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 U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

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 Caro ...

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 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 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, 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 * N ...

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 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, and Pender 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 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 s ...

* 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 na ...

* 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 par ...

* Carolina Shores * Caswell Beach * Holden Beach * Kure Beach * Leland * Navassa *

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 th ...

* Ocean Isle Beach * Sandy Creek * Shallotte * St. Helena * 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

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. Incorporat ...

* Yaupon Beach

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 the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough o ...

* Hightsville * Kings Grant * Kirkland * Masonboro * Murraysville * Myrtle Grove * 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 a ...

* Seagate * Silver Lake * 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'', a ...

* 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), th ...

* Sloop Point * 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 inc ...

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 ...

, 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, 0.05%

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 O ...

, 1.12% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...

or Latino 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