| Intracoastal Waterway | extends from Gloucester, Mass., to Key West, Fla., a distance of 1,950 mi., of which 308 are in North Carolina. It passes through sounds, rivers, and canals. The depth of the waterway is 12 ft., minimum width is 47 ft., and minimum vertical clearance is 80 ft. The oldest segment of the waterway in North Carolina was begun in 1856 as a private enterprise. In 1873 control and maintenance of the network of coastal canals was taken over by the U.S. Corps of Engineers, and work was expanded through the 1940s. Pleasure craft, towed barges, and small freight boats use the Intracoastal Waterway. |
| Inverness | community in central Hoke County served by post office, 1854-1912. |
| Invershiel | mountain resort in E Avery County near Grandfather Mountain. A village containing shops, a church, and other buildings is modeled after an old Scottish village. Named for the village in Scotland, ancestral home of the MacRae family, developers of the resort. Est. 1966. |
| Iola | community in E Montgomery County served by post office, 1903-15. Named for Iola gold mine. |
| Iona | community in central Robeson County served by post office, 1896-1902. |
| Iotla Branch | rises in N Macon County and flows SE into Iotla Creek. |
| Iotla Creek | rises in central Macon County and flows NE into Little Tennessee River. |
| Iotla Gap | central Macon County near the head of Iotla Creek. |
| Iowa Hill | E Mitchell County between Beaver Creek and North Toe River. |
| Ira | community in W Wilkes County served by post office, 1899-1903. |