With the permanent population of 35,145 (July 2005), Dare County covers an area of 800 square miles, of which 391 square miles is land. It was formed in 1870 and is named in honor of Virginia Dare, the first child born of English parents in America. It contains approximately 2/3 of the North Carolina coastline and includes the incorporated towns of Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head and Manteo, as well as the unincorporated communities of Colington, Roanoke and Hatteras Islands: Wanchese, Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras Village.
