Calabash is a small fishing

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Brunswick County,

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 ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 2,011. It is known as the "Seafood Capital of the World" because of the town's seafood restaurants.

History

Calabash was named after the

gourds Gourds include the fruits of some flowering plant species in the family Cucurbitaceae, particularly ''Cucurbita'' and ''Lagenaria''. The term refers to a number of species and subspecies, many with hard shells, and some without. Many gourds have ...

that grew in the region, which were used for drinking well water. Since the 1930s, Calabash has been known for its distinctive style of fried seafood, which has come to be known as "Calabash Style." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' reported in 1983 that Calabash had 32 restaurants and about 180 residents. 40 years later, the number of restaurants was about the same but the town had around 2,000 residents. Calabash style buffets are common in many eastern Carolina coastal towns.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the "Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. Its ...

, is home to a large number of these restaurants, as the city is just from Calabash. In 1998, a large portion of the town of Calabash split to form the town of Carolina Shores. The split came as the result of years of bickering over "sewer, garbage collection and sign restrictions". The town limits of Carolina Shores now borders on Calabash.

Geography

Calabash is located in southwestern Brunswick County and its southwest border is the

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

state line. It is bordered to the northwest by the town of Carolina Shores, and the town of Sunset Beach lies to the east. The tidal Calabash River flows through the southern part of the town, leading southwest to the

Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...

in South Carolina, upstream from that river's mouth at Little River Inlet on the Atlantic Ocean. The main road through the town is North Carolina Highway 179 (Beach Drive), leading west to

U.S. Route 17 U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that spans in the Southeastern United States. It runs close to the East Coast of the United States, At ...

in South Carolina and east by a winding route to Shallotte. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town of Calabash has a total area of , of which is land and , or 9.27%, is water.

Demographics

Calabash is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,011 people, 812 households, and 415 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 711 people, 377 households, and 232 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 508 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 93.25%

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 ...

, 3.66%

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 ...

, 0.14% Asian, 2.25% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races.

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 were 3.66% of the population. There were 377 households, out of which 11.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% 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, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-traditional families (needs definition). 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.89 and the average family size was 2.32. In the town, the population was spread out, with 9.7% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 19.4% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 36.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 58 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $32,946, and the median income for a family was $38,403. Males had a median income of $27,202 versus $25,368 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 town was $22,975. About 5.4% of families and 9.3% 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 11.8% of those under age 18 and 1.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The Town Hall is currently located at 882 Persimmon Road SW.

Infrastructure

The town's emergency services serve the communities of Calabash, Sunset Beach, and Carolina Shores.

In popular culture

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side New York accent, accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced son ...

, comedian and host of radio and television programs from 1947 to 1970, signed off each episode with his familiar national catchphrase: ''"Good night, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are."'' Durante revealed in 1966 that this was a tribute to his first wife, Jean, who had died in 1943: While driving across the country, the couple stopped and stayed in Calabash, whose name Jean had loved. "Mrs. Calabash" became his pet name for her.NBC Monitor, January 25, 1975
(sound clip at 48:08) Fro
the Monitor Tribute Pages
/ref>

References

External links

Town website
{{authority control Towns in North Carolina Towns in Brunswick County, North Carolina Cape Fear (region)