Top 10 Reasons to Retire in Brunswick County NC

Wilmington NC located in Brunswick County is among the fastest growing cities along the coast. This area has seen 20% growth between 2005 and 2010. Another 20% is expected between 2010 and 2020. It appears Baby Boomers who are relocating are going ‘retro’ migrating back to revitalized historic cities. The English colonist’s founded Wilmington NC in the early 1700‘s along the Cape Fear River to harvest the rich natural resources. During World War II, Wilmington NC became a ship building city and important coastal port. Today, Wilmington North Carolina has been named one of the Best Places to Live by Money Magazine and here's why we agree:

• BEST BEACHES - Wrightsville Beach is the closest beach to downtown Wilmington NC and is only 10 minutes from the golf community Landfall Country Club. Wrightsville Beach is named one of the Top 10 Surf Towns in the U.S. by Surfer Magazine and is a great place to people watch, grab a foot long hot dog at the Trolley Grill or savor local seafood at the award winning South Beach Grill. Local’s and retirees prefer Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and Fort Fisher known as Pleasure Island. These Brunswick County best beaches are less crowded, less commercialized and have charming boardwalks and fishing piers. Holden Beach, Oak Island and Sunset Beach to the south of Wilmington NC are more beaches to soak up the sun.

• BEST SMALL ART TOWN - When Coastal Living Magazine named Wilmington NC a Coastal Dream Town, did they mean this literally because of the number of upcoming artists? Probably not. None the less, Wilmington NC is a great town for fine art lovers and art collectors. The Peacock Fine Art Gallery and the Walls Fine Art Gallery are two popular art galleries to begin your studio tour. Over 100 artists compete at the North Carolina Azalea Festival juried art show which takes place in April. The Cameron Art Museum provides high quality art exhibits and art classes at The Museum School. Top notch instruction in painting, photography, drawing and writing. Cape Fear Community College Humanities and Fine Art Department offers an expanded list of art classes at the college. There are plenty of opportunities to enjoy and learn about art in this best small art town in coastal North Carolina.

• CELEBRITY MAGNET - Since 2006 when the Governor of North Carolina offered a 15% tax credit to the film industry, Wilmington NC has seen a dramatic increase in movies filmed in the coastal region of North Carolina. Did you know more than 400 projects have been filmed in Wilmington NC? Leatherheads, Nights in the Rodanthe, The Marc Pease Experience and Bolden were immediately filmed thereafter. Dawson’s Creek and One Tree Hill are the most well known television network series filmed in Wilmington NC. Dwayne Johnson ( The Rock ) was recently seen roaming around downtown while filming Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. EUE/Screen Gem Studios is the largest production facility east of Hollywood and is located in Wilmington NC. Guided studio tours are available at EUE. Wilmington NC is nicknamed Hollywood East. To the best of our knowledge, the state tax credit continues which could mean no end in sight for filming projects in Wilmington NC.

• CUISINE-  According to Yelp, there are 372 restaurants in Wilmington NC and 40 of them are four and half to five star rated. Whatever your palate desires, you can be sure you will find an authentic restaurant serving up a tasty meal in Wilmington NC. Fresh seafood is the most requested local fare. Romantic restaurants, waterfront dining and outdoor cafes on Front Street are easy to find or you could dine on the Henrietta III riverboat cruising the Cape Fear River. Mayfair Towncenter is Wilmington’s newest urban shopping center located 1.5 miles from Wrightsville Beach. This town center has 20 well known restaurants itself in addition to restaurants across the street. Gourmet cooks who prefer to cook at home will be thrilled when Whole Foods opens up this year in Wilmington NC. No matter where or how you like to eat, you won’t be ‘food challenged’ retiring in Brunswick County NC.

