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	7 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.

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.

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.

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]

Another story about it's origin is that a fisherman named Dan was a very poor Banker. His friend had told him of an old hag who could talk to the devil. She went to her and gave her some money for her services. She summoned him, and they made a deal. If he gave him his soul when he died, then he'd give him a bottomless bag of gold, and he gave Dan directions to a hill where they would meet in one week. That night, Dan dreamed of demons, all trying to steal his soul. So to prevent the devil from stealing his soul, he went out to the hill where they would meet and dug a hole. He continued digging the hole, night after night, until the night they'd meet. Then when they met, he yelled to the devil, "Throw the bag to me, and let us shake on our deal". The devil walked to him to place his mark on Dan's forehead. Then he fell into the pit that Dan had dug. The pit was filled with quicksand, and the devil had no power over quicksand. Word about what Dan had done spread quickly. They decided to call the land where Dan had met the devil, and a lot of the land around it, Kill Devil Hills.

History

Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

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]

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)" 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 Hill. The song is a reference to the discovery made by the Wright Brothers.

• Kill Devil Hills is listed as the home of Dennis Anderson and the popular Grave Digger monster truck team.

• Ashley Alexandra Dupré, known for her role in the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal, once lived in the area .

External links

• Official website of Kill Devil Hills, NC
• Web Cam of Kill Devil Hills, NC - Avalon Fishing Pier
• Kill Devil Hills MLS

• Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina is at coordinates 36°01′32″N 75°40′12″W / 36.025448, -75.670105 (Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina)Coordinates: 36°01′32″N 75°40′12″W / 36.025448, -75.670105 (Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina)

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

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Dare County, North Carolina County seat: Manteo Towns Duck | Kill Devil Hills | Kitty Hawk | Manteo | Nags Head | Southern Shores Communities Avon | Buxton | Colington | Frisco | Hatteras | Manns Harbor | Rodanthe | Salvo | Wanchese | Waves

v â€¢ d â€¢ e The Outer Banks of North Carolina Landforms Bodie Island Â· Roanoke Island Â· Pea Island Â· Little Hatteras Island Â· Hatteras Island Â· Cape Hatteras Â· Ocracoke Island Â· Portsmouth Island  Â· Core Banks Â· Cape Lookout Places Currituck County Â· Dare County Â· Hyde County Â· Carteret County Carova Beach Â· Corolla Â· Duck Â· Southern Shores Â· Kitty Hawk Â· Kill Devil Hills Â· Nags Head Â· Manteo Â· Wanchese Â· Rodanthe Â· Waves Â· Salvo Â· Avon Â· Buxton Â· Frisco Â· Hatteras Â· Ocracoke Â· Portsmouth Waterways Atlantic Ocean Â· Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Â· Currituck Sound Â· Albemarle Sound Â· Croatan Sound Â· Roanoke Sound Â· Oregon Inlet Â· Pamlico Sound Â· Hatteras Inlet Â· Onslow Bay Â· Raleigh Bay Â· Ocracoke Inlet Â· Core Sound Â· Drum Inlet Â· Barden Inlet Â· Back Sound Â· New Inlet Â· Isabel Inlet Lighthouses Currituck Beach Light Â· Bodie Island Light Â· Cape Hatteras Light Â· Ocracoke Light Â· Cape Lookout Light Protected areas Cape Hatteras National Seashore Â· Cape Lookout National Seashore Â· Fort Raleigh National Historic Site Â· Jockey's Ridge State Park Â· Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Â· Wright Brothers National Memorial Transportation North Carolina Highway 12 Â· U.S. Highway 64 Â· U.S. Highway 158 Â· Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge Â· First Flight Airport Â· Billy Mitchell Airport Â· North Carolina Ferry System History Pea Island Life-Saving Station