history
OBX is famous for being the final home for Edward Teach - Blackbeard. Which portion of the islands did he call home specifically?
Ocracoke Island
Major industries of the region include commercial fishing, boat building and ________.
Tourism. Since the 1990s, the rise of tourism has led the region to become an increasingly service-oriented economy.
The Outer Banks is made up of 200 miles of what?
Barrier Islands
Residents of OBX are sometimes referred to as "Bankers", and isolation has caused a distinct dialect and accent that is especially present on Ocracoke Island. What do permanent residents descending from Bankers call themselves?
Hoi Toiders. (High Tiders) Fun fact - they refer to their dialect as "the brogue"
How many lighthouses are currently in the OBX?
Six
Because of the failures of trying to establish colonies on the OBX, the English avoided coastal NC for quite a while, leaving prime real estate open to serve as a base of operations for __________
Smugglers, pirates, etc
The high amount of tourism in the area is responsible for nearly half of the jobs in Dare County. This has allowed Dare County to be placed at ______ place in visitor spending in all of North Carolina.
4th. In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, tax revenue was able to supply $16,325,384 to beach nourishment in the area
OBX is particularly vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels. Some sections have significantly eroded already, with portions of Hatteras Island at ______of its original width as of 2014.
Within 10 %
25%
Kinnakeet, Chicamacomico, Ocracoke, Hatteras, Manteo are the five names of the original ________
Native inhabitants of the islands -
The shoreline is famously known as the ________________, there is even a maritime museum located on the point of Hatteras in which you can learn about the amazing history of everything-boats and maritime, and how OBX got that nickname.
Graveyard of the Atlantic
What year did the Wright brothers first successfully achieve a 12 second flight on the dunes of Kitty Hawk?
Within 5
December 1903
Maritime fishing is a multi-billion dollar industry for the OBX, both commercially and recreational chartering. Red drum, Spanish Mackeral, and Flounder are most commonly fished for, but charter fleets have been known to have competitions for fishing _______ off shore
Yellowfin Tuna or Mahi Mahi
NC is known as home to the OBX, but few people realize it actually spans into another state. What state shares a small portion of the OBX with NC?
Southeastern Virginia
Local legend and lore suggests several different reasons for the name "Kill Devil Hills". One suggests a rum of the same name washing ashore, another says wreckers drank rum of such poor quality there that it was enough to kill the devil, a third is a story of a man who outsmarted the devil for a bag of gold, and a forth tells of locals mistaking the ears of _________ for devil horns as they wandered around at night
Foxes
Dare County's state park spans 427 acres and has 3 unique ecosystems, boasting America's tallest active sand dune system. What is this park called?
Jockey's Ridge
So much naval activity occurred near the Outer Banks that it was briefly nicknamed “Torpedo Junction” during WWII. What ships were found to be stationed along the OBX coastline that caused much duress for locals to the point there were constant mandated blackouts and school buses regularly checked by soldiers?
German U Boats
Tourism spending here is so great that it significantly subsidizes local ________
Cost of living. Because short-term rentals and meals are taxed heavily, visitors help pay for county and town services. This direct tax relief saves the average Dare County resident thousands of dollars a year in taxes, giving the county the highest resident tax savings in the state
The islands are home to herds of feral ______ ?
Horses! sometimes called "banker ponies", and according to local legend, are descended from Spanish mustangs washed ashore centuries ago in shipwrecks.
Locals will tell you the first thing about home ownership at OBX: taxes are low, but homeowners insurance is astronomical, especially to protect from wind and _______
Hail
Occasionally, shoals and sandbars will rise above sea level for an extended but temporary amount of time. With a permit, you are allowed to drive an appropriate vehicle directly out onto the sand bar. Before you do that, do not make the mistake of forgetting to ________ your tires
deflate
Some residents of the Outer Banks, known as wreckers, made part of their living by scavenging wrecked ships—or by luring ships to their destruction. Horses with _____ tied to their necks would be walked along the beach
Lanterns; the lanterns' up and down motion would appear to ships to represent clear water and a ship ahead; the unsuspecting captain would then drive his ship ashore following this false light.
The OBX faces extreme seasonal shifts with tourism booms in summer and struggles during winter to retain employment and to be profitable. Disruptions are further caused because the high demand for short term rentals limits what?
Long term housing for permanent residents
The Outer Banks are home to Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria), of which Native Americans use the leaves to __________
Roast into a high-caffeine beverage called black drink. The Outer Banks may be one of the few places where it is still consumed
While subtle in most parts of the region, the OBX lean heavily ________ (politically)
Right wing
Hop in a 4x4 and head out to _________ to see the wild horses that roam free there.
Corolla