About the Wilmington Coast, North Carolina Area 

The Wilmington coast region consists of the port city of Wilmington and various smaller coastal and inland towns in a five county region that includes New Hanover, Brunswick, Pender, Bladen and Columbus.  

It is an area rich in history and a popular tourist destination region. South of the less populated NC Outer Banks/barrier islands to the north and about an hour drive north of the populated area of Myrtle Beach South Carolina, it is a pleasant stable region with many year round residents rounded out by the seasonal visitors, students and educators at UNC-Wilmington and an increasing number or retirees and NC residents who have second homes there. 

See area map below. 

WILMINGTON: Population 100,000 Located in New Hanover Co. 

Wilmington is the major coastal city in North Carolina, located between Cape Fear and the Atlantic Ocean in the South Eastern portion of North Carolina. If you are looking for a place with warm temperatures, casual lifestyles and a touch of the "new south charm", Wilmington will be the place for you. You will love the historic feel, and find the city to be an exciting place to visit, and an even better place to relocate.
visit the official city website 

With tons of activities available for all ages, not one person could ever be bored in this beautiful city. Families will like the abundance of fun activities such as visiting the aquarium, zoo, Water Park or taking historical horse drawn tours. Adults of all ages will love the frequent and large festivals, as well as the exciting nightlife. Not to mention the variety of sporting events available to see. With the University of North Carolina at Wilmington around the corner and multiple professional and semi-professional athletic teams, you'll never be short of teams to cheer on. If you love to shop, you will love the historic shopping district, with a multitude of unique and privately owned stores. And if you get hungry while you are enjoying all Wilmington has to offer, you will certainly never be short of excellent places to stop and have a gourmet meal, as Wilmington has some of the best restaurants in the nation.  

Wilmington boasts a strong and growing economy, which has attracted many large companies to move to the area. The schools in Wilmington are some of the best in the nation. The primary schools consistently rate high on all national educational standards. For those interested in higher education there are plenty of options available as well. Those options include: The University of North Carolina Wilmington, with the fifth best marine biology program in the world, and the award winning Cape Fear Community College, where degrees can be obtained a variety of excellent options.  

The City of Wilmington is approximately 80,000 in population, however, the surrounding population is close to 170,000 and it services a rural regional population of nearly 250,000. There is also an influx of summer tourist population to nearby beaches of Figure 8 Island, Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and Bald Head Island. Spring and fall bring fishermen and golfers to the area.  

Wilmington is a mid sized city and regional hub with a small town feel. The history of Wilmington gives its residents a reason to be proud. You'll be proud too, when you choose to relocate to this fabulous city. 

CAROLINA BEACH:
Carolina Beach has undergone a dramatic transformation during the 1990s. Once considered a wild party spot, it is now a heavily residential community dedicated to creating a wholesome family environment. Recent years have seen the cultivation of improved services, pleasant landscaping, attention to zoning and tangible citizen action to make Carolina Beach an attractive visitor destination. There's a busy central business district centered around an active yacht basin. The boardwalk is undergoing revitalization with an increase in the number of family-oriented establishments, including a planned arcade and restaurants. 

A drive through Carolina Beach reveals a pleasant 1950s-style beach of modest cottages, increasingly more upscale single-family dwellings and an abundance of three- and four-story condominiums. Unfortunately, these taller structures were built on the oceanfront and tend to obstruct the view of the sea for several congested blocks on the north end. Newer development to the south is much more spread out and lower in height along the shoreline. 

In the heart of Carolina Beach is Jubilee Park, one of two amusement parks on the southern coast. Nearby, you'll find waterslides, miniature golf courses and other things that appeal to the kids. The town also has a movie theater, grocery stores and bait shops. The beachfront motels -- including several vintage motor courts -- offer a "blast from the past." If you were a kid during the `50s and your parents took you on vacation to the beach, this was the kind of place where you probably stayed. Some of the best beachfront lodging values are offered in these spots. 

