Outer Banks, NC
Avon Homes For Sale
An unincorporated village on Hatteras Island, between Salvo and Buxton. The historic name is Kinnakeet. NC-12 runs through the village, with the Atlantic on one side and the Pamlico Sound on the other.
1883
Established
832
2020 Census
Dare County · Hatteras Island
County
On The Map
Where Avon sits on the Outer Banks.
47 mi
Wright Brothers National Memorial
as the crow flies
78 mi
Elizabeth City
as the crow flies
113 mi
Norfolk, VA
as the crow flies
Distances are straight-line (“as the crow flies”), not driving times.
Live Listings
Homes for sale in Avon.
Real-time listings from the MLS, updated around the clock and scoped to Avon, NC.
IDX listings are provided by the Outer Banks Association of Realtors and HIVE MLS. Data is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
A Local's Perspective
Life in Avon.
Avon is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Dare County, on Hatteras Island. It sits on NC-12 between Salvo to the north and Buxton to the south. Cape Hatteras National Seashore land separates the village from both neighbors. The Atlantic is east of the road and the Pamlico Sound is west of it. The 2020 census counted 832 residents, and the ZIP code is 27915. Dare County government covers the village. It is in county commissioner District 4 with Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras. It is not an incorporated town.
The older name is Kinnakeet, a word of Algonquian origin. The Kinnakeet Post Office opened in 1873. In 1883 the United States Postal Service renamed the post office and the township Avon. The older name is still in local use, including on the village welcome sign and in the name of Kinnakeet Township. Just north of the houses, inside the national seashore, the Little Kinnakeet Life-Saving Station was built in 1874. It was one of the first seven life-saving stations on the Outer Banks. The Coast Guard operated it from 1915 until it was decommissioned in 1954. The National Park Service holds the complex now. The buildings are closed. The station can be seen from the nearby soundside access.
Houses sit on both sides of NC-12. Some listings front the ocean, some face the sound, and many are on interior streets with neither. Ocean frontage and a sound shoreline are lot-by-lot facts. Read the survey before you treat a listing as waterfront. Kinnakeet Shores is a named soundfront community inside the village, and the MLS files it as its own subdivision. The listings on this page follow the city of Avon, so a Kinnakeet Shores house and a house nearer the pier can both appear. Sale prices move with the MLS. The feed shows what is actually for sale.
Avon is part of Southern Beaches. That page covers the rest of the town around this community.
At A Glance
- Established
- 1883
- 2020 Census
- 832
- County
- Dare County · Hatteras Island
- HOA Norm
- Mixed
Highlights
What defines Avon.
Between Salvo and Buxton
Avon is the village south of the tri-villages and north of Buxton. National seashore land lies on both sides of the houses, and NC-12 is the road through.
Kinnakeet, the older name
The post office opened as Kinnakeet in 1873 and was renamed Avon in 1883. The older name is still on the welcome sign and on Kinnakeet Township.
Avon Fishing Pier
The pier stands on the ocean beach in the village. It is a landmark on the Atlantic side of NC-12, separate from the soundfront lots to the west.
Seashore on both sides
Cape Hatteras National Seashore borders the village to the north and the south. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is a drive south, in Buxton.
Neighborhoods
Where to look in Avon.
Oceanside
Houses on the Atlantic side of NC-12 include oceanfront lots and streets a row or more back. A view of the beach is not the same thing as a deeded oceanfront line. Ask which one the listing has.
Soundside
The Pamlico Sound is the west side of the village. Some houses front the sound and some look across a marsh or a neighboring roof. Confirm the survey, the dock, and the water depth on any listing called soundfront.
Kinnakeet Shores
A named soundfront community inside Avon. The MLS keeps it as its own subdivision, and those houses are included in the Avon city feed on this page. Association rules, if any, belong to that community and not to the village as a whole.
Lifestyle
Around Avon.
Days here follow NC-12, the ocean beach, and the sound. The lighthouse in Buxton is south. The bridge back to Nags Head is north, across Pea Island.
Avon Fishing Pier on the ocean beach.
Little Kinnakeet Life-Saving Station, north of the village in Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The buildings are closed.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton, south on NC-12.
Pamlico Sound along the west side of the village.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore beach north and south of the houses.
The drive from Nags Head crosses the Marc Basnight Bridge and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.
Schools
Schools serving Avon.
Part of Dare County Schools.
Elementary
- Cape Hatteras Elementary School
Grades 6–12
- Cape Hatteras Secondary School
There is no school in Avon. Students attend Dare County Schools campuses on Hatteras Island. Cape Hatteras Secondary School is in Buxton. Confirm the zone for a specific address with the district.
School attendance zones are address-specific and change over time. Always verify enrollment eligibility directly with the district before making a purchase decision.
HOAs & POAs
Avon HOA norms
Most housing in Avon is on individual lots rather than inside one village-wide association. Kinnakeet Shores is a named community with its own place in the MLS, and some other streets have an association too. Dues, rental rules, and any architectural review belong to the specific house. Ask for the current resale documents before you write an offer. This page does not quote a dollar figure for dues.
New Construction
Building in Avon
New houses and rebuilds still come up in the village, and they go through Dare County permits. Confirm flood zone, septic or sewer, setbacks, and any association review before you budget a build. NC-12 is the only road on and off the island, so access after a storm belongs in the same conversation.
Keep Exploring
Communities near Avon.
Straight Answers
Avon buyer questions, answered.
Where is Avon on the Outer Banks?
Avon is an unincorporated village on Hatteras Island in Dare County, on NC-12 between Salvo and Buxton. Cape Hatteras National Seashore land separates it from both. The mailing ZIP is 27915. It is not inside a town. Dare County government covers it, in commissioner District 4 with the other Hatteras Island villages.
Why is Avon also called Kinnakeet?
Kinnakeet is the historic name, a word of Algonquian origin. The post office opened under that name in 1873. In 1883 the United States Postal Service renamed the post office and the township Avon. The older name is still used locally, including on the welcome sign and in Kinnakeet Township. It is not a valid mailing name in place of Avon.
How do you get to Avon?
By NC-12 south from Whalebone Junction in Nags Head. The drive crosses Oregon Inlet on the Marc Basnight Bridge, then Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, then Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo. There is no other road onto Hatteras Island. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is farther south, in Buxton.
Which schools serve Avon?
Dare County Schools. There is no campus in Avon. Students attend the Hatteras Island schools, Cape Hatteras Elementary and Cape Hatteras Secondary. The secondary school is in Buxton. Confirm the zone for a specific address with the district before you rely on it.
Do Avon homes have association dues?
It depends on the house. Much of the village is on individual lots with no village-wide association. Kinnakeet Shores and some other sections do have community rules. Ask for the resale package on that house, and ask whether the lot is oceanfront, soundfront, or neither, before you compare it with a house in a gated community farther north.
How do I see Avon homes for sale?
The listings section on this page pulls active MLS homes filtered to the city of Avon. That includes houses in Kinnakeet Shores and houses elsewhere in the village. The feed follows the same house, condo, and townhouse scope as the other community pages, so a vacant lot may not appear there. Inventory changes daily. Call The Spencer Team if you want a walkthrough of a specific house, dock, or rental rule.
Make Your Move
Ready to find your Avon home?
Buying or selling in Avon — Sarah and The Spencer Team know it block by block. One call away.