Land of the Wild Goose

Land of the Wild Goose. . , “Currituck” is from the Algonkian word meaning “land of the wild goose.”, Currituck Sound is located in Currituck and Dare Counties in Northeast North Carolina., Currituck Sound, a brackish water estuary separated from the Atlantic Ocean by thin barrier islands known as the Outer Banks, covers 153 square miles with an average depth of 5 feet and a maximum depth of 13 feet., Currituck County was established around 1668. It was one of the five original ports for North Carolina and one of the original counties., Currituck is located within the Atlantic Flyway, attracting falcons, ducks, geese, warblers, gulls, terns, herons and egrets. Indigo buntings, bobwhites and other mainland species also use the islands for nesting. The site has particular significance with respect to waterfowl., Currituck Sound harbors an estimated 6% of the Atlantic Flyway over-wintering waterfowl population and 32% of North Carolina's wintering fowl. Typical types of waterfowl include dabbling ducks, diving ducks, geese, swans and coots., Corolla , The northernmost accessible town on the Outer Banks, Corolla (pronounced, Co-rahl-a) has seen rapid development over the past ten years. Until 1984, when the state extended Highway 12 north from the Dare County line, the town was a sleepy seaside village. Today, multimillion dollar vacation homes spread throughout Corolla making it one of the most desirable upscale vacation destinations in the country. Ironically, it was the opening of the road and the ensuing traffic that eventually led to the relocation of one of Corollas most famous attractions, the wild ponies., Cultural History of Currituck Sound and Currituck County , Before the settlement of northeast North Carolina, the area known as Currituck County was home to the Poteskeet Indians. Although their main village was located on the mainland, the Poteskeet hunted and fished Currituck Sound. In 1584, the English first attempted settlement in the New World on nearby Roanoke Island. English settlers started moving into the region by the late 17th century and they survived by farming and fishing. , , Until the early 1800s, Currituck Sound was directly connected to the Atlantic Ocean by one or more inlets through the Banks. By 1680, shifting sands began to fill the inlets and eventually closed them. This began the transformation of Currituck Sound from a high-salinity estuarine environment to a low-salinity estuarine environment. The marshes and waters of Currituck Sound became well known throughout the nation as prime waterfowl and hunting grounds.