Hassell, NC
4 miles southeast
Power from Edgecombe-Martin County EMC (Oak City: a town system); 47 people, about a sixth of Oak City's population
Attic insulation in HassellAttic Insulation in Oak City, NC
Blown-in attic insulation for Oak City, NC, in Martin County, plus removal and air sealing.
About Oak City and Its Homes
Oak City, in northwestern Martin County, was incorporated as Conoho in 1891 and renamed in 1905 because of confusion with Conetoe. Its streets run on a grid turned about 45 degrees off north, and we found no published account of its houses, so your own house is the starting point.
Oak City, in Martin County, fell from 272 people in 2020 to 266 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimates), on 1 square mile. That makes Oak City the fifth-largest town in Martin County.
Oak City has about 230 housing units, 2 percent of Martin County's.
Oak City at a Glance
- County: Martin County
- Population: 266 (2025), 272 (2020), down 2.2%
- Land area: 1 square mile (266 people each)
- Housing units: about 230 (±93)
- Apartments: under 15%
- Mobile homes: 11% (±6)
- Climate zone: 3 on both maps
- ENERGY STAR target for Oak City attics: R-49 from bare, R-38 over 3 to 4 inches (R-value guide)
Census Bureau estimates for Oak City, 2020 to 2024 (± margin of error).
Attic Insulation in Oak City
If the joists show above the insulation in an Oak City attic, ENERGY STAR says to add more insulation.
The Local Climate
Oak City's center sits about 80 feet above sea level, 14 miles from NOAA's Lewiston station, the best match for Oak City. The station's 1991 to 2020 normals average about 3,140 heating and 1,750 cooling degree days a year, so at Oak City's station, heating needs outweigh cooling.
Homes by Age: What It Means for the Attic
With about 230 housing units in Oak City, read the figures as rough proportions.
Built from 1940 to 1969, before the state's 1978 insulation rule, about 25 percent of Oak City homes often have little insulation. From 1990 to 2009, 13 percent of Oak City homes were built to codes below ENERGY STAR's target; check their eaves, where ENERGY STAR says insulation is often thinnest.
Homes by Year Built
- 1940s: under 2%
- 1950s: 15% (±7), about 35 units
- 1960s: 12% (±7), about 25 units
- 1970s: under 6%
- 1980s: 9% (±5), about 20 units
- 1990s: under 5%
- 2000s: 11% (±6), about 25 units
- 2010s: 6% (±5), about 15 units
- 2020 or later: under 6%
Air Sealing and Duct Sealing in Oak City
In Bethel, the nearest town to Oak City with solid figures, about 75 percent of homes heat with electricity.
Air sealing comes first, as the EPA advises: wire and pipe holes, wall tops and soffits.
Power, Gas and Rebates
Oak City runs its own electric system. For gas, Oak City is in the Martin County franchise of Piedmont Natural Gas, whose mains may not reach every street in Oak City.
No utility insulation rebate for Oak City turned up on the pages we read; income-eligible households may qualify for Energy Saver North Carolina, so check whether it has opened in Martin County. The Martin County page lists every program.
Attic Insulation Removal in Oak City
In an Oak City attic, only wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation is vacuumed out (ENERGY STAR's test), once the cause is fixed, and after mice that Oak City attic is sanitized and deodorized; dry, clean insulation stays.
Also Serving Near Oak City
Nearest to Oak City first.
Hamilton, NC
6 miles east
Power from its own town system (Oak City: a town system); 297 people to Oak City's 266
Attic insulation in HamiltonSpeed, NC
8 miles west
66 people, about a quarter of Oak City's population
Attic insulation in SpeedRobersonville, NC
10 miles south
1,237 people, about 5 times Oak City's population
Attic insulation in Robersonville
Oak City Insulation FAQs
Is anything in Oak City on the National Register?
Yes, but no houses. The two listings in town are Oak City Christian Church, built in 1921, and West Martin School, a campus with buildings from 1951 to 1970, listed in 2018. Neither is a district. The 2023 state list of local commissions skips Martin County as well. So no historic designation that we found applies to a house here, and its attic is the owner's choice.
What should be looked at first in the attic of an older Oak City house?
The roof and the exhaust fans. No study we found dates the houses here, though the place had a name, Goose Nest, from a Union soldier on a raid before its 1891 charter. Whatever the age of your house, damp insulation points to a roof leak, and ENERGY STAR says the leak comes first. Kitchen, bath and dryer fans also need to run outdoors, not into the attic. Once those are right, the insulation goes in.
Does attic insulation in Oak City need a permit?
Oak City Town Hall can say whether Martin County Building Inspections, the town itself or another office handles permits in Oak City; ask before work starts.
Sources
Census Bureau figures for Oak City, NOAA normals for the Lewiston station (October 2026). Compiled by Insulation Pros. How the town pages are made.
Sources for the Oak City introduction and questions (read October 20, 2026):
- Oak City, in The North Carolina Gazetteer (William S. Powell, 2nd ed., UNC Press 2010), NCpedia
- West Martin School, National Register nomination, 2018 (NC HPO)
- Oak City Christian Church, National Register nomination (NC HPO)
- NC Listings in the National Register of Historic Places, NC State Historic Preservation Office
- Historic Preservation Commission Staff in North Carolina, listed by county, as of 2/20/2023 (NC HPO)
- Attic Insulation Project, ENERGY STAR
Oak City, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Serving Oak City, NC
Insulation Pros is an insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Oak City and the rest of Martin County included.
Reach us
Send the square footage of your Oak City attic, or call (336) 870-3893.