Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

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Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina
Location of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina
Location of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina
Coordinates: 36°1′32″N 75°40′12″W / 36.02556, -75.67
Country United States
State North Carolina
County Dare
Area
 - Total 5.5 sq mi (14.4 km²)
 - Land 5.5 sq mi (14.3 km²)
 - Water 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km²)
Elevation ft (2 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 5,897
 - Density 1,067.8/sq mi (412.3/km²)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 27948
Area code(s) 252
FIPS code 37-35720[1]
GNIS feature ID 1025849[2]

Kill Devil Hills is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, USA. The population was 5,897 at the 2000 census.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Kill Devil Hills is located at 36°1′32″N, 75°40′12″W (36.025448, -75.670105)[3], on the barrier islands known as the Outer Banks.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 5.5 square miles (14.3 km²), of which, 5.5 square miles (14.3 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.36%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 5,897 people, 2,585 households, and 1,491 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,067.8 people per square mile (412.5/km²). There were 5,302 housing units at an average density of 960.1/sq mi (370.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.40% White, 0.61% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 1.05% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.95% of the population. 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.77.

In the town the population was spread out with 20.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 38.1% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 105.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $39,713, and the median income for a family was $44,681. Males had a median income of $31,431 versus $23,206 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,679. About 5.2% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Etymology

The name Kill Devil Hills can be dated back to the colonial era. Shipwrecks were common at the time, and many of the ships were transporting barrels of rum. Upon a shipwreck, locals would scavenge the ship and hide the rum they found behind the same large sand dunes where the Wright brothers later flew the first plane. The locals said that the rum was strong enough to "kill the devil," so the dunes where they would hide the rum were nicknamed 'Kill Devil Hills.'[4]

[edit] History

Kill Devil Hills is the site of the Wright Brothers National Memorial, commemorating Orville Wright's historic first flight in a machine powered heavier than air vehicle. This historic event occurred on Thursday, December 17, 1903. The Wrights returned in 1911, and on October 25, Orville Wright reached an elevation of 225 feet and remained in the air 10 minutes and 34 seconds in a glider, setting a new world record. [2]

[edit] Popular culture

  • The Clutch song "Four Lords (And One More)" mentions Kill Devil Hills in its lyrics.


[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ [1] Outer Banks Home