Kitty Hawk

History

There are a number of folk legends regarding the origin of the name Kitty Hawk, which has also been spelled Chickahawk, Ketterhock, etc. Roger Payne concludes that it was an Algonquin word chicahauk meaning "a place to hunt geese". The spelling "Kitty Hawk" was adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names in 1959. Kitty Hawk became world-famous after the Wright brothers made the first controlled powered airplane flights at Kill Devil Hills, 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. 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. 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.

Geography

Kitty Hawk is located at at an elevation of above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a complete area of , of which is land and (0.579%) is water. 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). Kitty Hawk is served by US 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. 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&nbsp;°F (> 0.0&nbsp;°C), at least eight months with an average mean temperature ≥ 50.0&nbsp;°F (≥ 10.0&nbsp;°C), at least one month with an average mean temperature ≥ 71.6&nbsp;°F (≥ 22.0&nbsp;°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&nbsp;°F (≥ 38&nbsp;°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&nbsp;°F (< -12&nbsp;°C). The plant hardiness zone in Kitty Hawk is 8b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of . The average seasonal (Dec–Mar) snowfall total is < 2…

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• First Flight High School
  High · Kill Devil Hills · 956 students · 18:1 ratio
• First Flight Middle School
  Middle · Kill Devil Hills · 612 students · 13.3:1 ratio
• Nags Head Elementary School
  Elementary · Nags Head · 538 students · 12.8:1 ratio
• Kitty Hawk Elementary School
  Elementary · Kitty Hawk · 453 students · 12.2:1 ratio
• First Flight Elementary School
  Elementary · Kill Devil Hills · 320 students · 10.7:1 ratio
• Dare Learning Academy
  High · Nags Head · 20 students · 10:1 ratio