The town of Southern Shores can be said to be a tribute to the vision and life of Frank Stick, a famous wildlife painter and environmentalist, and a long-time Outer Banker, who recognized its promising investment potential and who, in 1947, founded a company to develop this one-of-a-kind community with unusual terrain: with four miles of oceanfront, high dunes that offer both ocean and sound views, and dense woods that provide for great privacy and tranquility. Southern Shores has been methodically developed ever since, with great attention to preserving its unsurpassed natural beauty, and an accent on recreation.
David Stick, who took over the Kitty Hawk Land Company in the 1960s, continued to work on realizing his father˙s original vision and donated the land for a recreation center (the private country club of Duck Woods Golf Club today) with a community pool, tennis courts and an 18-hole golf course. The innovative idea of property owners joining an association for an annual fee to be granted the rights to use the community amenities was utilized when the Southern Shores Civic Association was organized to manage the abundance of facilities available to residents: 2 marinas (one with a boat launch), sound and ocean access with parking, a children˙s playground, a basketball court, a soccer field, and multiple biking, jogging, and walking paths.
Today, Southern Shores (with a year-round population of 2,551) is one of the most sought-after neighborhoods on the Outer Banks, with luxury vacation homes lining the oceanfront, secluded primary residences nestled in the woods and golf course estates beside the Duck Woods Country Club links.
