New Hanover County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 225,702. The county seat is Wilmington. Though the second-smallest county in North Carolina by land area, it is one of the most populous counties, as Wilmington is one of the largest communities in the state. The county was created in 1729 as New Hanover Precinct and gained county status in 1739. New Hanover County is included in the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which also includes neighboring Pender and Brunswick counties.

History

Located in the Low Country or Tidewater of North Carolina, the county was formed in 1729 as New Hanover Precinct of Bath County, from Craven Precinct. It was named for the

House of Hanover The House of Hanover ( ) is a European royal house with roots tracing back to the 17th century. Its members, known as Hanoverians, ruled Hanover, Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Empire at various times during the 17th to 20th centurie ...

, a German royal family then ruling

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

. In 1734, parts of New Hanover Precinct became Bladen Precinct and Onslow Precinct. With the abolition of Bath County in 1739, all of its constituent precincts became counties. In 1750, the northern part of New Hanover County became Duplin County. In 1764, another part of New Hanover County was combined with part of Bladen County to form Brunswick County. Finally, in 1875, the separation of northern New Hanover County to form Pender County reduced it to its present dimensions. The county was developed as plantations, largely for the cultivation of tobacco and other commodity crops by enslaved African Americans. By 1860, the county seat and county were majority-black in population, with most of those people enslaved. Some of the closing battles of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

took place in this county, including the Second Battle of Fort Fisher (the last major coastal stronghold of the Confederacy) and the Battle of Wilmington. White Democrats were resentful when freedmen were given the vote. Following the Reconstruction era, white Democrats regained control of the state legislature and continued to impose

white supremacy White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...

across the state through

Jim Crow laws The Jim Crow laws were U.S. state, state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, "Jim Crow (character), Ji ...

. Violence by whites against blacks increased in the late 19th century, with 22

lynching Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged or convicted transgressor or to intimidate others. It can also be an extreme form of i ...

deaths of African Americans recorded before the mid-20th century."Lynching in America/Supplement: Lynching by County, 3rd edition"
, 2017, Montgomery, Alabama: Equal Justice Initiative, p. 7 Racial terrorism on a larger scale took place in the

Wilmington Insurrection of 1898 Wilmington may refer to: Places Australia *Wilmington, South Australia, a town and locality **District Council of Wilmington, a former local government area **Wilmington railway line, a former railway line United Kingdom *Wilmington, Devon *Wi ...

, when a group of white Democrats rejected a duly elected, biracial city government. After overthrowing the Fusionist government, the mayor and city council, they led mobs that rioted and attacked the city's black neighborhoods and residents. A total of 60 to 300 blacks are believed to have been killed in the rioting, leaders were driven out of the city, and the presses of a black-owned newspaper were destroyed, along with many houses and businesses. The insurrection was planned by a group of nine conspirators, who included Hugh MacRae. He later donated land to New Hanover County for a park; it was named in his honor. A plaque was installed there explaining the donation and his life; it does not refer to his role in the 1898

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

. However, in July 2020, the name of the park was changed from "Hugh McRae Park" to "Long Leaf Park" due to his role in the insurrection. Soon after, the state passed a new constitution raising barriers to voter registration: this effectively disenfranchised most blacks and imposed

, forcing blacks out of the political system and into legal second-class status. These civil rights injustices were largely maintained into the 1960s, three generations later.

Geography

NC 132 from the Air in New Hanover County 9

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (41.54%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in North Carolina by land area (ahead of only Chowan County).

State and local protected areas/sites

* Airlie Gardens * Battleship North Carolina * Bluethenthal Wildflower Preserve * Cape Fear Museum of History and Science * Cape Fear River Wetlands Game Land (part) * Carolina Beach State Park * Federal Point * Fort Fisher State Historic Site * Fort Fisher State Recreation Area * Freeman Park * Masonboro Island Estuarine Reserve Dedicated Nature Preserve * Masonboro Island Reserve * Masonboro Sound Area Outstanding Resource Water * New Hanover County Arboretum * North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher * Pages Creek Park Preserve * The Rocks at Fort Fisher * South of Onslow County Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area (part) * Sutton Lake Game Land * Topsail Sound and Middle Sound Area Outstanding Resource Water *

Wilmington Historic District The Wilmington Historic District is a national Historic district (United States), historic district located at Wilmington, North Carolina, Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina. The district encompasses 875 contributing buildings 38 c ...

* Zekes Island Estuarine Reserve Dedicated Nature Preserve (part) * Zeke's Island Reserve (part)

Major water bodies

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

(North Atlantic Ocean) * Banks Channel * Bradley Creek * Brunswick River *

Cape Fear River The Cape Fear River is a blackwater river in east-central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River in the town of ...

* Frying Pan Shoals * Futch Creek * Greenfield Lake *

Hewletts Creek Hewletts Creek is a stream in New Hanover County, North Carolina, in the United States. It is the only stream of its name in the United States. Hewletts Creek was named for a family of settlers. Variant names According to the Geographic Name ...

* Howe Creek *

Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a Navigability, inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, the ...

