Wilmington, NC Schools & Attractions

Thank you for inquiring about Wilmington, NC and the Cape Fear Region! We look forward to assisting you with your rental and relocation needs in any way we can. Wilmington, NC is a pleasant mix of the luxuries and conveniences of an urban city and the relaxed and friendly atmosphere of a small beach town. The many beaches and waterways offer endless recreational possibilities in the spring and summer months. Downtown and the riverfront is rich with history and culture. The Fort Fisher Historic site is a fun place to visit, and Carolina Beach State Park offers a close-by getaway for the nature lover. The area’s diverse locations and temperate climate have caused it to be the center of a growing film industry.

Wilmington, NC Beaches

Wilmington, NC beaches are some of the cleanest and widest on the East Coast, making them highly appealing to tourists and residents. The year round population enjoys all the amenities of coastal living while still being within driving distance of a city. The closest beach to Wilmington, NC is Wrightsville Beach, a small community of just over 3,000 residents. The town is a 5 mile long island that begins on the east side of a drawbridge that spans Banks Channel. Wrightsville Beach NC is home to one of the area’s prettiest beaches and many fine restaurants, as well as two piers.

Carolina and Kure Beach share an island with the Fort Fisher Civil War Historic Site. Carolina Beach NC is a unique little community with a relaxed atmosphere. There are amusement parks, charter boats for fishing, and a wide variety of shops and restaurants. Carolina Beach NC is also home to a state park that offers many nature trails and camping. Kure Beach is a hospitable small town where most accommodations are within walking distance to the fishing pier in the center of town. Fort Fisher offers a Civil War Museum and the North Carolina Aquarium, as well as four miles of undeveloped beach for four wheel driving.

Bald Head Island NC is a private community off the tip of Fort Fisher that is open for day trips. It is accessible only by passenger ferry and is home to “Old Baldy,” the oldest lighthouse in the state.

Downtown Wilmington, NC & the Cape Fear Riverfront

The Cape Fear River served as the hub of Wilmington’s commerce through the early 20th century. Now it is the home to restaurants, retail shops, and boutiques. Riverfront Park runs from the Hilton down to the foot of Market Street. It offers a wonderful view of the Battleship North Carolina and both bridges. With 200 blocks, downtown Wilmington, NC boasts one of the largest historic districts listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The styles of architecture range from Antebellum and Georgian styles to Queen Anne Style to Italianate styles. A number of homes are open for tours including the Latimer House and the Bellamy Mansion.

Wilmington, NC Golfing

A steady influx of visiting golfers frequent the southern coast of North Carolina. For those people who have invested in vacation homes or are retiring to the Carolinas, our area offers a broad range of golf real estate opportunities and the proximity of golf courses to area beaches. For vacationing golfers, we have over 20 golf resorts concentrated in the Wilmington, NC area and several golf vacation services that make it easy to plan a golf trip. North Carolina has long been recognized for outstanding courses by top designers. Three of the most dynamic new courses are the Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye courses at Landfall, a private development near Wrightsville Beach; the Tom Fazio course at Porter’s Neck Plantation; and the Gauntlet at St. James Plantation designed by P.B. Dye. You may tee off at Hampstead’s Olde Point Golf and Country Club, Belvedere Plantation Golf and Yacht Club, or Topsail Greens Golf Club.

Wilmington, NC Film Industry

Dino De Laurentiis brought the movie “Firestarter” to the Wilmington area in 1983 and began the Wilmington, NC film industry. E.U.E. Screen Gems Studios is the largest full service studio lot outside of California. The area averages 25-30 film projects per year, infusing the local economy with an estimated annual $78 million in film-related revenues. In a 1995 survey, Wilmington, NC not only generated more film revenue than all U.S. cities (outside of L.A. and New York), it also did more business than 45 states. The Wilmington, NC region has served as the backdrop for a long list of films and television shows, including “Dawson’s Creek,” "Muppets from Space," "Elmo in Grouchland," "Virus," "Black Dog," "Bruno," "I Know What You Did Last Summer," “Matlock,” "The Crow," "Sleeping with the Enemy," "Betsy’s Wedding," "Maximum Overdrive," and countless others.

