Outer Banks Town Names
The town of Corolla is located on the Northern end of the Outer Banks, just before the 4x4 Beach. The town is part of Currituck County, separate from the rest of the towns in Dare County. The name comes from the inner part of a flower. In 1895, a post office opened and a contest for a new name was held. Corolla was submitted and selected for the new town name we say now. Many mix up the name pronunciation with the Toyota Corolla car, but the town name is pronounced Ko-RAH-La.
The town of Duck is located on the Northern end of the Outer Banks just South of Corolla. Northern areas of the Outer Banks were known for duck hunting. Duck hunting became such a popular sport and it led to duck hunting clubs. The level of duck hunting actually led to a decline in the duck population and forced ducks to migrate out West. If you haven’t guessed it already, the town was named after duck hunting!
The town of Kitty Hawk is the first town you enter when crossing the Wright Memorial Bridge onto the island. The name’s exact origin is still up for debate, but English settlers’ found the name Chickehawk/Chickahawk on maps, and by the late 1700s, the name evolved to Kitty Hawk.
The town of Kill Devil Hills is home to the Wright Memorial and many locals. There are a couple of different stories regarding the name, but the most popular one is about rum. The Outer Banks as a whole is known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic with its numerous shipwrecks. Supplies and cargo often washed ashore and rum was discovered by locals from one shipwreck. The locals described the rum as “strong enough to kill the devil.” Makes you think of Captain Jack Sparrow!
The town of Nags Head is known for having the most beautiful beaches along the Outer Banks. The town stretches from about milepost 10, all the way down to Coquina Beach. As legend has it, the town's name came from a pirate strategy. They would tie lanterns around the necks of nag horses on the dunes to imitate an anchored boat. This tricked other ships to come into shore at night and run aground on the sandbar. The pirates would seize their cargo.
Rodanthe is located on Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks and is part of the Tri Villages. Its original name was Chicamacomico but by the late 1800s, there were separate villages in the town. The name Chicamacomico became too hard to pronounce and use with the postal service so the villages were broken up into Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo. While it is not confirmed, it is believed Rodanthe earned it’s name from the non-native flower, Rodantha.
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