Editing Nags Head, North Carolina (section)

==History==
Early maps of the area show Nags Head as a [[promontory]] of land characterized by high [[sand dune]]s visible from miles at sea. The origin of the town's name is obscure but it is likely to have been named after any one of the places called Nag's Head on the English coast.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Beginning of New Hope Church, Nags Head Chapel |url=http://www.nhumc.info/images/churchlife_beginning.pdf |publisher=Northern Hills United Methodist Church}}</ref>

A [[popular etymology|folkloric explanation]] claims that mules or horses ([[wikt:nag|nags]]) would have lights hung on their heads by nefarious [[Wrecking (shipwreck)|wreckers]] in order to trick ships into running aground and then loot the ships of their valuables.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Renouf |first1=Norman |last2=Renouf |first2=Kathy |title=The Carolinas & the Georgia Coast |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZOguJgbXOQcC&pg=PT229 |year=1999 |publisher=Hunter Publishing, Inc |isbn=978-1-55650-854-7 |page=229 |quote=Legend has it that "wrecking" was a popular pastime and source of income for the early inhabitants. It seems that certain ne'r-do-wells would tie lanterns to their horses' necks [...]}}</ref> The town's emblem depicts one such equine accomplice from the tale.<ref>{{cite web |title=Town Brochure |url=http://www.nagsheadnc.gov/vertical/Sites/%7BB2CB0823-BC26-47E7-B6B6-37D19957B4E1%7D/uploads/Outside.jpg |access-date=September 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006095001/http://www.nagsheadnc.gov/vertical/Sites/%7BB2CB0823-BC26-47E7-B6B6-37D19957B4E1%7D/uploads/Outside.jpg |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Around 1830,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nagsheadguide.com/history/ |title=Nags Head Guide |year=2011 |access-date=October 14, 2012}}</ref> Nags Head became known as a resort area. This direction was accelerated in 1855 when Dr. W. G. Pool bought 50 acres of oceanfront land which he separated into plots and sold to friends, increasing the number of homes in the area.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

[[Jockey's Ridge]] is the last vestige of the sand dunes seen by the first explorers, as the area is now highly developed. The town incorporated in 1961.<ref name="nhinc">{{cite web |url=http://www.outerbanks.org/outerbanks-nags-head/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402093115/http://www.outerbanks.org/outerbanks-nags-head/ |archive-date=April 2, 2013 |url-status=unfit |website=Outer Banks of North Carolina |title=Nags Head |access-date=April 5, 2013}}</ref>

===Energy and design improvements===
In May 2021, Nags Head was one of 11 communities (along with nearby [[Ocracoke, North Carolina]]) chosen by the [[United States Department of Energy]] to participate in the [[Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project]], a program to provide federal aid for remote communities to modernize their electric infrastructure and resiliency through natural disasters and outages. Nags Head's grant is used to secure 48–72 hours of backup energy for emergency services due to the community's vulnerability to severe weather and rising sea levels and to investigate renewable and [[Efficient energy use|energy efficiency]] options.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=DOE to Support 11 Remote and Island Communities Transitioning to Resilient Clean Energy Solutions |url=https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-support-11-remote-and-island-communities-transitioning-resilient-clean-energy |access-date=May 6, 2021 |website=Energy.gov |language=en}}</ref> According to Nag's Head's Director of Planning and Development Michael Zehner, the project will take 12–18 months to complete and the town will receive assistance from [[National Renewable Energy Laboratory]] and the [[Sandia National Laboratories]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Jurkowitz |first=Mark |date=May 1, 2021 |title=Nags Head joins 10 other 'islanded communities' in project to keep the power on |url=https://www.outerbanksvoice.com/2021/05/01/nags-head-joins-10-other-islanded-communities-in-project-to-keep-the-power-on/ |access-date=August 24, 2022 |website=The Outer Banks Voice |language=en-US}}</ref>

Nags Head received a separate grant from the North Carolina Chapter of the [[American Institute of Architects]] to receive technical assistance in developing better building design practices for energy and water efficiency, a project with an expected completion in early 2022.<ref name=":1" />