Duck, North Carolina

Duck, North Carolina
Town

Location in Dare County and the state of North Carolina.
Coordinates: 36°1′32″N 75°40′12″W / 36.02556°N 75.67000°WCoordinates: 36°1′32″N 75°40′12″W / 36.02556°N 75.67000°W
Country United States
State North Carolina
County Dare
Area
 • Total 2.416 sq mi (6.26 km2)
 • Land 1.114 sq mi (2.89 km2)
 • Water 1.302 sq mi (3.37 km2)
Elevation 7 ft (2 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 369
 • Density 99.25/sq mi (38.32/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 27949
Area code(s) 252
FIPS code 37-35720[1]
GNIS feature ID 1025849[2]
Website townofduck.com
Historical population
Census Pop. %±
2010369—
sources:[3]

Duck is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. The year round population is around 369. The Town of Duck is Dare County's northernmost community, and is mainly,and one of the most popular resort destinations on the east coast of the United States. Incorporated on May 1, 2002, Duck is also the Outer Banks' newest town. Duck offers visitors outdoor recreational activities, summer events and concerts, watersports, fine dining, world class shopping, art galleries, and a nationally known jazz festival as well as the 11 acre Town Park and soundside boardwalk.[4]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.416 square miles (6.26 km2), 1.302 is water, along the northern Outer Banks. Originally part of Currituck County to the north, the stretch of the Outer Banks which includes Duck was transferred to Dare County in the early 20th century. The region was named for the many ducks and waterfowl in the area. During the peak vacation season, starting after Memorial Day the population increases to over 20,000.

Tourist Attractions

The town park is a recreational facility with trails through the Maritime Forest and willow swamp. It also has an amphitheater, playground, picnic shelter, and public kayak/canoeing launch. The Town has also built a boardwalk which can be accessed from the park and through the commercial Village. The boardwalk extends .78 miles along the Currituck Sound. Duck's beach was named one of the "Top 15 Family-Friendly Beaches in America". In October Duck hosts its annual Jazz Festival. During the summer months, the Town of Duck offers over 60 events and programs including Yoga on the Green, Movies on the Sound, a family magic show, live concerts and interactive theater. Programs are free and open to the public.[5]

Town Council

Duck is a very open community which encourages people to play an active role in their government. There are regular scheduled town meetings with the Town Council, where the public can address them of any matter they feel needs to be discussed. The community can also get involved and express their thoughts and concerns through attending council meetings and participating in public hearings. A two-day annual Council Retreat is held typically in February and is open to the public. The Town of Duck also records council meetings and makes them available to view on the Town of Duck YouTube Channel.[6]

History

In 1984, The North Carolina General Assembly established Duck as a North Carolina Beautification District. As a beautification district, an ad valorem tax could be levied to beautify the district and/or protect its citizens. Initially, a tax was levied for the purpose of providing for the underground installation of power lines throughout the community. This action prevented the power company from installing 30-foot high concrete poles along Duck Road. The resulting project resulted in an uncluttered skyline, increased safety for evacuation from the area (no downed poles or wires), and maintaining household power through major storm periods.

From 1986 to 1988, the community agreed to the levy of a tax for a two-year period to pay for the construction costs of a seven-mile multiple use trail. These funds were augmented by a $30,000 grant received by the Duck Civic Association (DCA) from the Dare County Tourism Bureau. The State Department of Transportation was also a major participant in obtaining easements and contracting for the trail installation.

In 1987, The Duck Civic Association was established to represent the community in matters of public safety, land use, and other public interests. The association management was set up with a nine-member Board of Directors and the usual complement of officers.

text
A morning theater and music show
at the Duck Town Park.

On July 18, 1994, the Dare County Commissioners adopted a resolution “to preserve our coastal village atmosphere through land use management and the policies and implementation strategies contained in the 1994 Land Use Plan update…”, signed by Robert V. Owens, Jr., Chairman.

In February 1999, the Dare County Planning Director made the DCA aware that a plan was being submitted by Food Lion to build and operate a 31,000 square foot supermarket in Duck Village, behind Herron’s Deli.