Wilmington, NC Facts and Statistics

Miscellaneous Facts and Statistics for New Hanover County
Age Breakdown
Average Age = 36.1

0-9 years - 12.4%

10-17 years - 10.3%

18-29 years - 20.8%

30-39 years - 16.8%

40-49 years - 13.6%

50-64 years - 13.6%

65+ years - 12.5%

Household Characteristics
Married with Children - 22.1%

Married w/o Children - 30.0%

Single with children - 8.6%

Single w/o children - 39.4%

Population
State Population Density Rating - 98th Percentile

National Density Rating - 96th Percentile

Persons per square mile - 742

State Population Growth Ranking - 91st Percentile

National Growth Ranking - 92nd Percentile

Population Growth Rate - 3.0% Annualized over last 5 years

Wilmington, NC Weather

Precipitation Averages Average Precipitation in Inches
for New Hanover County
January - 3.9

February - 3.7

March - 3.9

April - 2.9

May - 4.4

June - 6.0

July - 8.1

August - 6.9

September - 5.0

October - 2.7

November - 3.1

December - 3.6

Wilminton, NC Area Schools

Local School Information

Click here for information about New Hanover County Schools

Click here for more information about Pender County Schools

Enrollment Requirements:

· A child entering kindergarten must be 5 years old on or before October 16

· A valid birth certificate must be presented at time of registration.

· Each child entering kindergarten must have a physical examination, conducted by a certified health-care professional, including hearing and vision screening, an a complete medical history.

· The following immunizations are required by N.C. law before a child can enter school:

- 5 DPT shots (If the fourth dose is on or after the fourth birthday, a fifth dose is not required

- 4 polio immunizations

- 1 measles immunization

- 1 rubella immunization

- 1 mumps immunization

- 1HiB immunization

New Hanover County: 763-5431
New Hanover County emphasizes quality throughout the school system. They are the only school system to ever receive the coveted North Carolina Quality Leadership Foundation’s Malcolm Baldridge Award. Every high school offers advanced-placement and honors classes in core subjects. Clubs for sports, band and academics are offered in many schools throughout the county. New Hanover County has approximately 21,800 students and 1,500 teachers in the 23 elementary, 6 middle, and 4 high schools. There are three elementary magnet schools that focus on mathematics and technology. Year-round education is offered in five elementary schools and one middle school.

Brunswick County: 253-2900
Brunswick County Schools have approximately 10,000 students in the three high schools, three middle schools and seven elementary schools. In addition to the basic K-12 instructional program, Brunswick County schools have a comprehensive program of instructional services for the exceptional child, vocational education, remediation, and courses for the North Carolina Scholar.

Pender County: 259-2187
Pender County Schools have a population of over 6,300 students in the 12 schools. The system consists of five elementary, three middle, and two high schools as well as an alternative school for grades 7-10 and a year-round school for grades K-8. As with New Hanover County schools, the Pender system’s participation in the A+ Arts Program provides for the integration of the arts into the academic experience.

SAT Score Comparison
Verbal Math Total

New Hanover 506 498 1004

Brunswick 468 459 927

Pender 463 464 927

North Carolina 490 488 978

National 505 511 1016

Private Schools
Amy Bradley (K-12) 763-4485

Cape Fear Academy (K-12) 791-0287

Friends School of Wilmington (6-8) 792-1811

HA Higgins Montessori School (pre-K-6) 392-7007

King’s Memorial Christian Academy (K-3) 799-8157

Myrtle Grove Christian School (K-8) 392-2067

New Horizons Elementary (K-5) 392-5209

Saint Mary’s School (1-8) 762-6517

Wilmington Academy Arts & Sciences (6-8) 392-6666

Wilmington Christian Academy (K-12) 791-4248

Wilmington, NC Colleges

North Carolina boasts one of the nation’s finest university systems and Wilmington is home to some top-quality educational institutions.

Highly ranked University of North Carolina at Wilmington has more than 9600 students in 36 undergraduate degree and 20 postgraduate degree programs. The school sits on a beautiful wooded 650 acre campus on College Road. They boast a 16-1 student/teacher ratio. Consistently ranked as one of the top universities in the south, UNCW is a leader in marine science education and attracts students from all over the world. Only 56 % of the applicants are accepted. The school’s commitment to public education and involvement has led to development of a year-round public learning program called Pathways, which includes travel and study abroad programs for both yoputh and adults as well as classroom sessions ranging from drawing and architectural history to astrology and conversational Japanese.

Cape Fear Community College, part of the NC community college system, is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. They have 50 degree programs and current full time enrollment is approximately 4,500 students. About 23,000 people throughout the area are served in continuing education classes and other educational opportunities. Cape Fear has 207 full time employees and hundreds of part-time employees. The school offers college-transfer degrees as well as technical and skills-enhancing programs. The small business center provides free and small-fee assistance and seminars, and develops job-specific training for many local manufacturers.

