Corolla, North Carolina

Location of Corolla, North Carolina

Corolla as viewed from the Currituck Lighthouse

Currituck Beach Lighthouse in Corolla, NC

Corolla /kəˈrɑːlə/ is an unincorporated community located in Poplar Branch township, Currituck County, North Carolina along the northern Outer Banks. It has a permanent population of approximately 500 people; during the summer vacation season, the population surges into the thousands. Corolla is home to the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, one of the seven North Carolina coastal lighthouses. There are approximately 5,000 rental houses available on 20 miles stretch of Currituck Outer Banks.^[1][2]

Previously a quiet and little-known location, a development boom in the 1980s sparked growth in the area, and since then, Corolla has become a popular vacation destination. Resting between the Currituck Sound and the Atlantic Ocean, Corolla attracts mainly beach-goers, especially in the summer months. Corolla is home to numerous attractions such as the historic Whalehead Club, Currituck Beach Lighthouse, Center for Wildlife Education, and is known for its numerous locations for shopping, dining, and participating in water sports. ^[3][4]

Corolla is home to about 119 feral Banker horses. They are located on a 12,000-acre (49 km²) animal sanctuary situated north of the populated areas of Corolla.^[5] Over fifty thousand people come to see these wild horses every week in the summer months.^[6][7][8]

Pronunciation

Local residents usually stress the second syllable, which they pronounce like rah (kuh-RAH-luh, /kəˈrɑːlə/); however, many visitors pronounce Corolla the same way they pronounce the name of the Toyota Corolla, with the second syllable sounding like row (kuh-ROW-luh, /kəˈroʊlə/).

Corolla Demographics

Corolla is ethnically a diverse town. The native residents of Corolla describe themselves to different ethnic groups. The greatest number among them are white followed by African American. Important ancestries of people in Corolla include English, German, Italian, and Polish.^[9] The language of Corolla is English but Spanish and Italian are other popular languages. Per capita income of Corolla is $48,670. Corolla has a higher rate of four year degree or equivalent qualified people than other parts of country. 52.80% of the adult population has a degree while in other parts of the United States the average is 21.84%.^{[10] [11]}

Parks and nature preserves

Corolla is home to the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, located in Currituck Heritage Park.^[12] The park has a boardwalk through wetlands. It is listed as an eBird hotspot, with at least 80 species recorded in the park.^[13] Less than a mile north of Corolla is the Currituck Banks North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve.^[14]

History

Corolla, as viewed from the Currituck Beach Lighthouse

The community of Corolla began as a European development on American Indian hunting grounds. Tribes including the Chowanoke and Poteskeet hunted along the barrier island.

The European-American town of Corolla was first called Jones Hill, after an early settler. It was also known as Whalehead or Currituck Beach. Early settlers made a living from fishing and hunting, as well as from salvage from shipwrecks and serving as guides to hunters.

Construction of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse resulted in a stabilization of the economy with a new influx of jobs.

Currituck was derived from an American Indian term, Carotank, meaning land of the wild geese. On the Atlantic migratory flyway, the area at the time had a large wild geese population. Over hunting in the late 19th century caused numbers to severely drop.

The town officially took the name Corolla in 1895 when a post office opened in the community. The name was chosen to refer to the botanic term for the petals of a flower.

Banker horses of Corolla

Development of Currituck's Northern Outer Banks began in 1967 when investors from Sandbridge, Virginia, put together an investment group to purchase undeveloped land. The first subdivision plotted was Carova with 1,993 lots. The lots were originally priced in the early 1970s at $8,000; as of 2006, some of these lots are worth up to $500,000.

Currituck Heritage Park which houses the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education

The investors planned for a road to come through from Virginia Beach, Virginia, to allow access to the lots; however, these plans were abandoned in 1973 when the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge south of Sandbridge was closed to all vehicular traffic, except by permit. Development pushed south through the 1970s, creating well over 1,000 additional lots in several subdivisions. In 1984 the residents of Corolla succeeded in their attempts to gain a public access road from the south. The state began paving the extension of NC-12 toward the north.

In addition to the Currituck Beach Light, the Currituck Shooting Club and Whalehead Club are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[15]

Weather of Corolla

Corolla have a pleasant weather. The January is coldest while July is hottest month of year.^[16][17] The average table is as below where one can easily analyse the weather.

Crime Rate in Corolla

As per the 2012 reports the crime rate of Corolla is a bit higher than other parts of country.^[18]100 is the average of country the rate is as below.^[19]

Beaches of Corolla

The total number of beaches where public can access is fifteen. Among these fifteen beaches six beaches have life guards while two have showers. The beach which have life guards is, Corolla Village Road (shower, bathhouse, parking), Shad Street (parking), Sturgeon Walkway (parking), Bonito Street (parking), Sailfish Walkway (parking), Yaupon Lane (shower, bathhouse, parking).^[20][21]

Free Activities in Corolla

There is always free activities available on the Corolla beach for its visitors, no matter when you reach the beach. Most of these activities are in Currituck Heritage Park.^[22] Whale head Wednesday wine festival is best among them. The festival held every Wednesday from 3PM to 7 PM. Where one can enjoy the wine and food for the nominal charges but free entry for non drinkers and children. ^[23] The other activities include Grand fire work which held every year on 14th July. This activity start on 9 PM usually but if once want to enjoy free music then come earlier.^[24]

Drive time from Corolla to other outer banks

The time in summer usually increase because of heavy traffic and observed up-to ten more minutes it takes.^[25] The list of time required to outer banks are as below^[26]

• Corolla to Duck – 25 minutes
• Corolla to Southern Shores – 35 minutes
• Corolla to Kitty Hawk – 40 minutes
• Corolla to Kill Devil Hills – 45 minutes
• Corolla to Nags Head – 50 minutes
• Corolla to Manteo – 1 hour 15 minutes
• Corolla to Oregon Inlet – 1 hour 20 minutes
• Corolla to Avon – 1 hour 45 minutes
• Corolla to Hatteras Village – 2 hours 15 minutes

References

External links

• Whalehead Club
• Currituck County Official Site
• Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education
• Currituck Beach Lighthouse
• Corolla Tourism Board
• Details information of corolla island, Crime rate and Weather details

Coordinates: 36°22′53″N 75°49′59″W / 36.38139°N 75.83306°W / 36.38139; -75.83306