Nags Head, in the Outer Banks, is a vacation town with stunning, wide, beaches and relaxed atmosphere. It offers world record fishing, historic sites, golfing, shopping, fine dining, nature trails, wildlife refuges, and shipwreck remains. It is so beautiful and full of exciting things to do that you may never want to leave.
Location
Nags Head is located in Dare County, North Carolina, in the Kill Devil Hills metro area. It is part of the Outer Banks, sitting between Roanoke Sound and the Atlantic Ocean.
Distances Between Towns/Cities
Nags Head is located 4.2 miles from Manteo, 6.2 miles from Wanchese, 7.5 miles from Kill Devil Hills, 11.8 miles from Kitty Hawk, 15.6 miles from Southern Shores, 43.6 miles from Columbia, 42 miles from Elizabeth City, and 53.7 miles from Creswell. Nags Head is located 70.3 miles from Virginia Beach, VA, 100 miles from Greenville, NC, and 283.1 miles from Philadelphia, PA.
Airports
The major airport serving Nags Head is the Norfolk International Airport.
Norfolk International Airport, located approximately 75 miles north, is a public airport located 3 miles northeast of Norfolk, in Norfolk County, Virginia. Norfolk International Airport is southeastern Virginia’s main airport, offering over 200 departures and arrivals daily to major US cities. It ranks in the country’s top 65 airports, with 3.78 million passengers last year.
Dillon’s Aviation, based at Dare County Regional Airport, provides charter service to the Outer Banks area. Dare County Regional Airport is located about 5 miles from Nags Head in Manteo, NC. It has two runways and is operated by Dare County Airport Authority for public and commercial flights.
The 3 local unattended and unlit airstrips in the Outer Banks include Billy Mitchell Field on Hatteras Island, First Flight Airstrip in Kill Devil Hills, and Ocracoke Airstrip on Ocracoke Island.
Terrain
Nags Head covers an area of 6.6 square miles, of which 6.5 square miles are land and 0.1 square mile is water. The total area is 1.15 percent water.
Nags Head sits at an elevation of 10 feet above sea level. It is a promontory of land characterized by high sand dunes.
Population
Nags Head has a population of approximately 3,067.
The population of Nags Head is well educated. For those over 25 years old, 94.0 percent have high school education or higher, 34.7 percent have a Bachelor’s degree or higher, and 10.5 percent have a Graduate or professional degree.
The unemployment level is 4.4 percent.
Jobs
As part of the Outer Banks area, the economy in Nags Head is primarily based on tourism. Fishing is also a major part of the economy, both commercial and chartered sport fishing. Other industries such as mail order outlets and technologically-based businesses also do well here. In the winter months, construction and business services continue to thrive.
Other industries providing employment in Nags Head are: retail trade (17.3%), finance, insurance, real estate, and rental leasing (12.5%), arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services (12.5%), construction (12.1%), and educational, health and social services (11.0%).
The average time to travel to work in Nags Head is 19 minutes.
Colleges/Universities
Universities nearest to Nags Head include Elizabeth State University in Elizabeth City, approximately 42 miles away, East Carolina University in Greenville, approximately 100 miles away, and Norfolk State University, approximately 72 miles away in Norfolk, VA.
East Carolina University, in Greenville, NC, is the third largest university in North Carolina with 22,767 students and a faculty of 1,406. It offers 109 Bachelor’s, 79 Master’s, and 17 Doctoral degree programs.
Elizabeth City State University enrolls over 2,100 students. It offers 1 Masters Degree and 35 Baccalaureate degree programs.
College of the Albemarle has campuses in Manteo, Elizabeth City, and Edenton. It offers courses in Basic Skills, Continuing Education, Business and Industry Training and Cultural Enrichment.
Housing
Considering the prime location and the relative unavailability of land, housing prices in Nags Head are reasonable. You can find a variety of housing possibilities, from cottages to luxury homes to suit every life style. Condos and town houses continue to be popular for low maintenance living.
The average price of a single family home here is $506,110.
Historic Buildings
Many of the original Nags Head cottages line the oceanfront across from Jockey’s Ridge. They are known as “The Unpainted Aristocracy” of Nags Head. They were often built with lumber that washed up on the beaches from the shipwrecks.
Jennette’s Fishing Pier is the oldest fishing pier on the Outer Banks. Its main exhibit, “Giants of the Sea”, has state-record trophy fish mounts and five aquariums.
Many other historic sites can be seen in the nearby towns of the Outer Banks area.
Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf
Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve is a 1,400 acre maritime forest, with more than 5 miles of trails for hiking.
Jockey’s Ridge State Park is home to 110 foot high Jockey’s Ridge, the tallest active sand dune on the east coast. It is the last vestige of the giant moving sand dunes that towered over the beaches in times past. It was declared a National Landmark in 1974 and became a State Park a year later, now providing facilities for picnicking, hang-gliding, nature trails, a museum and an auditorium.
Nags Head and the whole Outer Banks area offer world-class golfing. Nags Head Golf Links is an excellent 18-hole Scottish links-style course located in Nags Head.
Kitty Hawk Kites is the world’s largest hang-gliding school and kite store. It also offers rock wall climbing, kite surfing, parasailing, paragliding, and kayak lessons.
Jennette’s Fishing Pier, as well as being an historic site, offers a great fishing experience for the whole family.
Interesting Facts
Legend has it that early 18th century “Bankers” developed their own form of piracy. Horses with lanterns tied to their necks were walked up and down the beach at night, appearing like ships close to shore, to merchant skippers in the off-shore waters. These mariners would change their course, run aground, and the “Bankers” would pillage their cargoes. This legend is considered a possible origin of the name of the town.
Jockey’s Ridge was an important landmark for mariners in years past.
- NUMBER1EXPERTS™ 
