Dare County

by Elisabeth Parreaguirre
Fall 2000

Each year, vacationers from around the state, nation, and world flock to the Outer Banks for many reasons. They come to explore the lighthouses, take part in numerous activities, or just relax along the miles of unspoiled beaches of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. They come to dine at many fine restaurants, shop at a wide variety of unique shops and galleries, learn about the history of Wright Brothers, the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, and to view the wildlife and beauty of the Outer Banks themselves. Millions of people spending tens of millions of dollars each year have made Dare County one of the richest areas in the state.

Dare County was formed in 1870 from the counties of Currituck, Tyrrell, and Hyde. It was named in honor of Virginia Dare, the first child born of English parents in the New World. It is located in the eastern section of North Carolina and is bounded by the Pamlico, Croatan, Currituck and Albermarle Sounds. There are three hundred ninety-one square miles of land. Elevation ranges from three feet at Avon's highest point, to seventy feet at Buxton, and to over one hundred feet in the larger dunes at Nags Head. In his New Geography of North Carolina, Bill Sharpe states that the "last frost in the spring usually occurs around February 27; the first frost in the winter comes about December 13; the average July temperature is about seventy-eight; the average rainfall is less than forty-nine inches a year." Sharpe further states, "you have to look a long way on this earth to find anything more comfortable than that" (16). The population of Dare County in 1998 was 25,102 compared to 1970 when the population was only 6,995 according to the National Census Bureau. Dare County has nineteen villages and towns. These include Avon, Buxton, Colington, Duck, East Lake, Frisco, Hatteras, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Manns Harbor, Manteo, Mashoes, Nags Head, Rodanthe, Salvo, Southern Shores, Stumpy Point, Wanchese, and Waves. Dare County's geography drastically differs from the wet marshes in Manteo, to the sandy beaches in Nags Head.

Nell Wechter, author of Some Whisper of Our Name, unravels the mystery of how the Outer Banks came to be. Wechter writes, "It is apparent that at one time in the dim past the Outer Banks were types of reefs. Perhaps tidal action rolled them farther and farther up the rising floor of the ocean until they surfaced. Dry land was formed, and then the land was subjected to similar action by the ocean winds, which caused the reef-island to continually move westward. Rain washed the exposed sand and drove down the salt water, thus letting the soil become capable of supporting vegetation. Birds carried seeds to the land, and grass took hold, anchoring the sand so that larger plant life like trees could root" (90).

In the 1920s, Dare County and the rest of the Outer Banks were notably different. They were a remote, isolated region cut off from the outside world by a watery divide. "An easier place to talk about than visit," says Thomas Yocum of Our State magazine. There were few opportunities for area residents. The local economy was in shambles and the county was nearing bankruptcy. Many people of the Outer Banks left to seek their fortunes elsewhere. The people of Dare County felt as though they were cut off from the rest of the state because they lacked bridges and quality roads. They even felt like they were cut off from neighboring towns. The only way to get to Hatteras from Kitty Hawk was by boat. Desperate for a solution, a small group of townspeople began pushing towards the construction of a bridge linking Roanoke Island with Nags Head. By building bridges and roads, the Outer Banks could develop both natural and historic attractions. This was the first step in a long process that transformed the area into the booming resort destination it is today.

Undoubtedly, the little village of Kitty Hawk is more widely known throughout the world than the state's larger cities like its capital Raleigh, Charlotte, or any other place in North Carolina. Atop the sand dunes near Kill Devil Hills just south of Kitty Hawk, on December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright of Dayton, Ohio, made the first successful airplane flights. "The age of human flight was born" (Stick, Brief History 38). Orville's first history making flight covered only about one hundred feet and lasted only twelve seconds. Wilbur then took his turn, flying for a longer period of time and a greater distance. Their fourth flight lasted fifty-seven seconds and covered a distance of 852 feet. Today Kitty Hawk is an international aviation shrine marked by an impressive granite monument on top of the largest of the Kill Devil Hills and maintained by the National Park Service as the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Many people travel from the state and beyond to experience the place where flight first took off.

Another popular attraction is the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. Over the course of the last couple of years many articles have been written about the majestic lighthouse and it's relocation efforts. The Cape Hatteras lighthouse stands 200 feet tall and is bound by black and white spirals. The Cape Hatteras lighthouse was built to warn ships away from the Diamond Shoals. The Diamond Shoals are extremely hazardous, and have been labeled the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Hatteras Island offers few visual landmarks to warn crews of the shoals, so the lighthouse was erected to alert ships. The lighthouse was originally built about 1,600 feet from the ocean's edge, but after two storms in the 1930s waves came close enough to touch the tower. The erosion problem was so severe that the lighthouse was decommissioned and closed in 1936. A new era began for this historic lighthouse, but erosion proved an unending threat, and by 1998, Congress had approved the $12 million needed to make relocation a reality. They successfully moved the huge structure in only twenty-two days. On November 13, 1999, both locals and tourists gathered to see the lighthouse resume its light over the Atlantic.

The Outer Banks of Dare County is one of the most unique and peaceful places on earth. The natural environment of the beaches is breath taking. With its many historical sites you can get an education as you visit. Or feel free to unwind on the seemingly endless stretch of beaches. The mix of things to do there makes it an ideal vacation destination. Nearly everyone wishes they lived in a place like this, the people of the Outer Banks are fortunate enough to do so.

Sources

Carr, Dawson. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1999.

Stick, David. A Brief History of Dare County. Raleigh: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1970.

---. Fabulous Dare. Kitty Hawk, NC: The Dare Press, 1949.

Wechter, Nell. Some Whisper of Our Name. Manteo, NC: Times Printing Company, 1975.

Yocum, Thomas. "Dare County." Our State May 2000: 74-77.

Created November 28, 2000
Updated May 26, 2003