About the Park. . Jockey's Ridge became a North Carolina State Park in 1975 after local residents and visitors resisted the move to develop the dune. The name, Jockey's Ridge, is a mystery as to its origin. Perhaps it came from the practice of the early "bankers" who used the flats around the base of the dunes to race the Spanish mustangs that ran wild in the area while spectators watched from atop the dune. More likely, the name may have originated as a result of the ownership of the dune by a family with the name of, or similar to, Jackey.
Jockey's Ridge became a North Carolina State Park in 1975 after local residents and visitors resisted the move to develop the dune. The name, Jockey's Ridge, is a mystery as to its origin. Perhaps it came from the practice of the early "bankers" who used the flats around the base of the dunes to race the Spanish mustangs that ran wild in the area while spectators watched from atop the dune. More likely, the name may have originated as a result of the ownership of the dune by a family with the name of, or similar to, Jackey.
Location. 35° 57.756′ N, 75° 37.92′ W. Marker is in Nags Head, North Carolina, in Dare County. It can be reached from West Carolista Drive west of South Croatoan Highway (U.S. 158), on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 W Carolista Dr, Nags Head NC 27959, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North
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Carolina’s Coastal Plain and on the Outer Banks. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Tidewater, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 13, 2025
2. About the Park Marker
miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Credits. This page was last revised on June 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 21, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 116 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on June 21, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
