Surf City is a town in Pender and Onslow counties 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 sove ...

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 ...

. The population was 1,853 at the 2010 census. It is located on

Topsail Island Topsail Island (, TOP-sill) is a 26-mile (41.8 km) long barrier island off the coast of North Carolina, roughly equidistant between the barrier islands of the Crystal Coast and the beaches of the Cape Fear (region), Cape Fear region, lying ...

. The Pender County portion of Surf City is part of the Wilmington

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

, while the Onslow County portion is part of the

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

Geography

Surf City is located at (34.428137, -77.543198). 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 ...

, Surf City has a total area of 5.3 square miles (13.7 km), of which 4.2 square miles (10.9 km) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km) (20.45%) is water. Recent annexations have extended the town limits on the mainland west of Highway 17.

Climate

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 3,867 people, 1,272 households, and 870 families residing in the town.

2000 census

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 2000 there were 1,393 people, 689 households, and 403 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 331.6 people per square mile (128.1/km). There were 2,578 housing units at an average density of 613.7 per square mile (237.0/km). The racial makeup of the town was 97.77%

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 ...

, 0.43%

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 ...

, 0.07% Native American, 0.72%

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 ...

, 0.14%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, 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 the original p ...

, 0.22% 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 ...

, and 0.65% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.01% of the population. There were 689 households, out of which 12.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.51. In the town, the population was spread out, with 12.6% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 39.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $40,521, and the median income for a family was $48,854. Males had a median income of $36,600 versus $30,000 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 $25,242. About 9.9% of families and 15.4% 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 43.3% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Piers (from south to north)

* Surf City (last 150 feet, to include the Octagon destroyed by

Hurricane Florence Hurricane Florence was a powerful and long-lived Cape Verde hurricane that caused catastrophic damage in the Carolinas in September 2018, primarily as a result of freshwater flooding due to torrential rain. The sixth named storm, third h ...

) * Barnacle Bill's (destroyed by

Hurricane Fran Hurricane Fran caused extensive damage in the United States in early September 1996. The sixth named storm, fifth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season, Fran developed from a tropical wave near Cape Verde on ...

) * Scotch Bonnet (destroyed by

) * Ocean City (destroyed by

)

Bridges

Old swing bridge in Surf City, North Carolina (2010)

Until late 2018, road access to Surf City was mainly via the Topsail Island Swing Bridge, a failing steel truss swing-span bridge, built in 1954, which crossed the

Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a 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, then following th ...

. Planning for a replacement bridge began in 2010, with construction beginning in September 2016. It opened in December 2018, a year ahead of schedule. Costing US$54 million, the fixed-span high rise bridge, with a vertical clearance of , allows the passage of vessels at any time and eases traffic flow to and from the community. The wide bridge provides two lanes for traffic, shoulder bicycle lanes, and a multi-use path. The unusually wide design is intended to permit three lanes for hurricane evacuations. The contractor was scheduled to remove the old bridge by March 31, 2019. In a letter to residents in January, the Town's mayor, Doug Medlin said, "NCDOT and Balfour Beatty understood the sentimental relationship that the Town of Surf City had for our Swing Bridge. We were given the turn bridge control panel and key as well as the cornerstone from when the bridge was first constructed. These items will be displayed in the new Surf City Town Hall as a historical memorial."January Mayor Message
(PDF), ''Surf City Coastal Connection'' (newsletter), February 2019. Accessed February 15, 2019

References

External links

* {{authority control Populated places established in 1949 Towns in North Carolina Towns in Onslow County, North Carolina Towns in Pender County, North Carolina Beaches of North Carolina Cape Fear (region) Landforms of Onslow County, North Carolina Populated coastal places in North Carolina