Town of Kill Devil Hills

Long Skinny Islandish Outer Banks Town with a Pirate Fame Name! Home of Jockey’s Ridge State Park, Kelly’s and 50 Wings Stores

Quaint little historical town with lots within walking/​biking distance, nice beaches, plenty of shopping and entertainment for the whole family. And don’t miss the Wright Brothers Memorial to learn about the history of flight!
IMHO, a great place for an OBX visit.

A perfect spot to base your OBX vacation. Kill Devil Hills really suits travellers with a varied set of interests. It is also pedestrian-​friendly with many businesses conveniently located within walking distance to the popular holiday homes. The beach itself is really nice and never crowded in the Spring or Fall off-​seasons. I highly recommend it as a central location to Hatteras to the south, Corolla to the north and lovely Manteo to the west.

This is a nice relaxing town on the OBX. But during the summer it is anything but relaxing. So I come here in the off season when there is less traffic and the beaches are not crowded. It is also prime fishing time here then. So I can grab my fishing gear and hit the beach and do some surf fishing. Or I can go to the pier and get my fish on. But it is real laid back after the labor day holiday. The weather is still warm and the water is great this time of year too. And lets not forget prices at the hotels are much cheaper which is a added bonus. And there is no waiting at any of the restaurants in the area either. It a great place to spend some time to unwind and relax, and of course get a little fishing in. And if the fish ain’t biting I just might go and fly a kite. The beach is a great place to fly a kite too, so if you are looking place to escape this is it.

Quaint little place. :)

A small island town often overlooked for its originality and the meaning behind it all. I moved here in 1987 when I was 3 years old. Some say souls are lost on this island while some say souls are nourished like the beaches that the locals love so dearly.
Adele says it so well in her song «Hometown Glory» except she’s a city girl and residents of Kill Devil Hills who cherish the glory are small town people… and they can’t seem to go anywhere without running into someone they know. She sings…
«Round my hometown, Memories are fresh, Round my hometown, ooh the people I’ve met
Are the wonders of my world»
A wonder of the world, yes it is indeed. Many come from around the world to vacation and visit this small town. It is situated in the near Geographic middle of Northern Dare County Beaches and the largest municipality in Dare County with a year-​round population of 7,000. That population obviously grows tremendously during the summers when people come here to work and others come here to get away from the world. It’s certainly good for that.
Dare County is named for Virginia Dare, the first child of English parentage born in North America. The name Kill Devil Hills is also legendary. There are so many stories about the origin of its name that it’s hard to tell fact from fiction. One of the stories is that in the 1700’s William Byrd of Virginia, apparently no admirer of the Carolinas, wrote that «most of the rum they get in the country comes from New England, and is so bad and unwholesome that it is not improperly called «Kill Devil.» Another story is that a ship loaded with this «Kill Devil Rum» was wrecked opposite the hills, hence the name.
Then one fact that most people don’t realize is that the Town of Kill Devil Hills was once a part of the legendary Town of Kitty Hawk. In March of 1953, Kill Devil Hills became its own municipality taking away the «First in Flight» rights of Kitty Hawk. On December 17^th in 1903, the Wright Brothers took the first flight on the windy dunes. The house my family built back in 1989 sits in First Flight Village, the neighborhood just north of the Wright Brothers Memorial. In preparation for the Centennial Celebration in 2003, they created a few extra mini museums in addition to the original museum and the great monument. Many locals like me, catered to President Bush and other notables like Astronaut Neil Armstrong (I saw him) and Pop Singer Michelle Branch as our hometown was in the spotlight of our Nation. It was an honorable opportunity for our small town to have such notable figures in town to celebrate. We are so proud to be the site of the first flight. In fact, the elementary, middle, and high schools just south of the Memorial are all named First Flight.
Aside from all that history and legendary tales, there are many kinds of people here in Kill Devil Hills. Artists, writers, and other innovators come here to create their own story. KDH Co-​op is a great showcase for local works. Mostly the people are builders, fisherman, and restaurant owners though. My own father left his writing career in Washington D.C. because he wanted to be a contractor and design custom homes. «We put dreams under roof» read the company’s motto over an image of a wave. All of the brothers of the family worked together for many years building homes for locals and vacationers alike, and many businesses are just that — family businesses. Fishing for a living is quite popular and Avalon Fishing Pier stays busy because of it. There are many kinds of restaurants to choose from boasting all kinds of food: coffee shops, delis, bbq (Pigman’s is a longtime fixture), southwestern style (Chilli Peppers), breakfast, burger joints, and seafood spots (far too many to name).
Oh, and that beach. Yes… we locals love our beach. Body boarding, skimming (skim boarding for those of you not aware), sailing, windsurfing, and surfing… the shorelines in KDH have gotten smaller over the years due to erosion, but they’re still quite beautiful. They stay beautiful amidst this Outer Banks glory that I call my hometown.