Lots of history and a modern feel
- One of the first things you will notice when coming to Corolla is that it looks new. Before 1984 the area was blocked off from anyone who didn’t already own land there, but once the gates opened, that all changed.
- Corollas roots date back hundreds of years. There was a small village that sits beneath the Currituck Beach Light house; Corolla was originally the name for this village. Corolla reflects the early Native American heritage.
- In the early 1800’s Currituck Banks were separated from Virginia and getting there was only possible my boat. By the mid-1800’s several communities were popping up and started forming the Outer Banks. The communities were isolated and remote from other areas and were in the marshes and dunes of the banks. Out of all of the villages that had popped up, Corolla was the only one of them to last. Other villages wouldn’t make it through the hard time, but a few residents stuck it out in Corolla. On December 1, 1875 the red brick lighthouse was completed. At this time Corolla was still called Jones Hill.
- In 1895 Jones Hill got its first post office. When the post office opened the asked the citizens to recommend a new name for the town. Someone had mentioned that the inner part of a flower was called a Corolla; this is the name the post office chose and kept for the small village.
- In the 1970’s there were less than 20 people who lived in this town and the people who would visit would say that it felt like the end of the earth. Corolla was the last coastal getaway and people would fall in love with it just the way it was, rugged and overgrown. In October1984, Corolla got its first paved road when the state took over and made if part of the N.C. Highway 12. Before this, people were driving on the beaches to get to the outer banks. After the highway was built to Corolla, development came very quickly. In 1984 there were approximately 420 homes, but by 1995 there were almost 2,000. Most of these homes are vacation homes and are empty throughout the year.
- Corolla has maintained its character throughout the years and although much of the village now has new construction and modern looks, you can still tell that Corolla does have a past.
- Smallest Public School in North Carolina
