.

The Western most thirteen miles of the Bogue Banks barrier island of the Southern Outer Banks was purchased in 1954 from Mrs. Anita Fort Maulik of Philadelphia. The total purchase price of $350,000, the largest ever recorded in Carteret County at the time, was offered by seven investors from the Red Springs area of Southeastern North Carolina. This area was later named Emerald Isle.
www.emeraldisle-nc.org/history.htm - Town website

The flag of Emerald Isle is in proportions 3:5 (size, 3' x 5'), green with a green and white version of the town's seal in the middle,
"single sided". It may be purchased from the Town Administration for $25.
emeraldisle-nc.org/CommunityNotice/CommunityNotice-EI%20Flags.htm - Town website
si0.twimg.com/profile_images/254353161/townseal-copy.jpg - Town's seal in full colours

The green background of the flag is, of course, reminiscent of the name of the place, whose origin is, however, much less romantic than could have been expected:

Where did Emerald Isle get its name? Could it have been that the developers were all Irishmen? Possibly, they were all jewelers? Maybe they were taunting jealous friends who were green with envy? Some even mentioned that the water is more green than blue. Others said that phosphorus deposits left behind on the beach by lapping waves created a green glow about dusk each day. These all sound like possibilities, but none are correct. When the original developers were contemplating the purchase of this undeveloped half of the island, a consultant from Florida was hired to advise them. This consultant asked to be flown over the property to gain a perspective on how development might occur. With no development at the time and appearing from the air as a solid green gem in the middle of a sea of sparkling water, he looked down from the heavens and said, "This Place Shall be Known as Emerald Isle".

www.emeraldisle-nc.org/history.htm - Town website

In May 2004, the Town Administration implemented a new red flag warning system for dangerous surf conditions:
"The Emerald Isle Beach Patrol (which operates under the Emerald Isle Fire Department) will monitor surf conditions daily, and will post the red flags if dangerous surf conditions exist. Red flags will be posted on public beach walkovers at approximately 1/4-mile intervals when dangerous surf conditions exist, and will also be posted on selected private beach walkovers. If the beach has been posted with red flags, it is recommended that adult swimmers not go out further than knee-deep water, and children should not be allowed into the surf at any time. The red flags will remain in place until the dangerous surf conditions subside, and will then be removed by Emerald Isle Beach Patrol and / or Fire Department personnel."
www.emeraldisle-nc.org/EmeraldTidings/2004/051904issue.pdf - "Emerald Tidings / Island Review", 19 May 2004

Ivan Sache, 7 September 2013