From June 15 to August 14, 1999, the DCA prepared a petition objecting to the introduction of the proposed supermarket into Duck Village. The petition was circulated within the community and made available at many of the businesses in Duck. During the two-month period, a total of 3,311 signatures was received. The majority of the full-time residents signed the petition. A large number of tourists (2,266) signed the petition and many expressed dismay at the thought of a supermarket in Duck. The sign up list contained names of people from 32 states and the District of Columbia. Also, there were four different United Kingdom parties and residents of Norway, Poland and Russia who signed. The results of the survey were passed along to Food Lion, Armada Hoffler (a Virginia Beach-based commercial real estate and construction company), and local and state political leaders.

On September 27, 1999, the president of the DCA received a conference call from the vice president of real estate and store development for Food Lion and the vice president of development for Armada Hoffler. They confirmed that Food Lion had bought the property in question, but said they were abandoning their present plans to build the proposed store. They mentioned that they hoped to develop the property in the next one to three years.

In late 1999 and early 2000, the President of the DCA had a number of discussions with Food Lion executives concerning the potential for DCA to buy the property from them, using grants and other means to raise the funds.

At the DCA meeting on January 6, 2000, the membership, in response to the Food Lion scare, asked the DCA Board to develop a set of materials relating to the possible incorporation of the community into a separate town.

On February 7, 2000, the DCA Board developed the requested information, including detailed financial projections, and sent it to all Duck property owners and registered voters. The revenue projection was based on making no changes in taxes that were currently being paid to Dare County for Duck-unique services. That total was 17 cents per $100 valuation (11 cents for waste disposal/recycling, 4 cents for fire department, 1 cent for ocean rescue/lifeguards, and 1 cent for trail maintenance). A questionnaire was part of the package.

In April 2000, responses to the questionnaire were tallied. The 1,051 respondents were overwhelmingly in favor of incorporation. Duck residents were 62% in favor and non-resident owners were 74% in favor.

In June 2000, the DCA Board appointed a 10-person Incorporation Committee.

In the late summer and early fall of 2000, the voter signature process to petition for incorporation was carried out. In late October, the Dare County Board of Elections certified the signatures (55% of registered voters) and the package was mailed to the Joint Legislative Commission on Municipal Incorporation.

On October 1, 2000, the president of the DCA received a call from the new director of real estate for Food Lion. He indicated that they were prepared to talk to the Duck Community about purchasing the property at the price they had paid for it, plus minor costs since the purchase.

On January 30, 2001, Food Lion and DCA executed an agreement which gave DCA the right to buy the property or to find a third party purchaser acceptable to Food Lion. Terms of the letter of intent were in force until December 31, 2001. The purchase price was $4,100,645.30.

During the 11-month period, serious discussions were held with many potential funding sources, such as the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, Division of Coastal Management, Department of Environmental and Natural Resources. Even with a seven-person team working on the project, it was not possible to find a fast way to raise $4M.

In February 2001, the Joint Commission completed its review of the Duck petition and forwarded it to the legislature with no recommendation for a referendum. The Commission sent an email to the Interim Council stating that it was “the most professionally done” petition of any they have ever received.

On March 28, 2001, Representative Bill Culpepper introduced the Duck Incorporation Bill in the House.

On August 29, 2001, after clearing the Senate on August 28 and the House on August 29, the bill became law.

On November 6, 2001, voters voted “for” the incorporation of Duck.

Duck was incorporated as the sixth town in Dare County on May 1, 2002.

The Caffeys Inlet Lifesaving Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[7]

Awards and recognitions

References

  1. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  4. ↑ Outerbanks SEO (2012). Town of Duck North Carolina. p. 4.
  5. ↑ {{Retrieved from http://www.townofduck.com/ourtownpark/}}
  6. ↑ Ferguson, J. (n.d.). Town council. Retrieved from http://www.townofduck.com/
  7. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09.

"Duck, North Carolina Population and Races". USA.com. World Media Group, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2012. .

External links