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 sov ...

of North Carolina. 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, lying south of Jacksonvi ...

. 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

Geography

Surf City is located at (34.428137, -77.543198). According to the United States Census Bureau, 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 off ...

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

2000 census

As of the census of 2000 there were 1,393 people, 689 households, and 403 families residing in the town. The population density 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, 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 enslav ...

, 0.07% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.14%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Oce ...

, 0.22% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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 for the town was $25,242. About 9.9% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, 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 ...

) * 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 o ...

) * 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. 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