Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina
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Kill Devil Hills beach guard tower, north of the Wright Memorial
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| Nickname(s):
Birthplace of Aviation
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Location in Dare County and the U.S. state of North Carolina.
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 Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina
Location in North Carolina
Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States | ||
| State | North Carolina | ||
| County | Dare | ||
| Incorporated | 1953 | ||
| Named for | Unwholesome rum | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 5.66 sq mi (14.67 km2) | ||
| • Land | 5.61 sq mi (14.53 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.06 sq mi (0.14 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 7 ft (2 m) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 7,656 | ||
| • Density | 1,365.19/sq mi (527.08/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) | ||
| ZIP code |
27948
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| Area code(s) | 252 | ||
| FIPS code | 37-35720 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 1025849 | ||
| Website | kdhnc.com | ||
Kill Devil Hills is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,633 at the 2020 census, up from 6,683 in 2010. It is the most populous settlement in both Dare County and on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The Kill Devil Hills Micropolitan Statistical Area is part of the larger Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC Combined Statistical Area.
The town was founded and developed on the site of the Wright brothers' first controlled, powered airplane flights on December 17, 1903, chosen for its good winds. It was commemorated by the Wright Brothers National Memorial, which was dedicated in 1932. At the time of the Wright Flyer flights, the town of Kill Devil Hills did not exist, and it did not receive its municipal charter until 1953. Kitty Hawk, popularly noted as the site of the famous flights, is approximately four miles (6 km) to the north, and was the nearest settlement at the time of the famous flight.
Contents
History
Kill Devil Hills is the site of the Wright Brothers National Memorial, commemorating the siblings' four powered airplane flights in the Wright Flyer on Thursday, December 17, 1903. Orville returned in 1911, and on October 25 he set a new world glider record, remaining in the air 10 minutes and 34 seconds, soaring against the wind with very little forward movement.
In addition to the Wright Brothers National Memorial, Sam's Diner in the town is on the National Register of Historic Places, listed in 1999.
Geography
Kill Devil Hills is located at 36°1′32″N 75°40′12″W / 36.02556°N 75.67000°W (36.025448, −75.670105), 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 km2), of which 5.5 square miles (14 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (0.36%) is water.
As a result of its climate and proximity to beaches, the population rises significantly in Kill Devil Hills and other towns located on the Outer Banks during the summer months.
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Photographed from the Wright Brothers National Memorial
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Panorama of Kill Devil Hills at Night
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1960 | 268 | — | |
| 1970 | 357 | 33.2% | |
| 1980 | 1,796 | 403.1% | |
| 1990 | 4,238 | 136.0% | |
| 2000 | 5,897 | 39.1% | |
| 2010 | 6,683 | 13.3% | |
| 2020 | 7,633 | 14.2% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 7,777 | 16.4% | |
| sources: | |||
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 6,478 | 84.61% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 86 | 1.12% |
| Native American | 25 | 0.33% |
| Asian | 84 | 1.1% |
| Other/Mixed | 324 | 4.23% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 659 | 8.61% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,656 people, 3,170 households, and 1,809 families residing in the town.
Sports
Kill Devil Hills is home to the Outer Banks Daredevils of the Tidewater Summer League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The Daredevils play at First Flight Baseball Complex on Veterans Drive in Kill Devil Hills. The team, founded in 1997, began play in Kill Devil Hills in 2005.
Transportation
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First Flight Airport (IATA: FFA, ICAO: KFFA, FAA LID: FFA) is a public use airport which is owned by the National Park Service (NPS), and located one mile west of Kill Devil Hills.
First Flight Airport covers an area of 40 acres at an elevation of 13 feet (4 metres) above mean sea level. It has one runway; designated 3/21, with an asphalt surface measuring 3,000 by 60 feet (914 by 18 metres). For the 12-month period ending August 19, 2009, the airport had 38,120 aircraft operations, an average of 104 per day: 97% general aviation, 3% air taxi, and <1% military.
The airport is notable for being the site of hundreds of pre-flight gliding experiments carried out by the Wright brothers. The U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission chose First Flight Airport as one of the stops for the National Air Tour 2003.
Education
It is within Dare County Schools.
First Flight Elementary School and First Flight Middle School are in Kill Devil Hills, just south of the Monument. Kill Devil Hills is also served by First Flight High School. The school first opened on Tuesday, August 17, 2004, to 800 students. Previously, high school students from Kill Devil Hills attended Manteo High School.
Some portions of Kill Devil Hills are zoned to Nags Head Elementary instead of First Flight Elementary. Previously Kitty Hawk Elementary School served areas north of Collington Road/Ocean Bay Bridge while First Flight Elementary served points south. Boundaries changed when Nags Head Elementary opened in 2005.
