Carolina Beach is a beach town in

New Hanover County New Hanover County is one of 100 counties located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 225,702. Though the second-smallest NC county in land area, it is one of the most populous, as its county seat, Wilm ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, United States, situated about south of

Wilmington International Airport Wilmington International Airport is a public airport located just north of Wilmington, North Carolina, in unincorporated Wrightsboro, Cape Fear Township, New Hanover County. ILM covers 1,800 acres (728 ha). During the calendar year 2018 IL ...

in southeastern coastal North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 6,564. It is part of the

Wilmington metropolitan area Cape Fear is a coastal plain and Tidewater region of North Carolina centered about the city of Wilmington. The region takes its name from the adjacent Cape Fear headland, as does the Cape Fear River which flows through the region and empties ...

. The community of Wilmington Beach was annexed by the town in 2000. Carolina Beach lies at the northern end of Pleasure Island, which it shares with the community of

Kure Beach Kure Beach ( ) is a town in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States , approximately 15 miles south of Wilmington. It is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,012 at the 2010 census. It is found ...

, south of the inlet that separates the island from the unincorporated community of

Sea Breeze A sea breeze or onshore breeze is any wind that blows from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass; it develops due to differences in air pressure created by the differing heat capacities of water and dry land. As such, sea breezes ar ...

. The town has a land area of , extending along the island from Freeman Park in the north to Alabama Avenue in the south.

Geography

Carolina Beach is located at (34.036796, -77.896939). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of .2.2 square miles (5.8 km²) of it is land and of it (8.13%) is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 6,564 people, 2,876 households, and 1,764 families residing in the town.

2013

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2013, there were 2,296 households, and 1,253 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 2,086.4 people per square mile (806.7/km²). There were 4,086 housing units at an average density of 1,813.5 per square mile (701.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.94%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.39%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

,0.50%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and 0.17% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

. There were 2,296 households, out of which 18.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.4% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03, and the average family size was 2.59. The population was spread out in the town, with 14.8% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 34.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The

median In statistics and probability theory, the median is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a data sample, a population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as "the middle" value. The basic fe ...

age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.0 males. The

income for a household in the town was $37,662, and the median income for a family was $44,882. Males had a median income of $31,013 versus $21,241 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $24,128. About 8.4% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Education

The

New Hanover County Schools New Hanover County Schools (NHCS) is a school district headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, United States. It operates public schools in New Hanover County. It is the 12th largest school district in North Carolina and is estimated to be t ...

district covers Carolina Beach. Only Carolina Beach Elementary School, founded in 1937, is located in the town. Older students are assigned to Charles P. Murray Middle School and Eugene Ashley High School in Wilmington.

History

The town was "wiped off the map" by

Hurricane Hazel Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest, second costliest, and most intense hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm killed at least 469 people in Haiti before striking the United States near the border between North and South ...

in 1954. Reportedly, 362 buildings were destroyed in the town.

Points of interest

Carolina Beach Pier The Carolina Beach Pier is a pleasure, fishing, and amusement pier located in the town of Carolina Beach, North Carolina, between the Cape Fear River and Atlantic Ocean, north of Fort Fisher and south of Freeman Park. At in length, it is one of ...

LORAN-C transmitter Carolina Beach LORAN-C transmitter Carolina Beach was the Zulu secondary station of the U.S. Southeast chain ( GRI 7270) of LORAN-C. The transmitter power was 800 kW. The free-standing antenna of height was situated near Carolina Beach, North Carolina. Aft ...

Fort Fisher Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865. The fort was located on one of Cape Fear River' ...

North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher North Carolina Aquariums is a system of three public aquariums located in Kure Beach, Roanoke Island and Pine Knoll Shores. All are operated by the Aquariums Division of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources since 1976 ...

* Carolina Beach State Park *

Joy Lee Apartment Building and Annex Joy Lee Apartment Building and Annex is a historic apartment building located at Carolina Beach, New Hanover County, North Carolina. The original building was built in 1945, and is a two-story, double-pile concrete block building covered with stuc ...

, and

Newton Homesite and Cemetery The Newton Homesite and Cemetery are a remnant of the earliest settlement of the outer coast of North Carolina near Carolina Beach. The site is located southwest of Carolina Beach off Dow Road South, adjacent to the Federal Point Methodist Cem ...

are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. *Freeman Park - Located on the North end of Carolina Beach where beachgoers can drive onto the beach with a 4WD vehicle and camp overnight. *Pleasure Island Sea Turtle Project *Island Greenway *Federal Point Historic Preservation Society *Britt’s Donuts *Carolina Beach Mooring Field

Pictures

References

External links

*
Official Town of Carolina Beach, NC website
{{Authority control Towns in North Carolina Towns in New Hanover County, North Carolina Beaches of North Carolina Cape Fear (region) Landforms of New Hanover County, North Carolina Populated coastal places in North Carolina