Kitty Hawk, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
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Wright Brothers National Memorial near Kitty Hawk
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| Motto(s):
"First in Flight"
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Location in Dare County and the state of North Carolina.
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| Country | United States | ||
| State | North Carolina | ||
| County | Dare | ||
| Incorporated | 1981 | ||
| Named for | Chickehauk | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 8.29 sq mi (21.46 km2) | ||
| • Land | 8.12 sq mi (21.03 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.17 sq mi (0.43 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 7 ft (2 m) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 3,689 | ||
| • Density | 454.37/sq mi (175.44/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) | ||
| ZIP code |
27949
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| Area code(s) | 252 | ||
| FIPS code | 37-36060 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 1021059 | ||
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1990 | 1,937 | — | |
| 2000 | 2,991 | 54.4% | |
| 2010 | 3,272 | 9.4% | |
| 2020 | 3,708 | 13.3% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 3,761 | 14.9% | |
| sources: | |||
Kitty Hawk is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, on Bodie Island, part of what is known as the state's Outer Banks. The population was 3,708 at the 2020 census. It was established in the early 18th century as Chickahawk.
History
The name Kitty Hawk is derived from the native Algonquin Native American language word Chickahawk, meaning "a place to hunt geese".
Kitty Hawk became world-famous after the Wright brothers made the first controlled powered airplane flights at Kill Devil Hills, four miles (6.4 km) south of the town, on December 17, 1903. After the four flights in their Wright Flyer, the brothers walked back to Kitty Hawk. Here, they sent a telegram from the Weather Bureau office to their father informing him of their success. Kitty Hawk is usually credited as the site of the powered flights because it was the nearest named settlement at the time of the flight; the modern town of Kill Devil Hills did not exist until 50 years after the flights. The Wrights chose the area because its frequent winds and soft sandy surfaces were suitable for their glider experiments, which they conducted over three years before they made the powered flights.
The Old Currituck Sound Bridge was completed in 1930, which connected the mainland to the Outer Banks across Albemarle Sound, prompting the paving of a road between the two existing bridges (the other in Manteo) and connecting the Outer Banks to the outside world by road for the first time.
The aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber AV-19 with an aircraft number of 93–1086, P-40D Kittyhawk fighter aircraft, the aircraft transport ship USS Kitty Hawk (AKV-1), and the Apollo 14 command module have been named for the town, which incorporated in 1981.
The Kitty Hawk Life-Saving Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
Geography
Kitty Hawk is located at 36°06′N 75°42′W / 36.1°N 75.7°W at an elevation of 7 feet (2 m) above sea level.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a complete area of 8.23 square miles (21.3 km2), of which 8.18 square miles (21.2 km2) is land and 0.0476 square miles (0.123 km2) (0.579%) is water.
Kitty Hawk is served by U.S. Route 158 and Highway 12, which parallel each other in the city. US 158 can be used to go west, while the barrier islands extend north and south.
Demographics
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 3,324 | 90.11% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 18 | 0.49% |
| Native American | 4 | 0.11% |
| Asian | 25 | 0.68% |
| Pacific Islander | 3 | 0.08% |
| Other/Mixed | 134 | 3.63% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 181 | 4.91% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,689 people, 1,532 households, and 1,073 families residing in the town.
Sister city
- Coulaines in Pays de la Loire, France, which is about 1.7 miles (2.7 km) north of Le Mans (signed in 2005)
Climate
According to the Trewartha climate classification system, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina has a humid subtropical climate with hot and humid summers, cool winters and year-around 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 Kitty Hawk, 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). Kitty Hawk 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 Kitty Hawk is 8b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 16.6 °F (−8.6 °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 Kitty Hawk, NC (1981-2010 Averages) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 50.2 (10.1) |
51.9 (11.1) |
57.3 (14.1) |
65.5 (18.6) |
73.0 (22.8) |
80.4 (26.9) |
84.3 (29.1) |
83.0 (28.3) |
78.3 (25.7) |
70.3 (21.3) |
62.3 (16.8) |
54.0 (12.2) |
67.6 (19.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 43.8 (6.6) |
45.4 (7.4) |
50.3 (10.2) |
58.5 (14.7) |
66.5 (19.2) |
74.9 (23.8) |
79.2 (26.2) |
78.4 (25.8) |
73.8 (23.2) |
64.9 (18.3) |
56.3 (13.5) |
47.6 (8.7) |
61.7 (16.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 37.4 (3.0) |
38.8 (3.8) |
43.4 (6.3) |
51.5 (10.8) |
60.1 (15.6) |
69.4 (20.8) |
74.1 (23.4) |
73.8 (23.2) |
69.2 (20.7) |
59.5 (15.3) |
50.3 (10.2) |
41.2 (5.1) |
55.8 (13.2) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.23 (107) |
3.50 (89) |
3.86 (98) |
3.41 (87) |
3.73 (95) |
4.29 (109) |
4.97 (126) |
5.94 (151) |
5.26 (134) |
3.79 (96) |
3.68 (93) |
3.71 (94) |
50.37 (1,279) |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 69.9 | 69.5 | 67.4 | 67.6 | 70.2 | 73.9 | 75.3 | 74.7 | 73.5 | 71.1 | 72.0 | 71.7 | 71.4 |
| Average dew point °F (°C) | 34.6 (1.4) |
36.0 (2.2) |
39.9 (4.4) |
47.8 (8.8) |
56.5 (13.6) |
66.0 (18.9) |
70.7 (21.5) |
69.7 (20.9) |
64.8 (18.2) |
55.3 (12.9) |
47.4 (8.6) |
38.9 (3.8) |
52.4 (11.3) |
| Source: PRISM | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Duck, NC Ocean Water Temperature (8 N Kitty Hawk) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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, Kitty Hawk, 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).
Education
Dare County Schools operates public schools serving the area. Kitty Hawk Elementary School is in the city.
The zoned secondary schools are First Flight Middle School and First Flight High School. Prior to 2004 First Flight High zoned students were zoned to Manteo High School.
See also
In Spanish: Kitty Hawk (Carolina del Norte) para niños
