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Currituck County tourism is giving itself a new name: the Northern Outer Banks.

Chandler Thinks, a destination branding company based in Franklin, Tennessee, recommended this new name after months of research and communication with over 1,150 people through focus groups, one-on-one interviews, surveys and digital audits.

Research revealed that the Outer Banks is a well-known name, but most visitors don’t have a strong association with Currituck County, nor do some people even know how to pronounce it. There’s often a sharp distinction made between the beaches and the mainland of the county.

“People think [branding] is always about promotion … but branding is just as much about preservation. It’s making sure we maintain what’s important to our community and to those that we serve. It’s making sure that what makes it so appealing and so valuable doesn’t erode and go away. This project is just as much about that as it is promoting. Being bigger and better isn’t always the goal. We want to maintain what’s so valuable to all of us,” Steve Chandler said.

According to Chandler, in a presentation to commissioners in a special meeting on August 19, Dare County claims that the Outer Banks ends in Duck.

“We need to claim what’s ours,” he said. “We need to claim our position in the Outer Banks.”

Greg Fuson, director of research and community engagement at Chandler Thinks, said that Currituck County beaches are considered upscale and less crowded compared to other destinations in the Outer Banks. He also said that the county provides experiences beyond the beach like farmers markets, golf, a waterpark, a winery, and other recreational options. The branding goal is to encapsulate the entire county.

“The Northern Outer Banks can stand for more than beaches, yet it doesn’t exclude our golden goose at all. It allows us to be both,” Chandler said.

Northern Outer Banks will replace “Currituck Outer Banks” in digital and print media, and in fact, visitcurrituck.com has already transitioned its logo to the new name.

Commissioners were all positive about the new name. Said Vice-Chairman Selina Jarvis: “It brings in the mainland in one fell swoop. It’s the one thing that we have been looking for to unite us as a county and I think this is a good way to do that.”

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