* Island Creek * Lake Sutton * Leutze Lake * Northeast Cape Fear River * Onslow Bay * Prince George Creek * Smith Creek * Snow's Cut * Whiskey Creek

Major islands

* Eagles Island * Pleasure Island * Figure Eight Island * Masonboro Island * Wrightsville Beach * Zeke’s Island

Adjacent counties

* Pender County – north * Brunswick County – west

Major highways

* * * * * (future Hampstead Bypass) * * * * * * * * * (temporary highway designation for US 17 Byp.)

Major infrastructure

Amtrak Thruway Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, transi ...

(Forden Station) *

Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority The Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority, operating as Wave Transit, is the public transportation operator for the metro area of Wilmington, North Carolina. Sixteen regular routes are provided, with all but one running seven days per week. A ...

* Pilots Ridge, small private airport near Myrtle Grove * Port of Wilmington * Southport–Fort Fisher Ferry (to Brunswick County) * Wilmington International Airport

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 225,702 people, 100,189 households, and 56,160 families residing in the county.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 160,307 people, 68,183 households, and 41,591 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 79,616 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 79.91%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 16.97%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.39% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.79% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. 2.04% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 14.3% were of English, 13.0%

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

or American, 10.6% German and 10.2% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 68,183 households, out of which 26.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.50% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.00% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size were 2.29 and the average family size was 2.83. In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.00% under the age of 18, 12.00% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $40,172, and the median income for a family was $50,861. Males had a median income of $35,801 versus $25,305 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $23,123. About 8.30% of families and 13.10% 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 ...

, including 15.70% of those under age 18 and 9.00% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government

New Hanover County is governed by a county commission. The commission comprises five members elected at-large in four-year staggered terms. The body elects its own chairman and vice-chairman. It sets policy for county administration within the confines of state law, adopts local ordinances, appoints advisory committees, and enacts an annual county budget. New Hanover County is represented in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

by Republican David Rouzer, who is the representative for North Carolina's 7th congressional district. From 2013 to 2017, a portion of northwestern and central New Hanover County was redistricted to

North Carolina's 3rd congressional district North Carolina's 3rd congressional district is located on the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic coast of North Carolina. It covers the Outer Banks and the counties adjacent to the Pamlico Sound. The district is currently represented by ...

, which was represented by Republican Walter B. Jones Jr. before his death. The county is also in the 7th and

8th Eighth is ordinal form of the number eight. Eighth may refer to: * One eighth, , a fraction, one of eight equal parts of a whole * Eighth note (quaver), a musical note played for half the value of a quarter note (crotchet) * Octave, an interval b ...

districts of the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The Senate ...

, represented by Republicans Michael V. Lee and Bill Rabon, respectively; and the 18th, 19th, and 20th districts of the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, who holds powers si ...

, represented by two Republicans and one Democrat. New Hanover County is a member of the regional Cape Fear Council of Governments. New Hanover County Sheriff's Office (NHCSO) serves as the county's primary law enforcement agency. NHCSO is responsible for patrolling the county (primarily outside the Wilmington city limits), staffing the juvenile and adult correctional facilities, and proving court security for the W. Allen Cobb Judicial Annex in Wilmington.

Politics

New Hanover County is politically competitive. It favored Republican presidential candidates every election between 1968 and 2016, except in 1976, with county favoring Democrat

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

in 2020. The county has also favored Democratic U.S. Senate candidates in recent elections, though Republicans still tend to perform better in local contests. In 2024,

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

became the first Democratic presidential nominee to win the county yet lose the presidential election since 1956.

Education

The county is served by New Hanover County Schools.

Healthcare

New Hanover Regional Medical Center is a hospital in Wilmington. It was established in 1967 as a

public hospital A public hospital, or government hospital, is a hospital which is government owned and is predominantly funded by the government and operates predominantly off the money that is collected from taxpayers to fund healthcare initiatives. In almost al ...

, and it was the first hospital in the city to admit patients of all races. It was operated by New Hanover County. In February 2021

Novant Health Novant Health is a four-state integrated network of physician clinics, outpatient centers and hospitals across the Southeast United States. Its network consists of more than 2,000 physicians and 40,000 employees at more than 850 locations, incl ...

, a nonprofit private organization, acquired the hospital.

Communities

Map of New Hanover County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

City

* Wilmington (county seat and largest community)

Towns

* Carolina Beach * Kure Beach * Wrightsville Beach

Townships

* Cape Fear * Federal Point * Harnett * Masonboro * Wilmington

Census-designated places

* Bayshore * Blue Clay Farms * Castle Hayne * Hightsville * Kings Grant * Kirkland * Murraysville * Myrtle Grove * Northchase * Ogden * Porters Neck *

Sea Breeze A sea breeze or onshore breeze is a wind that blows in the afternoon from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass. By contrast, a land breeze or offshore breeze is a wind that blows in the night from a landmass toward or onto a large ...

* Silver Lake * Skippers Corner * Wrightsboro

Unincorporated communities

* Monkey Junction

Former communities

* Masonboro * Seagate * Wilmington Beach

Notable people

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

player * Meadowlark Lemon, NBA player for the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters is an American Exhibition game, exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, entertainment, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 ...

References

External links

* *
NCGenWeb New Hanover County
genealogy resources for the county {{Authority control Cape Fear (region) 1739 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1739