Dare County Library has a branch in Kill Devil Hills.
Climate
According to the Trewartha climate classification system, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina has a humid subtropical climate with hot and humid summers, cool winters and year-round precipitation (Cfak). Cfak climates are characterized by all months having an average mean temperature > 32.0 °F (> 0.0 °C), at least eight months with an average mean temperature ≥ 50.0 °F (≥ 10.0 °C), at least one month with an average mean temperature ≥ 71.6 °F (≥ 22.0 °C) and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. During the summer months in Kill Devil Hills, a cooling afternoon sea breeze is present on most days, but episodes of extreme heat and humidity can occur with heat index values ≥ 100 °F (≥ 38 °C). Kill Devil Hills is prone to hurricane strikes, particularly during the Atlantic hurricane season which extends from June 1 through November 30, sharply peaking from late August through September. During the winter months, episodes of cold and wind can occur with wind chill values < 10 °F (< -12 °C). The plant hardiness zone in Kill Devil Hills is 8b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 17.0 °F (-8.3 °C). The average seasonal (Dec-Mar) snowfall total is < 2 inches (< 5 cm), and the average annual peak in nor'easter activity is in February.
| Climate data for Kill Devil Hills, NC (1981-2010 Averages) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 50.8 (10.4) |
52.6 (11.4) |
58.1 (14.5) |
66.5 (19.2) |
73.9 (23.3) |
81.5 (27.5) |
85.4 (29.7) |
84.2 (29.0) |
79.5 (26.4) |
71.2 (21.8) |
63.0 (17.2) |
54.6 (12.6) |
68.5 (20.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 44.1 (6.7) |
45.7 (7.6) |
50.8 (10.4) |
59.0 (15.0) |
67.0 (19.4) |
75.4 (24.1) |
79.7 (26.5) |
78.9 (26.1) |
74.3 (23.5) |
65.3 (18.5) |
56.6 (13.7) |
48.0 (8.9) |
62.1 (16.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 37.4 (3.0) |
38.9 (3.8) |
43.5 (6.4) |
51.6 (10.9) |
60.2 (15.7) |
69.3 (20.7) |
74.1 (23.4) |
73.5 (23.1) |
69.1 (20.6) |
59.4 (15.2) |
50.2 (10.1) |
41.3 (5.2) |
55.8 (13.2) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.28 (109) |
3.54 (90) |
3.84 (98) |
3.44 (87) |
3.75 (95) |
4.31 (109) |
4.96 (126) |
5.98 (152) |
5.29 (134) |
3.79 (96) |
3.70 (94) |
3.76 (96) |
50.64 (1,286) |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 70.2 | 69.5 | 66.9 | 66.6 | 69.3 | 72.4 | 73.8 | 73.0 | 73.0 | 70.1 | 71.8 | 72.0 | 70.7 |
| Average dew point °F (°C) | 35.0 (1.7) |
36.3 (2.4) |
40.2 (4.6) |
47.9 (8.8) |
56.6 (13.7) |
65.9 (18.8) |
70.6 (21.4) |
69.5 (20.8) |
65.1 (18.4) |
55.3 (12.9) |
47.6 (8.7) |
39.4 (4.1) |
52.5 (11.4) |
| Source: PRISM | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Duck, NC Ocean Water Temperature (12 NW Kill Devil Hills) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 45 (7) |
44 (7) |
46 (8) |
59 (15) |
67 (19) |
74 (23) |
71 (22) |
74 (23) |
75 (24) |
69 (21) |
59 (15) |
52 (11) |
61 (16) |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Ecology
According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina would have a dominant vegetation type of Live oak/Sea Oats Uniola paniculata (90) with a dominant vegetation form of Coastal Prairie (20).
Popular culture
- In March 2011, it was announced that bass guitarist Rex Brown (Pantera) and drummer Vinny Appice (Heaven & Hell, Black Sabbath, Dio) had formed a new band called Kill Devil Hill.
- The closing scenes of the 1983 film Brainstorm take place at the Wright Brothers National Memorial visitor's center in Kill Devil Hills.
- Dennis Anderson, creator and former driver of the Grave Digger monster truck in the Monster Jam touring series, makes his home in Kill Devil Hills, and the town's name appears on the truck's artwork, keeping with its "spooky" theme. The team's garage is located in nearby Poplar Branch.
- The book, Twisted, written by Hannah Jayne is set in Kill Devil Hills.
- The 2005 album Tyranny of Souls by Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden frontman) contains a track titled Kill Devil Hill, a song about the first controlled airplane flight.
See also
In Spanish: Kill Devil Hills (Carolina del Norte) para niños
