Nags Head North Carolina

Nags Head North Carolina

Nags Head, an area of North Carolina's Outer Banks known for its beaches yet rich in history and steeped in tradition. The Town of Nags Head is working to build a community populated by diverse groups whose common bond is a love of the Outer Banks.

The mission of the Town of Nags Head is to provide for the health, safety and welfare of the citizens, property owners and visitors of the town, to fulfill the requirements placed on it by the State of North Carolina and to facilitate the achievement of community goals by providing municipal services in a flexible, cost effective, customer friendly manner and to achieve this through an open, consensus driven process that treats all with respect.

The Town of Nags Head NC is working to build a community with an economy based on family vacation tourism. The base of that economy is a high quality beach experience. Important elements in developing and maintaining this economy are:

* A relaxed-paced beach community comprised primarily of low-density development and open spaces

* A diverse supply of accommodations, including single-family homes, hotels, and multi-family dwelling units, that attract and are accessible to visitors from a wide range of economic and social strata

* A natural environment typified by clean water and a landscape of sand dunes and non-invasive, salt tolerant vegetation

* A group of friends soak in the beautiful Nags Head sunshine.
healthy, well-maintained oceanfront beach that is accessible and usable; not blocked by large structures

* A carefully managed sound front that preserves the natural and beneficial functions of the estuarine environment while balancing respect for private property rights and the need to provide public access.

* A built environment that reflects the heritage of “Old Nags Head”

* A well-organized pattern of land uses that, when combined with a transportation system that accommodates a variety of travel modes, promotes an active and accessible community

* Commercial services provided by locally owned and operated businesses that share in the building of our community

* Recreational amenities and attractions, both commercial and non-commercial that are wholesome and appeal to a broad spectrum of family members, age groups and interests.

Early maps of the area show Nags Head as a promontory of land characterized by high sand dunes visible from miles at sea. Tales of land pirates that lured ships ashore in stormy weather may be the possible origin of the town's name. Or it may have been carried across the sea by English explorers who were reminded of a similar location of the English coast, a high point on the Scilly Islands, the last sight of old England that the earlier explorers were to see on their voyage to the New World.

We'll never know the true origin, but legend and lore insists that early 18th century ''Bankers,'' realizing how profitable piracy was for sea-going scoundrels such as Blackbeard, developed their own unique method as land-based pirates. Horses with lanterns tied to their necks were walked up and down the beach at night. Merchant skippers in the off-shore waters would mistakenly think the lights were of other ships closer to shore. They would then change course and run aground, with the Bankers pillaging their cargoes.

Around 1830, Nags Head became known as a plush resort area and remains so today, with a wealth of activities nearby to please a variety of tastes. Jockey's Ridge is the last vestige of the giant moving sand dunes that once towered over the beaches and greeted the first explorers. Surrounding Jockey's Ridge State Park, thousands of vacation homes beckon travelers of a different sort to the wide sandy beaches and relaxed atmosphere of an Outer Banks vacation. Modern day Bankers no longer need a lantern tied around a horse to lure visitors. With plenty of beaches and world-record fishing, golfing and shopping to nature trails, wildlife refuges, shipwreck remains and historic sites, its all here!

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