Dare County
The Town of Manteo serves as the county seat. Other towns located within
the county include Duck, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, and Southern
Shores.
Dare County is located on the northeastern shore, and is approximately 155
miles northeast of Seymour Johnson AFB. Dare County is also home to DCR,
located in the southern portion of the county and surrounded by the Alligator
River National Wildlife Refuge. The county covers approximately 1,563
square miles, of which only 383 square miles is land, making it the largest
county in North Carolina by area. Dare County stretches along almost 110
miles of shoreline, known as the Outer Banks, and contains approximately
two‐thirds of the North Carolina coastline. The county includes portions of
the Outer Banks and Roanoke Island and is bordered by Currituck County to
the north, Hyde County to the southwest, and Tyrrell County to the west.
Source: http://www.northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/565/entry;
http://www.darenc.com/general/history.asp
Tourism has been Dare County’s main industry since the late–nineteenth
century. Numerous attractions are located in the county, including Cape
Hatteras National Seashore, the Wright Brothers National Monument, the
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, the Alligator River National Wildlife
Refuge, the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, and the North Carolina
Aquarium. Vacation and resort areas are also located along the Outer Banks.
Dare County has a permanent population of approximately 33,920, yet the
county's tourism industry results in a large seasonal population with an
average daily population from June through August estimated to be
approximately 225,000 to 300,000.
Dare County Government Center Administration Building
Originally the county was a part of the counties of Tyrrell, Hyde, and
Currituck, until the state legislature passed an act in 1870 that separated the
region and established Dare County. This was a result of the need to increase
taxes in order to improve transportation within the area. One of the biggest
moments in Dare County’s history was the success of Wilbur and Orville
Wright’s first flight in 1903, one of the most important events of the
twentieth century.
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Background Report