Oak Island, North Carolina

This article is about Oak Island, North Carolina and for the island, see Oak Island (North Carolina). For other uses see Oak Island (disambiguation).

Oak Island, North Carolina
—  Seaside town  —
Ocean View United Methodist and the Oak Island Water Tower
Location of Oak Island, North Carolina
Coordinates: 33°54′59″N 78°7′50″W / 33.91639°N 78.13056°W / 33.91639; -78.13056Coordinates: 33°54′59″N 78°7′50″W / 33.91639°N 78.13056°W / 33.91639; -78.13056
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Brunswick
Government
– Mayor	Betty W. Wallace
Area
– Total	9.1 sq mi (23.6 km2)
– Land	8.0 sq mi (20.6 km2)
– Water	1.1 sq mi (3.0 km2)
Elevation	7 ft (2 m)
Population (2010)
– Total	7,931
– Density	824.8/sq mi (318.5/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	28461, 28465
Area code(s)	910
FIPS code	37-48345[1]
GNIS feature ID	1848160[2]
Website	www.oakislandnc.com

Oak Island, North Carolina is a seaside town located mostly on the barrier island of Oak Island (which also contains the town of Caswell Beach), in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. A small part of the town extends onto the mainland north of the island's bridge. The population was 6,571 at the 2000 census. It was founded in 1999 by the consolidation of the towns of Long Beach and Yaupon Beach. Its main industry is tourism; the town has an average summer population of 30-50,000.

Oak Island is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The island has been inhabited since the early 19th century; Fort Caswell was built on its eastern end in 1838. The remainder of the island was developed beginning in the late 1930s; a pavilion attracted people from nearby Southport and people hunted foxes in the northern area near the Intracoastal Waterway. The island was nearly wiped out by Hurricane Hazel in 1954; only five buildings were left standing on Long Beach in the hurricane's wake.^[3] The island quickly recovered and towns of Long Beach and Yaupon Beach were incorporated in 1955. Other hurricanes, such as Diana in 1984, Bertha and Fran in 1996 and Floyd in 1999, have caused damage to the island, though nowhere near as catastrophic as that of Hazel.^{[citation needed]}Construction began on a $64 million 980 foot (300 m) bridge project in November 2007, with a December 2009 completion date. Two lanes of traffic opened in November 2010, and a formal dedication took place January 27, 2011. Four lanes of traffic began using the bridge that same month.^[4] The new bridge will likely result in increased development of the town.^[5]

Geography

Oak Island is located at 33°54′59″N 78°7′50″W / 33.91639°N 78.13056°W / 33.91639; -78.13056 (33.916262, -78.130468).^[6]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 9.1 square miles (24 km²).8.0 square miles (20.6 km²) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it (12.61%) is water. Oak Island has approximately 28 miles (45 km) of coastline.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 6,571 people, 3,076 households, and 2,100 families residing in the town. The population density was 824.8 people per square mile (318.3/km²). There were 6,651 housing units at an average density of 834.8/sq mi (322.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.01% White, 0.43% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.

There were 3,076 households out of which 18.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.51.

According to the 2000 Census, the town's population is well diversified by age with the majority of residents (36.4%) between the ages of 45 and 64 (see chart below). The median age in 2000 was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.

Age Group	Percent of Population By Age
< 18	15.0%
18 to 24	5.3%
25 to 44	22.3%
45 to 64	36.4%
> 65	21.0%

The median income for a household in the town was $40,496, and the median income for a family was $48,775. Males had a median income of $30,656 versus $24,759 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,964. About 4.8% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ Gifford, Jim (2004). Hurricane Hazel: Canada's Storm of the Century. Toronto: Dundurn Press. p. 22. ISBN 1550025260. 
4. ^ Little, Ken (2011-02-04). "Oak Island Bridge contractor penalized $1.12 million". Star-News. http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20110204/ARTICLES/110209812. Retrieved 2011-02-24. 
5. ^ "Long-awaited Oak Island bridge opens for traffic". Star-News. 2010-11-13. http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20101113/ARTICLES/101119821. Retrieved 2011-02-24. 
6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 

External links

• Oak Island, NC City Guide
• Official Town Site
• OakIsland.InsiderInfo.us Area Guide
• Town resource website
• Oak Island travel guide from Wikitravel
• Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce
• Brunswick County Tourism Development Authority