Wanchese is a census-designated place on Roanoke Island in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. It was named after Wanchese, the last known ruler of the Roanoke Native American tribe encountered by English colonists in the sixteenth century. The population was 1,642 at the 2010 census. Today, Wanchese is the center of commercial fishing and boatbuilding on the Outer Banks. The residents of Wanchese are governed by the Dare County Board of Commissioners.