Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
Town
Wright Brothers National Memorial near Kitty Hawk
Flag Seal
Motto:  "First in Flight"
Location in Dare County and the state of North Carolina.
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 for	Chickehauk
Area [2]
• 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 [3]	7 ft (2 m)
Population  (2020)
• 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
Area code	252
FIPS code	37-36060 [4]
GNIS feature ID	1021059 [3]
Website	www.kittyhawknc.gov

Historical population

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	[5]	1.4%
sources: [6] [7]

Kitty Hawk is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, on Bodie Island, part of what is known as the state's Outer Banks. ^[8] The population was 3,708 at the 2020 census. ^[5] 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". ^[9]

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. ^[10] 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. ^[11]

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. ^[8]

The Kitty Hawk Life-Saving Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. ^[12]

Geography

Kitty Hawk is located at 36°06′N75°42′W / 36.1°N 75.7°W / 36.1; -75.7 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. ^[13]

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

2000 census

As of the census ^[4] of 2000, there were 2,991 people, 1,265 households, and 866 families residing in the town. The population 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% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. 0.94% of the population were Hispanic or Latino 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% were married 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. The per capita income for the town was $22,960. About 4.3% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of people under age 18 and 4.6% of people age 65 or over.

2020 census

Kitty Hawk racial composition ^[14]

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.

Politics

Federally, Kitty Hawk is part of North Carolina's 3rd congressional district, represented by Republican Greg Murphy since 2019.

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). ^[15] 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 [16]

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 [17]

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). ^[18]

Education

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 and First Flight High School. ^[20] Prior to 2004 First Flight High zoned students were zoned to Manteo High School. ^[21]

References

1. "North Carolina Gazetteer" . Retrieved March 27, 2021.
2. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
5. "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021". Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
6. "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
7. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
8. "Kitty Hawk". Outer Banks Visitors Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
9. https://www.melanieday.com/areas/kitty-hawk Archived November 17, 2021, at the Wayback Machine , https://www.outerbanks.com/kitty-hawk.html
10. "Telegram from Orville Wright in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to His Father Announcing Four Successful Flights, 1903 December 17". World Digital Library . December 17, 1903. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
11. "Page 31". digital.ncdcr.gov. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
12. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
13. Census 2000 Gazetteer Files: Places Archived October 24, 2006, at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved on May 18, 2009.
14. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
15. "USDA Interactive Plant Hardiness Map". United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
16. "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University" . Retrieved August 6, 2019.
17. "Water Temperature Table of All Coastal Regions" . Retrieved August 6, 2019.
18. "U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions)" . Retrieved August 6, 2019.
19. "Home". Kitty Hawk Elementary School. Retrieved April 12, 2021. 16 S. Dogwood Trail, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949
20. "Attendance Zone Information". Dare County Schools . Retrieved April 12, 2021. First Flight Middle School/First Flight High School – All areas north of Nags Head/Kill Devil Hills Town Line - North Beaches Elementary Schools map
21. Freeman, Darren (August 18, 2004). "NO LINES, NO CROWDS, JUST MORE SPACE". The Virginian-Pilot. Archived from the original on September 11, 2004. Retrieved October 25, 2009. - Entry at NewsBank

External links

• Official website

Preceded by Southern Shores	Beaches of The Outer Banks	Succeeded by Kill Devil Hills