Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina
Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina | |
---|---|
Motto: Birthplace of Aviation | |
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 | 7 ft (2 m) |
Population (2000) | |
• Total | 5,897 |
• Density | 1,067.8/sq mi (412.3/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP code | 27948 |
Area code | 252 |
FIPS code | 37-35720Template:GR |
GNIS feature ID | 1025849Template:GR |
Website | www.kdhnc.com |
Kill Devil Hills i like maple syrup is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, USA. The population was 5,897 at the 2000 census.
Nearby Kitty Hawk is frequently cited as the location of the Wright brothers' first controlled, powered airplane flights on December 17, 1903. The flights actually occurred in Kill Devil Hills.
Geography
Kill Devil Hills is located at 36°1′32″N 75°40′12″W / 36.02556°N 75.67000°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (36.025448, -75.670105),Template:GR 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.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR 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.
Federally, Kill Devil Hills is part of North Carolina's 3rd congressional district, represented by Republican Walt Jones, elected in 1994.
Name origin
The name Kill Devil Hills dates back to the Colonial era. Shipwrecks were common at the time, and many of the ships were transporting barrels of rum. When a ship foundered, local wreckers would scavenge what they could of the ship's cargo before it sank, hiding their pilfered rum behind the same large sand dunes where the Wright Brothers would later fly their first plane. The locals said that the rum was strong enough to "kill the devil," so the dunes became known as "Kill Devil Hills."[citation needed]
History
Kill Devil Hills is the site of the Wright Brothers National Memorial, commemorating the siblings' four powered airplane flights of 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.[1] There is a road in Kill Devil Hills named after the Hollowell family, who lived in the area at the time of the Wright Brothers' test flights.[2]
Schools
Kill Devil Hills is 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.[3]
Sports
Kill Devil Hills is home to the Outer Banks Daredevils of the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The Daredevils play at First Flight Baseball Complex on Veterans Drive in Kill Devil Hills. The Daredevils, founded in 1997, began play in Kill Devils Hills in 2006.[citation needed]
Popular culture
- In the 1996 R.E.M. song "So Fast, So Numb" from the album New Adventures in Hi-Fi, the lyrics mention Kill Devil Hills.
- The Clutch song "Four Lords (And One More)" from Slow Hole to China mentions Kill Devil Hills in its lyrics.
- The 2005 solo album Tyranny of Souls by Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson features a track named "Kill Devil Hills". The song is about the flight made by the Wright brothers.
- Rappers Ill Bill and DJ Muggs have an album entitled "Kill Devil Hills" released in 2010
References
- ^ "Flying Machine: Construction and Operation - Chapter XXVII". Worldwideschool.org. 1911-07-01. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
- ^ "OBX Life Saving History". Retrieved 29 November 2009.
- ^ Freeman, Darren (18 August 2004). "NO LINES, NO CROWDS, JUST MORE SPACE". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 2009-10-25.