Corolla, North Carolina

Named for the collection of petals of a flower, the correct pronunciation has an emphasis on the second syllable, rah (kuh-RAH-luh, /kəˈrɑːlə/); however, many visitors incorrectly 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 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. 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%.[8]

Corolla is home to the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, located in Currituck Heritage Park.[9] The park has a boardwalk through wetlands. It is listed as an eBird hotspot, with at least 80 species recorded in the park.[10] Less than a mile north of Corolla is the Currituck Banks North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve.[11]

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 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.

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.[12]

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).[13]

The time in summer usually increases because of heavy traffic and observed up-to ten more minutes it takes.[14] The list of time required to drive by paved highways to other communities on the Outer Banks are as follows below:

• 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
• Corolla to Sandbridge - 2 hours 15 minutes

According to the Trewartha climate classification system, Corolla, North Carolina has a humid subtropical climate with hot and humid summers, cool winters and year-around precipitation (Cfak). Cfak climates are characterized by all months having an average mean temperature > 32.0 °F (> 0.0 °C), at least eight months with an average mean temperature ≥ 50.0 °F (≥ 10.0 °C), at least one month with an average mean temperature ≥ 71.6 °F (≥ 22.0 °C) and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. During the summer months in Corolla, a cooling afternoon sea breeze is present on most days, but episodes of extreme heat and humidity can occur with heat index values ≥ 100 °F (≥ 38 °C). Corolla is prone to hurricane strikes, particularly during the Atlantic hurricane season which extends from June 1 through November 30, sharply peaking from late August through September. During the winter months, episodes of cold and wind can occur with wind chill values < 10 °F (< -12 °C). The plant hardiness zone in Corolla is 8a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 14.4 °F (-9.8 °C).[15] The average seasonal (Dec-Mar) snowfall total is < 2 inches (< 5 cm), and the average annual peak in nor'easter activity is in February.

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Corolla, North Carolina would have a dominant vegetation type of Northern Cordgrass (73) with a dominant vegetation form of Coastal Prairie (20).[18]

• Whalehead Club
• Currituck County Official Site
• Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education
• Currituck Beach Lighthouse
• Corolla Tourism Board