Oak Island, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
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.
and people hunted fox
es 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. 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.Construction began on a $64 million 980 feet (298.7 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. The new bridge will likely result in increased development of the town.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 9.1 square miles (23.6 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 (45.1 km) of coastline.
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.
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.
Barrier island
Barrier islands, a coastal landform and a type of barrier system, are relatively narrow strips of sand that parallel the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a few islands to more than a dozen...
of Oak Island
Oak Island (North Carolina)
Oak Island is a barrier island on the Atlantic coast of southeastern North Carolina in Brunswick County. The island contains the towns of Oak Island and Caswell Beach as well as the North Carolina Baptist Assembly and a United States Coast Guard station, which is home to the Oak Island Lighthouse...
(which also contains the town of Caswell Beach
Caswell Beach, North Carolina
Caswell Beach is a small seaside town located on the eastern part of Oak Island in Brunswick County, North Carolina, and is adjacent to the North Carolina Baptist Assembly and the island's United States Coast Guard station. It was incorporated as a town in 1975. The population was 370 at the 2000...
), in Brunswick County
Brunswick County, North Carolina
-External links:*******....
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A small part of the town extends onto the mainland
Mainland
Mainland is a name given to a large landmass in a region , or to the largest of a group of islands in an archipelago. Sometimes its residents are called "Mainlanders"...
north of the island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
's bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
. The population was 6,571 at the 2000 census. It was founded in 1999 by the consolidation of the towns of Long Beach
Long Beach, North Carolina
Long Beach, North Carolina is a coastal neighborhood that is incorporated into Oak Island, North Carolina in the year of 1955. Located on Oak Island, it is well known for the total devastation it sustained during Hurricane Hazel in 1954; only five of the 357 buildings survived the storm...
and Yaupon Beach
Yaupon Beach, North Carolina
Yaupon Beach, North Carolina is a coastal neighbourhood that is incorporated into the town of Oak Island in Brunswick County, North Carolina in the year of 1955. It has weathered many hurricanes, including Hazel in 1954 and Floyd in 1999. It merged with neighboring Long Beach in 1999 to form the...
. Its main industry is tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
; the town has an average summer population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 30-50,000.
Oak Island is part of the Wilmington
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
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 SouthportSouthport, North Carolina
Southport is a city in Brunswick County, North Carolina, near the mouth of the Cape Fear River. It is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and people hunted fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es in the northern area near the Intracoastal Waterway
Intracoastal Waterway
The Intracoastal Waterway is a 3,000-mile waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are artificial canals...
. The island was nearly wiped out by Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest and costliest hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm killed as many as 1,000 people in Haiti before striking the United States near the border between North and South Carolina, as a Category 4 hurricane...
in 1954; only five buildings were left standing on Long Beach in the hurricane's wake. The island quickly recovered and towns of Long Beach and Yaupon Beach were incorporated in 1955. Other hurricanes, such as Diana in 1984, Bertha
Hurricane Bertha (1996)
Hurricane Bertha was a strong, early season major hurricane which impacted areas from the Leeward Islands to Atlantic Canada. Bertha originated from a tropical wave which moved off the eastern coast of Africa in early July. By July 3, an area of low pressure developed along the wave...
and Fran
Hurricane Fran
Hurricane Fran was a powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane of the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season that made landfall near Cape Fear in North Carolina at Category 3 strength. Throughout the eastern United States, early statistics on Fran reported 27 deaths and $3.2 billion in damage...
in 1996 and Floyd
Hurricane Floyd
Hurricane Floyd was the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. Floyd triggered the third largest evacuation in US history when 2.6 million coastal residents of five states were ordered from their homes as it approached...
in 1999, have caused damage to the island, though nowhere near as catastrophic as that of Hazel.Construction began on a $64 million 980 feet (298.7 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. The new bridge will likely result in increased development of the town.
Geography
Oak Island is located at 33°54′59"N 78°7′50"W (33.916262, -78.130468).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 9.1 square miles (23.6 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 (45.1 km) of coastline.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 6,571 people, 3,076 households, and 2,100 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
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
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 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
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
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
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
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.