| Inland Waterway | See Intracoastal Waterway. |
| Inman | community in S Robeson County served by post office, 1896-1902. |
| Inman Branch | rises in S Haywood County and flows SE into West Fork Pigeon River. |
| Inner Diamond Shoal | See Diamond Shoals. |
| Institute | community in NW Lenoir County. Named for the Lenoir Collegiate Institute, which operated there for a number of years after 1855. Some of the buildings of the institute were later used as residences. |
| Institute Branch | rises in W Hertford County and flows NE into Worrell Mill Pond. |
| Institute Township | NW Lenoir County. |
| Intelligence | community in W Rockingham County served by post office, 1901-11. Known as Bald Hill until about 1920. Between 1850 and 1900, several tobacco factories flourished there. Named because the first public school in North Carolina was there. "Danbury," plantation home of Governor Alexander Martin (1740-1807), was nearby. Sharp's Institute, operated by James Sharp, father of N.C. Supreme Court justice Susie Sharp, was there. |
| 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. |