Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kill Devil Hills is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, USA. The population was 5,897 at the 2000 census.

Contents 1 Geography 2 Demographics 3 History 4 Popular culture 5 External links

[edit] Geography

Kill Devil Hills is located at 36°1′32″N, 75°40′12″W (36.025448, -75.670105)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.3 km² (5.5 mi²). 14.3 km² (5.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.36%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 5,897 people, 2,585 households, and 1,491 families residing in the town. The population density was 412.5/km² (1,067.8/mi²). There were 5,302 housing units at an average density of 370.9/km² (960.1/mi²). 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.

There were 2,585 households out of which 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.

[edit] History

Kill Devil Hills is the site of the Wright Brothers National Memorial, comemorating 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. [1]

Perhaps one of the most popular questions in reference to Kill Devil Hills is the origin of the name. Kill Devil Hills, like many of the other local towns, received its name due to the pirates who once called these shores home. One night while taking shore leave various pirates were sitting in the hills of the area (in reality sand dunes) and drinking moonshine that they said was "strong enough to kill the devil"^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] 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 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.

[edit] External links

• Official website of Kill Devil Hills, NC
• Web Cam of Kill Devil Hills, NC - Avalon Fishing Pier
• Kill Devil Hills MLS
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 36.025448° -75.670105°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA