Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
Kitty Hawk Airfield in June 1998
Kitty Hawk Airfield in June 1998
Official seal of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
Motto: "First in Flight"
Location of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
Location of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
Country United States
State North Carolina
County Dare
 • Total 8.23 sq mi (21.3 km2)
 • Land 8.18 sq mi (21.2 km2)
 • Water 0.05 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation 7 ft (2 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 3,272
 • Density 400/sq mi (150/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 27949
Area code(s) 252
FIPS code 37-36060[1]
GNIS feature ID 1021059[2]

Kitty Hawk is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States, and is a part of what is known as North Carolina's Outer Banks.[4] The population was 3,272 at the 2010 Census. It was established in the early 18th century as Chickahawk.


Kitty Hawk became world-famous after the Wright brothers of Dayton, Ohio, made the first controlled powered airplane flights at the Kill Devil Hills, four miles (6 km) south of the town, on December 17, 1903. After the flights, the brothers walked back to Kitty Hawk, where they sent a telegram from the Weather Bureau office to their father informing him of their success.[5] 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 a three-year period prior to making the powered flights.

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 Kitty hawk 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.[4]

The Kitty Hawk Life-Saving Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.[6]


Kitty Hawk is located at at an elevation of 7 feet (2 m) above sea level.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 8.23 square miles (21.3 km2). 8.18 square miles (21.2 km2) of it is land and 0.0476 square miles (0.123 km2) of it (0.579%) is water.[7]


As of the census[1] 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/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 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 females, there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males.

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 those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.


Federally, Kitty Hawk is part of North Carolina's 3rd congressional district, represented by Republican Walt Jones, first elected in 1994.

Sister city


  1. ^ a b "American FactFinder".  
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names".  
  4. ^ a b "Kitty Hawk". Outer Banks Visitors Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2013. 
  7. ^ Census 2000 Gazetteer Files: Places. Retrieved on 2009-05-18.

External links

  • Official website