The Outer Banks = sand dunes on a sand spit poking out of the ocean;
pretty to look at but unfit for human habitation.
So true. I was there a year ago on vacation. I went into the Harris Teeter Supermarket and I asked the manager if he lived on the OBX.
he told me that he lives on the mainland 20 miles away. He can't afford the homes there. (the least expensive shack was about 200K).