Manteo, North Carolina, United States

🇺🇸 Manteo is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States, located on Roanoke Island. It is the county seat of Dare County.

Geography Manteo is located on the north central area of Roanoke Island. It is located off the exit at the South 16 mile post on US Hwy 158 at Whalebone Junction, the junction of NC Highways 158, 64, and 12, known as the Beach Road.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.98 square miles (5.13 km²), of which 1.92 square miles (4.97 km²) is land and 0.06 square miles (0.16 km²), or 3.09%, is water.

History The town is named for an American Indian named Manteo, a Croatan. Manteo traveled with the English to London in 1584 where he and another Indian, Wanchese, learned to become the liaisons between the Roanoke Colony settlers and the Indians. He also had favorable interaction with British colonist John White. In fact, Manteo was christened and given the name Lord of Roanoke, making him the first American Indian to receive a title of nobility. Eventually, John White's daughter Eleanor married Ananias Dare, and they had the first American-born English child, Virginia Dare. In 1587, Manteo was friendly to White when he returned to find what the final stage of the Roanoke Colony became. When the colonists disappeared after supplies from England were delayed for three years, the ongoing mystery of "The Lost Colony" began.

Manteo was named the seat of government for Dare County in 1870, and was incorporated in 1899.

In 1999, North Carolina public radio (NPR), WUNC, began broadcasting in Manteo as part of an effort to bring public radio to one of the largest areas on the East Coast of the United States without such service.

In 2005, Manteo restored its coastal warning display tower, and it is now operated by the Manteo branch of the North Carolina Maritime Museum.

Andy Griffith was a long-time resident of Manteo prior to his death in 2012.

The George Washington Creef House, John T. Daniels House, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Theodore S. Meekins House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Festivals and events Dare Day — An annual celebration for the people of Dare County. The festival is free and open to all residents and visitors. There is a variety of entertainment, food, and shopping with all activities in walking distance. This festival is held on the first Saturday of June.

The New World Festival of the Arts — Held on the Manteo waterfront a great exhibition that features over 80 selected artists displaying and selling their work. It is a two-day outdoor art show that has been held for over 23 years running.

Pirate's Cove Billfish Tournament — This fishing tournament takes place annually in mid-August. Teams and boats come from around the world to participate. In the 2014 tournament, the boat with the highest cash prize was the Waste Knot (Captain Barry Sawyer) and angler of the winning fish (Denise LaCour). The team took home a cash prize of over $60,000.

Education Dare County Schools is the area school district. The local schools are Manteo Elementary School, Manteo Middle School, and Manteo High School.

Dare County Library has a branch in Manteo.