Kitty Hawk | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Seal | |
| Motto: "First in Flight" | |
 Location in Dare County, North Carolina | |
  Kitty Hawk  Kitty Hawk | |
| Coordinates:36°4′37″N75°42′17″W / 36.07694°N 75.70472°W /36.07694; -75.70472 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Dare |
| Incorporated | 1981[1] |
| Named after | 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 | 6.6 ft (2 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 3,689 |
| • Density | 454.4/sq mi (175.44/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 27949 |
| Area code | 252 |
| FIPS code | 37-36060[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1021059[3] |
| Website | www |
Kitty Hawk is a town inDare County, North Carolina, United States, located onBodie Island within the state'sOuter Banks.[5] The population was 3,708 at the2020 United States census.[6] It was established in the early 18th century as Chickahawk.
The name Kitty Hawk is derived from the nativeAlgonquin Native American language word Chickahawk, meaning "a place to hunt geese".[7]
Kitty Hawk became world-famous after theWright brothers made the first controlled poweredairplane flights atKill Devil Hills, four miles (6.4 km) south of the town, on December 17, 1903. After the four flights in theirWright 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.[8] 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 ofKill 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.[9]
Theaircraft carrierUSSKitty Hawk (CV-63), theB-2 Spiritstealthbomber AV-19 with an aircraft number of 93–1086,P-40D Kittyhawk fighter aircraft, the aircraft transport shipUSSKitty Hawk (AKV-1), and theApollo 14command module have been named for the town, which incorporated in 1981.[5]
TheKitty Hawk Life-Saving Station was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1984.[10]
Kitty Hawk is located at36°06′N75°42′W / 36.1°N 75.7°W /36.1; -75.7 at anelevation of 7 feet (2 m)above sea level. According to theUnited 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.[11]
According to theA. W. Kuchler U.S.potential natural vegetation types, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina would have a dominant vegetation type ofLive oak/Sea OatsUniola paniculata (90) with a dominant vegetation form ofCoastalPrairie (20).[12]
Kitty Hawk is served byUS 158 andHighway 12, which parallel each other in the city. US 158 can be used to go west, while the barrier islands extend north and south.
According to theTrewartha climate classification system, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina has ahumid 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 afternoonsea breeze is present on most days, but episodes of extreme heat and humidity can occur withheat index values ≥ 100 °F (≥ 38 °C). Kitty Hawk is prone to hurricane strikes, particularly during theAtlantic 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 withwind chill values < 10 °F (< -12 °C). Theplant hardiness zone in Kitty Hawk is 8b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 16.6 °F (−8.6 °C).[13] The average seasonal (Dec–Mar) snowfall total is < 2 inches (< 5 cm), and the average annual peak innor'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) |
| Averageprecipitation 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) |
| Averagerelative 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 |
| Averagedew 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[14] | |||||||||||||
| 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[15] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1,937 | — | |
| 2000 | 2,991 | 54.4% | |
| 2010 | 3,272 | 9.4% | |
| 2020 | 3,708 | 13.3% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 3,761 | [6] | 1.4% |
| sources:[16][17] | |||
As of thecensus[4] of 2000, there were 2,991 people, 1,265 households, and 866 families residing in the town. Thepopulation density was 365.8 people per square mile (141.2 people/km2). There were 2,618 housing units at an average density of 320.1 per square mile (123.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.13%White, 0.64%African American, 0.23%Native American, 0.27%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 0.20% fromother races, and 0.50% from two or more races. 0.94% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 1,265 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 years living with them, 58.7% weremarried couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 23.8% of all tribes were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.79.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 girls, there were 103.7 boys. For every 100 girls age 18 and over, there were 97.6 boys.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,813, and the median income for a family was $48,676. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $25,744 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $22,960. About 4.3% of families and 6.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 7.9% of people under age 18 and 4.6% of people age 65 or over.
| 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 orLatino | 181 | 4.91% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 3,689 people, 1,532 households, and 1,073 families residing in the town.
Federally, Kitty Hawk is part ofNorth Carolina's 3rd congressional district, represented by RepublicanGreg Murphy since 2019.
Dare County Schools operates public schools serving the area. Kitty Hawk Elementary School is in the city.[19]
The zoned secondary schools are First Flight Middle School andFirst Flight High School.[20] Prior to 2004 First Flight High zoned students were zoned toManteo High School.[21]
16 S. Dogwood Trail, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949
First Flight Middle School/First Flight High School – All areas north of Nags Head/Kill Devil Hills Town Line-North Beaches Elementary Schools map
| Preceded by | Beaches of The Outer Banks | Succeeded by |
Municipalities and communities ofDare County, North Carolina,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Towns |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
