Currituck County, established in 1668, was one of the original counties and also just one of five original ports in North Carolina.

Corolla and Currituck Beach Lighthouse are across the Currituck Sound, east of the mainland. Currituck Sound is shallow, 35 miles long, and varies from four to fifteen miles wide.

In the early 1700s, Currituck County's original courthouse was constructed. This building was replaced in 1842 and is still in use today. A jail was built in 1776, and together with the courthouse these are two of the oldest buildings in North Carolina. The county seat was established by 1755 at what was called for many decades simply as Currituck Court House, later shortened just to Currituck.

The Albemarle Chesapeake Waterway, which opened in 1859 and became part of the Intracoastal Waterway from Maine to Florida, is today used by both commercial watermen and pleasure-boaters. Coinjock, on its banks near the center of the county, is a very popular stopover for the snowbirds - power cruisers and sailboats heading south.

By the late 1800s, Currituck, an Indian name for Land of the Wild Goose, was known as the premiere duck hunting region of the East Coast. Wealthy visitors discovered the enormous numbers of ducks and geese wintering on the sound. Sportsmen from all over the United States came to hunt, either in guided parties or as members or guests of the many hunt clubs - including the legendary Whalehead Club.