• GREAT GOLF / GREAT WEATHER - With the average temperatures ranging from 46 to 81 degrees, Wilmington NC weather is not extreme. Rarely does snow fall in the coastal region of North Carolina. Longer spring seasons permit colorful flowers to decorate the region for months at a time. There are 28 golf courses in the immediate area including the well known Cape Fear Country Club. The low lying marsh areas are beautiful back drops and create challenging water hazards in Wilmington NC.  Many of the golf courses in Brunswick County NC are private and closed for public play. There are several Wilmington NC golf communities ideal for retirement which will allow you to play as our guest, with advance notice.

• INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY BOATING - Sailboats and yachts decorate the docks along the Cape Fear River and Intracoastal Waterway. As a protected north/south waterway between the outer islands and beaches, boating the Intracoastal Waterway in Wilmington NC is easy and requires less boating skills. The more salty dog types can navigate their seas or charter a boat heading out to the Port of Wilmington, for offshore deep sea fishing in the Atlantic Ocean. The nautical village of Southport NC is at the mouth of the Pleasure Island inlet. Several master planned communities in the Brunswick County area we’ve scored have full service marinas and quick ocean access. Retirees who aren’t interested in owning a boat, can join the Freedom Boat Club located in Southport NC. 

• PATRIOTISM / HISTORY - The USS North Carolina battleship can be easily seen from downtown Wilmington NC as it is docked just across the river. As one of Wilmington’s most popular tourist attractions, over 200,000 visitors tour this floating war memorial each year in Brunswick County NC. In 2003, the city of Wilmington NC was designated by Congress as a Coast Guard City. The USCGC Diligence coast guard cutter can be seen cruising the Cape Fear River. Warehouses along the downtown waterfront still give you a sense of Wilmington’s military history. The Cape Fear Museum of History and Science display fascinating photographs and historical artifacts.  Fort Fisher at the mouth of the inlet was an active fort during the American Civil War. To the north of Wilmington NC is the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune military installation, just over an hour drive away.

• SHOPPING - The Mayfaire Towncenter in downtown Wilmington NC has been voted Best Shopping Center for six years in a row. The Independence Mall has over 100 name brand stores and box stores are nearby. Discount stores such as Costco, Sam’s Club, Wal-mart and the Wilmington Factory Outlet Mall can be found in the vicinity of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. On the south side of Wilmington NC, smaller strip shopping centers can be found in Southport, Holden Beach and Shallotte. Shopping diva’s searching for Macy’s will be out of luck in the coastal region of North Carolina because the Macy’s store closed.

• TOP MEDICAL CARE - The new Brunswick Novant Medical Center opened July 2011 in Bolivia NC and is just south of Wilmington NC. The $107 million 252,370 square foot hospital was built featuring high tech medical technologies attracting the leading physicians and top medical specialties. Brunswick County NC residents have several outstanding hospitals to choose from. Dosher Memorial Hospital in Southport NC and New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NHRMC) are also located in Brunswick County NC. Founded in 1967, specialties at NHRMC include cardiac care, cancer, bariatrics, orthopedics and palliative care. The Wilmington VA Medical Clinic provides preventative care to long term care to Veterans.

• QUICK ACCESS TO METRO CITIES - The east-west Interstate 40 corridor begins in Wilmington NC and ends in Barstow California. The north-south corridor Interstate 95 can be accessed in Florence South Carolina and is about 2 hours east of downtown Wilmington NC, highway access connecting to cities in the northeast and the southeast.  Wilmington International Airport provides access to one hundred destinations, flights in and out of the coastal region of North Carolina. Allegiant, Delta and US Airways are the most popular airlines at the Wilmington NC airport. 1 hour and 30 minutes to the south, Myrtle Beach International Airport offers approximately 25 non-stop flights into the golf mecca from major US cities and Canada. Reaching your family and grandchildren by car or plane is easy from Brunswick County NC.

If you are considering Brunswick County NC for relocation, ask us for our list of the best master planned communities in the area. We're happy to provide a list of the best restaurants, hotels and fun things to do. Write us at lisa@communityfinder.com