Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

In the fall of 1900, when Orville Wright stepped ashore in Kitty Hawk Village, he may have been anticipating that soon he and his brother would make history as the first discoverers of flight. They had chosen this remote fishing village on the Outer Banks as an ideal testing ground, with privacy from prying eyes. 

Three years later, Orville Wright telegraphed home the triumphant news of the first powered flight.  The fact that this message was dispatched from Kitty Hawk, along with the isolation of the area and the unusual names themselves, there was much confusion as to where the first flight had actually occurred.  Subsequently, Kitty Hawk has since been closely associated with the Wright Brothers as the birthplace of aviation -although the actual flight took place four miles south from the base of Kill Devil Hill. 

Today, the once-tiny soundside village is one of the largest townships on the Outer Banks. On the oceanside, thousands of rental homes, restaurants and shops are part of the development that has characterized the northern Outer Banks from Nags Head to Corolla.  Kitty Hawk has a stronghold of local, year-round residents, many of whom live on the soundside in Kitty Hawk village. One look, though, and you know this is predominantly a vacation destination. A maritime forest, golf course, fishing pier, campground and minigolf course make for fun in Kitty Hawk.

Kitty Hawk Town Hall
Veterans Memorial Dr
PO Box 549
Kitty Hawk, NC 27949
(252) 261-3552
www.townofkittyhawk.org