$746,389Average Value$453Average Price per Sq Ft58Homes For Sale
Seasonal rhythms shape life and real estate in Nags Head
When vacationers head to the Outer Banks, Nags Head is often the destination. With hotels and short-term rentals steps from the beach, popular parks and outlet shopping, this Dare County town anchors tourism in this beloved region of barrier islands “I can’t think of a better place to live. We’re surrounded by water,” says Susie Sullivan Rainwater, a longtime resident of the OBX and the senior associate broker at Sun Realty Kitty Hawk. She says homebuyers in Nags Head are primarily looking for vacation homes and investment properties. “You have the week turnovers in the summer, and in the wintertime, the same properties are absolutely wonderful to visit because of the weather. It’s coastal cool.” A few thousand people live in Nags Head year-round, but in summer, the population swells to about 40,000. According to local lore, the town helped the area earn its nickname as the Graveyard of the Atlantic in the early 19th century when shipwreckers used the dunes in present-day Jockey’s Ridge State Park to lure in ships unaware of hidden sandbars near the coast. “Folks would walk with a nag, which is a horse, with a lantern around its neck up on top of the dunes. Boats would think they were buoys and would crash,” says Sullivan Rainwater. The so-called land pirates would then loot the wreckage. The town’s official seal, which includes a horse, a lantern and a sand dune, is a nod to this history.
Families relax in the shade on a hot summer afternoon at Whalebone Beach.
Find tranquility listening to the waves under Jennette's Pier in Whalebone Beach.
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From small cottages to grand estates, Nags Head homes offer water view
Properties in Nags Head range from towering waterfront houses and cozy cottages farther inland to condo units close to the action along the Croatan Highway. Some homes have unobstructed views of the Atlantic Ocean. Others face the Roanoke Sound. A golf course hugs the properties in the Village at Nags Head community, while a system of canals flows between homes in Old Nags Head Cove. The median price for a single-family home is around $885,000, more than double the national median. Homes under 2,000 square feet typically cost between $415,000 and $780,000, and larger properties start at $790,000 and can top $3 million. The median price for a townhouse is nearly $840,000, while condos range from $290,000 to more than $700,000.
Wraparound porches are a common feature of a home at The Village at Nags Head.
Home sizes vary widely in Whalebone Beach.
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Outdoor adventure from the Roanoke Sound to the Atlantic Ocean
With 11 miles of sandy shore, spending time on the beach is part of daily life in Nags Head. Throughout the warmer months, full-time residents, longtime vacationers and first-time visitors can all be seen sunbathing, swimming and hanging out on the beach. Along the shore, three piers jet out into the ocean. “You can go down and have a bite to eat and overlook the beaches,” says Sullivan Rainwater, who says Jennette's Pier is a popular fishing spot. On the other side of the island, boaters and kayakers cruise and paddle around the Roanoke Sound. Of Nags Head’s many green spaces, Jockey’s Ridge State Park is well known for its massive dunes, where visitors pose for sunset photos and fly kites. It’s also the terminus of North Carolina’s Mountain-to-Sea Trail, which extends for more than 1,100 miles from the beach to the Great Smoky Mountains. Places like Dowdy Park and Nags Head Town Park offer playgrounds, walking paths and sports courts. Private facilities offer family-friendly activities like mini golf, zip lining and go-karting. The rest of the Outer Banks offers more recreation, from seeing sharks up close at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island to exploring local history at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kitty Hawk. There’s also the historic Bodie Island Lighthouse and Cape Hatteras National Seashore to the south.
Fishing from Jennette's Pier is a popular activity in Whalebone Beach.
A sunset kayak trip on Roanoke Sound is a picturesque way to end the day in Whalebone Beach.
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This town offers coastal cuisine and name-brand shopping
Seafood is the star of plates across Nags Head, and many restaurants offering dinner with a view and live music. But barbecue, Southern-style cuisine and international fare are also available. The town has many family-owned restaurants, including long-running spots like Sam and Omie’s, which has been open since the 1950s, and Tale of the Whale, which dates to 1980. Like many beach towns, Nags Head has its fair share of beach bars, surf shops, ice cream parlors and candy stores. People from across the Outer Banks come to Nags Head to shop. The town is home to the Outer Banks Mall and Outlets Nags Head, which offer dozens of name-brand stores and national retailers. The full-service Outer Banks Health Hospital is also in Nags Head.
Sam & Omies is a Whalebone Beach institution, serving delicious food since 1937.
Fatboyz Ice Cream is where Whalebone Beach locals head for after-dinner treats.
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Flavor and fun at the Outer Banks Seafood Festival
Nags Head hosts one of the biggest annual events in the region, the Outer Banks Seafood Festival. Celebrating the community’s connection to the fishing industry, the one-day event held in mid-October at The Soundside features educational demonstrations, artisan vendors, live music and of course, a lot of seafood and beer. “The festival is huge,” says Sullivan Rainwater. “You can buy T-shirts, you can listen to some of our local bands. ‘Eat like a local, drink like a fish’ — that’s their punchline.”
Dare County’s public and private school options
Dare County Schools earns an A-minus overall rating from Niche and has around 5,000 students learning across 11 schools. Nags Head Elementary serves all of Nags Head. Students can move on to Manteo Middle and then Manteo High. All three schools receive B-plus ratings. Rising ninth-grade students can apply to the district’s new Dale Early College, which will start instruction in the fall of 2025 at the College of the Albemarle in Manteo, as its permanent home is being built on the same campus. Nearby private options include Wanchese Christian Academy, which Niche does not yet rate, and Beacon Christian Academy, which is also not yet rated.
Nags Head Elementary School is rated as the third best public elementary school in Dare County.
Manteo Middle School serves students in grades 6-8.
Manteo High School is a public high school in the Dare County School District.
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Nags Head connects to the mainland via U.S. Route 64
Driving, walking and biking are all ways to get around Nags Head. U.S. Route 158, also known as the Croatan Highway, and state Route 12 are the main roads through town, where drivers share the roadway with street-legal golf carts. Nags Head has direct access to U.S. Route 64, one of two routes off the island. Sullivan Rainwater says traffic can get heavy during peak tourist travel days, “It can be a gridlock sometimes. Check-in times and check-out times are critical with the volume of vacationers coming to and leaving from the beach,” she says. Norfolk International Airport in Virginia is the closest commercial airport, less than 90 miles away.
Important to know
Hurricanes, tidal flooding and high winds are a reality in Nags Head. Many homes rest on stilts and feature hurricane shutters, and residents are encouraged to prepare for the possibility of mandatory evacuations throughout the Atlantic Hurricane Season. The community is also impacted by beach erosion, which the town combats with periodic nourishment projects. The next project is scheduled for summer 2026.
Written By
DeeVa Payne
Photography Contributed By
Jay Ratchford
Video By
Daniel Willingham
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
Reach out to
Randy Nance,
an experienced agent in this area.
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On average, homes in Nags Head, NC sell after 56 days on the market compared to the national average of 52 days. The median sale price for homes in Nags Head, NC over the last 12 months is $734,825, down 2% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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