Kill Devil Hills sounds like a place to avoid at all costs. It certainly doesn't sound like a place to purposely take the wife and kids! Don't let the name fool you though--Kill Devil Hills is actually the name of the first incorporated town in the Outer Banks and is surrounded by some of the most beautiful land in the United States.
With a name like Kill Devil Hills, one would expect an interesting story. Luckily for you, there are several of them! One local legend proclaims that the town was named after barrels of rum that once washed ashore from a shipwreck off the coast. The "killdevil" rum apparently didn't taste very good!
Origins of Kill Devil Hills
Another legend appropriates the naming of the town to a miscreant named Devil Ike who blamed the devil for stealing the contents of a shipwreck that had washed ashore. According to Devil Ike, he promptly chased the devil into the surrounding hill and valiantly killed him. Other locals claim it was a banker who tried to kill the devil in the hills after trading his soul for a bit of gold.
No matter where the name originated, the town today is the oldest and most populous in the Outer Banks. It was from a sand dune in Kill Devil Hills that the Wright brothers finally succeeded in flying the world's first airplane. Today, the town is renowned for its slow pace, friendly locals, and long expanses of beachfront property.
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