|
|
Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina
is a primarily an affluent residential beach community located twelve miles east of Wilmington on North Carolina’s famed “Cape Fear Coast.” In June, 2001, Metro Magazine awarded its’ “MetroBravo” award to Wrightsville Beach as “a great place to own a second home.” It is a special place for visitors and residents, quiet and relaxing, without the crowds of other popular East Coast oceanfront towns. For nearly a century, this five-mile long island beach town has been a summer retreat for the wealthy residents of nearby Wilmington. Wrightsville Beach was incorporated in 1899 as a resort community, and a trolley system from downtown Wilmington to the beach provided the only land access to the island until 1935. A beach pavilion called “the Lumina,” was built by the Tidewater Power Company to attract visitors, where it offered a festive place for locals and visitors to gather for swimming, dancing and outdoor movies. This building was demolished in 1973. The Carolina Yacht Club was the first structure built on the island in 1856 and is the second oldest in the country. Today, Wrightsville Beach is a very busy and prosperous place, yet still retains its’ old south charm and beauty as a restful summertime retreat. The land mass of the town is only one square mile, and commercial development of marinas, restaurants, hotels and resorts has not changed the residential orientation of the island. It has very clean beaches with lifeguards on patrol in the summer months and alcohol and glass containers are not allowed on the beaches. There are plenty of opportunities for water-related sports in Wrightsville Beach. Many luxurious marinas are clustered around the bridge at the Intracoastal Waterway and offer a full range of services. Swimming, fishing, charter boats, surfing, kayaking, windsurfing and parasailing are all available in Wrightsville Beach.
Due to the popularity with both residents and tourists, there is almost no available land for sale today in Wrightsville Beach. What homes are here are expensive – you can expect to pay at least $300,000 for a single-family home. Condominiums fall in the price range of $250,000 - $1.3 million. Many people who live here are long-term residents whose families built summer homes here years ago. The permanent population of the community is approximately 3,000, but that figure swells during the summer months with visitors and part-time residents. The town is very walkable and makes a good place to vacation any time of the year, with summer, of course, being the busiest. Figure Eight Island, just north of Wrightsville Beach, is a very exclusive, oceanfront resort community of 406 expensive homes. It’s become a favorite hideaway for stars and political figures who desire privacy. Situated between Wrightsville Beach and the town of Carolina Beach is Mansonboro Island. It is barren of any commercial development and is the last and largest pristine barrier island remaining on the southern North Carolina coast.
.
|
|
|
