Cape Fear is a coastal plain and

Tidewater Tidewater may refer to: * Tidewater (region), a geographic area of southeast Virginia, southern Maryland, and northeast North Carolina. ** Tidewater accent, an accent of American English associated with the Tidewater region of Virginia * Tidewater ...

region of

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 ...

centered about the city of Wilmington. The region takes its name from the adjacent Cape Fear headland, as does the

Cape Fear River The Cape Fear River is a long 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 (North Carol ...

which flows through the region and empties into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

near the cape. Much of the region's populated areas are found along the Atlantic beaches and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, while the rural areas are dominated by farms and swampland like that of the Green Swamp. The general area can be also identified by the titles "Lower Cape Fear", "Wilmington Metropolitan Area", "Southeastern North Carolina", and "Azalea Coast". The latter name is derived from the

North Carolina Azalea Festival The North Carolina Azalea Festival is an annual community festival in Wilmington, North Carolina. The largest festival of its kind in the state, it was founded in 1948, and takes place in April. History The Azalea Festival began in 1948 as an idea ...

held annually in Wilmington. Municipalities in the area belong to the Cape Fear Council of Governments. The region is home to the Port of Wilmington, the busiest port in North Carolina, operated by the

North Carolina State Ports Authority The North Carolina State Ports Authority is an authority set up by the state of North Carolina to develop and operate seaports in Wilmington and Morehead City as well as an inland port located in Charlotte. History In 1923 North Carolina Govern ...

. It is also the location of Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point, the largest ammunition port in the nation, and the U.S. Army's primary

East Coast East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a ra ...

deep-water port.

Geography

The Cape Fear region is situated on the Atlantic Coastal Plain. A large portion of the region is low-lying

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

, most notably the Green Swamp, which is one of the rare habitats of the Venus flytrap. The Cape Fear River and the

Northeast Cape Fear River Northeast Cape Fear River is a long 5th order tributary to the Cape Fear River in southeastern North Carolina. Variant names According to the Geographic Names Information System, it has also been known historically as: * North East River * No ...

are the deeper prominent rivers that flow through the region, with minor rivers like the

Lockwood Folly River Lockwood Folly River or Lockwood's Folly River is a short tidal river in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. Waters from the Green Swamp drain into the river near Supply and flow southward to empty into the Atlantic Intracoastal W ...

, Brunswick River, and

Shallotte River The Shallotte River (pronounced shallOtte) is a tidal river in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. Waters drain from the tributaries of the Green Swamp near the town of Shallotte and flow south down the river to empty into the Atlant ...

providing access for small watercraft of small communities.

Counties

Three counties form the core of the Cape Fear region: Brunswick County (since 2009 part of the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area),

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 ...

, and

Pender County Pender County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,203. Its county seat is Burgaw. Pender County is part of the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The county ...

. As of the 2000 census, the three counties had a combined population of 274,532, at which time all were part of the Wilmington metropolitan area. In 2020 the population of the three counties was 440,353. The coastal communities boast a large, seasonal tourism industry leading to much higher populations in the summer months and lower populations in the winter months. Two additional counties, Bladen and

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

, are occasionally included as part of the Cape Fear region, as are Duplin, Onslow, and

Sampson Sampson may refer to: Military * , several Royal Navy ships * , several US Navy ships * Sampson-class destroyer, a World War I US Navy class * Sampson Air Force Base, near Seneca Lake, New York, closed in 1956 * SAMPSON, a multi-function radar sys ...

counties, but to a lesser extent.

Communities

These are communities found in the metropolitan statistical area.

Cities

* Boiling Spring Lakes *

Northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...

* Southport * Wilmington (principal city)

Towns

* Atkinson * Belville *

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Burgaw Burgaw is a town in, and the county seat of, Pender County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,872 at the 2010 census. Burgaw is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The town most likely derives its nam ...

* Calabash *

Carolina Beach Carolina Beach is a beach town in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States, situated about south of Wilmington International Airport in southeastern coastal North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 6,564. It is pa ...

* Carolina Shores *

Caswell Beach Caswell Beach is a small seaside town located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Cape Fear River in Southeastern North Carolina, United States. Occupying the eastern part of Oak Island in Brunswick County, its population was listed at 395 ...

* Holden Beach *

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 ...