Anglers will love Carolina Beach. The surf promises wonderful bounty all year long, and there are plenty of tackle shops and piers as well as the opportunity to experience deep-sea fishing from the sterns of a number of charter boats berthed in the municipal yacht basin. Several annual fishing tournaments are based on the abundance of mackerel, and you can pay a nominal entry fee for a chance to reap as much as $50,000 for the winning fish. 

At the extreme northern end of the island the beach is open to four-wheel drive vehicles. While there is a certain allure to driving right off the street onto the sand of this expansive space, don't do it if you are in a car. Getting stuck in the sand is as easy and frustrating as getting stuck in the snow. 

Carolina Beach also offers one of the few state parks in the region. For a modest fee, you can camp and enjoy the wonders of nature. Venus's-flytrap, a carnivorous plant, is abundant in the park. This plant, a relic from pre-human existence on the planet, only grows naturally within a 60-mile radius of Wilmington. 

Away from the seasonal bustle at the center of town, Carolina Beach is a quiet community of about 5,000 regular residents. That number jumps five times at the peak of the vacation season. The community is growing in appeal to locals from Wilmington for one big reason: It isn't crowded, yet. You have plenty of elbow room on the beach; there is no problem finding parking at the bargain rate of $2 a day in the central business district; and some of the better vacation rental deals are here. Many a Wilmington resident has given Wrightsville Beach over to visitors for the summer in the past few years and turned to Carolina Beach for a quiet spot on the sand. 

KURE BEACH:
To the south, Carolina Beach merges into the town of Kure Beach. Kure Beach (pronounced "CURE-ee") is a younger community. Development began in the 1870s when Hans Andersen Kure moved from Denmark and bought large tracts of land in the middle of the island. Apparently, things moved slowly because Kure Beach wasn't incorporated until 1947. 

Today, Kure Beach is overwhelmingly residential, dotted with modest cottages, new houses and a number of beach motels. Several condominium buildings cluster together in one area, but there is little in the way of tall buildings. In fact, new structures may not be built taller than 35 feet. At the center of town, a popular fishing pier extends well out over the ocean and there are several restaurants. A charming boardwalk with benches extends north along the beach and is lighted at night.  

Once upon a time, some of the best real estate deals could be found in Kure Beach, but today this sleepy beach town is fast growing in popularity and price. Two of the newest developments, Kure Beach Village and Beachwalk, feature homes and town homes along with tennis courts, pools and clubhouses. Prices range from $160,000 to over $300,000, and even more for beachfront homes. 

You won't find a lot of amusement park-style entertainment here, although there is an arcade. There is very little in the way of shopping. A permanent population of 1,500 residents makes for a very close community, but Kure Beach's small size should not lead visitors to think they're out in the boondocks. The town maintains its own municipal services and fire protection, and a local planner describes the community as being "like any big city, only smaller." 

Kure Beach will remain small because it is completely surrounded. The Fort Fisher State Recreation Area and Historic Site are on the south side, and the U.S. Government owns the west side as part of a buffer zone for the military terminal at Sunny Point across the Cape Fear River. Carolina Beach borders the town on the north. Of course, the Atlantic Ocean forms the east border.  

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH:
The town of Wrightsville Beach occupies one of the chain of barrier islands along North Carolina's southeastern coast. These islands, geologically relatively young, presented prior to urban development a combination of wide sandy beaches, dunes, and marine forests.  

Westward of the long and narrow barrier islands are the sounds and marshlands where sea water continually flows in and out across waterways and wetlands. The barrier islands are in a state of constant transition because of natural forces.  

Wrightsville Beach is a vibrant small town with a year round population and summer tourists. Because Wrightsville is just across the waterway from Wilmington, you can work in the larger city and reside at the beach. The Town of Wrightsville Beach has gracefully combined its historic past with its newer development....Wrightsville has a comfortable casual Southern charm that always makes you feel welcome. 

Located north of Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach very close to the Intracoastal Waterway, a gated community is built around the award winning Tom Fazio-designed golf course. The active residents enjoy a sports complex (two pools, clay tennis courts and a fitness center) and have a boat storage area and a boat ramp, which gives them access to the Intracoastal. With their inviting front porches, the homes in Porters Neck reflect the influence of traditional Southern architecture. Homes range in price from 250,000 to 600,000. 

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