Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina
settlement_type = Town
nickname =
motto =

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imagesize =
image_caption = Wright Brothers National Memorial side of town


image_

mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = North Carolina
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Dare
government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title =
established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 14.4
area_land_km2 = 14.3
area_water_km2 = 0.1
area_total_sq_mi = 5.5
area_land_sq_mi = 5.5
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 5897
population_density_km2 = 412.3
population_density_sq_mi = 1067.8

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 2
elevation_ft = 7
latd = 36 |latm = 1 |lats = 32 |latNS = N
longd = 75 |longm = 40 |longs = 12 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 27948
area_code = 252
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 37-35720GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1025849GR|3
website = [http://www.kdhnc.com/ www.kdhnc.com]
footnotes =

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 coor dms|36|1|32|N|75|40|12|W|city (36.025448, -75.670105)GR|1, 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 censusGR|2 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.' [ [http://www.outerbankshome.com/kill-devil-hills.html] Outer Banks Home]

History

Kill Devil Hills is the site of the Wright Brothers National Memorial, commemorating the Wright brothers' 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. [ [http://www.worldwideschool.org/library/books/tech/engineering/FlyingMachineConstructionandOperation/chap27.html Flying Machine: Construction and Operation - Chapter XXVII] ]

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.

* The Kill Devil Hills are one of Australia's leading alternative country rock bands.

External links

* [http://www.kdhnc.com/ Official website of Kill Devil Hills, NC]
* [http://www.outerbanks.net/webcams/cam/Avalon-Fishing-Pier.html Web Cam of Kill Devil Hills, NC - Avalon Fishing Pier]

Notes