Hatteras Village, settled in the 1780s between Pamlico Sound and the Atlantic Ocean, has long depended on natural resources for its livelihood. Its early population, primarily shipwreck survivors, lived by waterfowl hunting, commercial fishing, and small family gardens. The hurricane of 1846 created Hatteras Inlet, giving fishermen access to the ocean and greater opportunities, and the inlet later helped Union forces invade North Carolina during the Civil War. By the 1900s the village had a post office, a Coast Guard station, and a Weather Bureau station now open to the public. Northern sportsmen discovered the area’s exceptional hunting and introduced villagers to sport fishing, and after years of taking sportsmen out in commercial boats, villagers developed charter boat fishing as a business. The first charter boat business began in 1937, and because Hatteras was the closest port to the Gulf Stream north of Florida, it became a major destination for anglers. By the early 1950s, outstanding blue marlin fishing had made Hatteras known as the “Blue Marlin Capital of the World,” and the publicity from sport fishing helped give rise to the modern tourism industry. Marinas, fish houses, commercial and charter boat watermen, and hunting guides still mingle in the community, where love of being on the water remains a bond.