Adult Education Level (for New Hanover County)
High School Grad, no college 29%

Non High School Grad 21.9%

Some College 28.0%

College Grad 15.3%

Post Grad Degree 5.9%

Wilmington, NC Job Statistics

Largest Area Employers:

Applied Analytical Industries (500)

Bedford Fair Industries (483)

Carolina Power & Light (1200)

Corning Inc. (1700)

DuPont DeNemours & Co (1800)

General Electric Co. (2300)

International Paper (1320)

New Hanover Regional Medical Center (2850)

Pharmaceutical Product Development (350)

UNC-Wilmington (1044)

Employment Industries
Percentage of County’s Population

Admistrative Support - 13.3%

Farming/Fishing/Forestry - 1.3%

Laborer/Operator - 14.0%

Managerial - 11.9%

Professional - 14.2%

Sales - 15.1%

Service - 14.0%

Technician/Precision Craft - 16.1%

Income
State Income Ranking 83rd Percentile

National Income Ranking 80th Percentile

Median Income $36,443

Average Income homes w/children $50,845

Special Events

Just a Few of the Special Events in the Area Include:
NC Jazz Festival- Held late January ar the Wilmington Hilton. This yearly event features world class jazz performers in an intimate cabaret setting.

NC Azalea Festival- Held in April, this is easily the largest event in town. The Azalea festival marks the beginning of the tourist season and features a downtown street fair, parade, and several musical performances from internationally known artists.

Piney Woods Cultural Heritage Festival- Labor Day weekend, at Hugh MacRae Park. This little festival is sponsored by the Arts Council of the Lower Cape Fear and is dedicated to the spirit of arts in Wilmington. It features live music, homemade crafts and food.

Riverfest-This large street fair is held each year in October. It features several live music stages as well as sailing regattas, food booths, homemade craft and special events.

Festival of Trees- Held in late November at the Wilmington Hilton, this event benefits the Cape Fear Hospice. It features beautifully decorated Christmas trees for viewing as well as some events for the children.

Annual Holiday Flotilla- Held each December at Wrightsville Beach, the flotilla features a highly illuminated boat parade through the Intracoastal Waterway to celebrate the holiday season.

Phone Directory

The following numbers can help you get set up in your new town.

Emergency Numbers
Ambulance 341-4400 or 911

American Red Cross 762-2683

Cape Fear Memorial Hospital 452-8112

Coast Guard 256-3469

Emergency Management Service 341-4373

Fire Department 341-7846

Highway Patrol 395-3917

New Hanover Regional Med. Center 343-7000

Sheriff’s Department 341-4200

Wilmington Police 343-3600

Government:

New Hanover County 341.7184

Pender County 259-1200

Brunswick County 457-6614

City of Wilmington 341-7810

Carolina Beach Town Hall 458-2994

Wrightsville Bch Town Hall 256-7900

Surf City Town Hall 328-4131

Getting Hooked Up:

Animal Licensing (Hanover) 341-4197

Animal Licensing (Pender) 259-1349

Electricity 256-6161

Telephone 780-2355

Natural Gas 763-3306

Water and Sewer (Wilmington) 341-7806

Time Warner Cable 763-4638

Trash Collection (Wilmington) 341-7875

Waste Industries Hampstead 270-2200

Waste Management 799-5256

Schools:

Superintendent 343-1583

Brunswick County 457-5241

New Hanover County 763-5431

Pender County 259-2187

Brunswick Community College 754-6900

Cape Fear Community College 251-5100

UNC-Wilmington 962-3000

Transportation:

Airport 341-4333

Bus Station 762-6625

DMV 763-6752

Department of Transportation 251-5724

Ferry 458-3329

Transit Authority 343-0106

Miscellaneous Numbers
CENTURY 21 Sweyer & Associates 256-0021

Wilmington Chamber of Commerce 762-2611

Hampstead Chamber of Commerce 328-4722

Wrightsville Beach Chamber 395-2965

Pleasure Island Chamber 458-8434

New Hanover Board of Elections 341-4060

Pender Board of Elections 259-1220

Brunswick Board of Elections 253-2020

New Hanover Parks and Rec 341-7855

Pender Parks and Rec. 259-1200

Brunswick Parks and Rec. 457-6614

United Way 251-5020