* Leland *

Navassa Navassa Island (; ht, Lanavaz; french: l'île de la Navasse, sometimes ) is a small uninhabited island in the Caribbean Sea. Located northeast of Jamaica, south of Cuba, and west of Jérémie on the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti, it is subject to ...

Oak Island Oak Island is a privately owned island in Lunenburg County on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. The tree-covered island is one of several islands in Mahone Bay, and is connected to the mainland by a causeway. The nearest community is the ...

* Ocean Isle Beach * Sandy Creek *

Shallotte Shallotte is a town in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,675 at the 2010 census. The Shallotte River passes through the town. History Shallotte was incorporated as a town in 1899. A former Hardee's resta ...

St. Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

* St. James * Sunset Beach * Surf City (partial) * Topsail Beach * Varnamtown *

Wallace Wallace may refer to: People * Clan Wallace in Scotland * Wallace (given name) * Wallace (surname) * Wallace (footballer, born 1986), full name Wallace Fernando Pereira, Brazilian football left-back * Wallace (footballer, born 1987), full name ...

(partial) * Watha *

Wrightsville Beach Wrightsville Beach is a town in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. Wrightsville Beach is just east of Wilmington and is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,477 at the 2010 census. The town co ...

Former towns

* Brunswick Town *

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

Yaupon Beach Yaupon Beach, North Carolina is a neighborhood of the coastal town of Oak Island in Brunswick County, North Carolina. History Yaupon Beach was incorporated as a town in 1955. The town was named for the abundance of yaupon near the original town s ...

Villages

* Bald Head Island

Census-designated places

* Bayshore * Blue Clay Farms * Castle Hayne *

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

* Hightsville * Kings Grant * Kirkland * Masonboro * Murraysville *

Myrtle Grove Myrtle Grove can refer to: * Myrtle Grove, Bingley, United Kingdom * Myrtle Grove, Youghal, Republic of Ireland * Myrtle Grove, Florida, U.S. * Myrtle Grove (Easton, Maryland), home on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places * Myrtle Grove, No ...

* Northchase * Ogden * Porters Neck * Rocky Point *

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 ...

* Seagate *

Silver Lake Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

* Skippers Corner * Wrightsboro

Unincorporated places

Ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

* Charity * Currie *

Figure Eight Figure 8 (figure of 8 in British English) may refer to: * 8 (number), in Arabic numerals Entertainment * ''Figure 8'' (album), a 2000 album by Elliott Smith * "Figure of Eight" (song), a 1989 song by Paul McCartney * '' Figure Eight EP'', ...

* Montague * Murphey *

Piney Grove Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation is a property listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Holdcroft, Charles City County, Virginia. The scale and character of the collection of domestic architecture at this site recalls the vern ...

Register Register or registration may refer to: Arts entertainment, and media Music * Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc. * ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller * Registration (organ), the ...

Sloop Point Sloop Point Plantation is a historic house located at Sloop Point, Pender County, North Carolina. It was built in 1729 according to dendrochronological dating and is possibly the oldest surviving framed building in the state of North Carolina. ...

* Supply *

Winnabow Winnabow is a unincorporated community and census-designated place in Brunswick County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is located at It is mainly a farming community along US Highway 17. There is no large retail presence in the area, exc ...

Yamacraw The Yamacraw were a Native American band that emerged in the early 18th century, occupying parts of what became Georgia, specifically along the bluffs near the mouth of the Savannah River where it enters the Atlantic Ocean. They were made up of ...

Demographics

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 274,532 people, 114,675 households, and 75,347 families residing within the metropolitan statistical area (MSA). The racial makeup of the MSA was 79.47%

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 ...

, 17.27%

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 ...

, 0.48% Native American, 0.58%

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 ...

, 0.05%

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 ...

, 1.12% from other races, and 1.02% 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 2.45% of the population. The median income for a household in the MSA was $37,321, and the median income for a family was $44,844. Males had a median income of $32,454 versus $22,998 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 MSA was $20,287.

Notes

References

External links

Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning OrganizationCape Fear Council of GovernmentsInsiderInfo Guide to WilmingtonInsiderInfo Guide to SouthportInsiderInfo Guide to Topsail
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cape Fear (Region) Regions of North Carolina Geography of New Hanover County, North Carolina Geography of Brunswick County, North Carolina Geography of Pender County, North Carolina