Brunswick County

by Jake Beaube
Fall 2001

Brunswick County is located on the southeastern coast of North Carolina. It is bordered by New Hanover, Columbus, Pender, Horry (South Carolina) Counties, and by the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the larger counties with an area of 856.51 square miles. It also boasts 47 miles of coastline. The county was formed from sections of New Hanover and Bladen Counties. Brunswick is named after the town of Brunswick, which was located near present day Southport at the mouth of the Cape Fear River. Brunswick town was named in honor of King George I, Duke of Brunswick and was established in 1745. It was made into a county in 1764.It was then and still is for the most part a mainly rural county.

When Brunswick County was founded, the county seat was placed at the plantation of a man named John Bell, which was near the Lockwood Folly River Bridge or near the present day intersection of highways 17 and 211. After that in 1784 the seat was moved to Walkersburg, which no longer exists. Then in 1808 the courthouse was moved to Smithville, which is present day Southport. There it stayed until 1977 when the courthouse was moved to Bolivia.

Brunswick County is one of if not the fastest growing county population wise in North Carolina. Since 1990, the population has risen from around 51,000 to 73,000 in 2000. That is an overall increase of 43.5% when the state average is only 21.4%. The largest town in the county is Oak Island with a population of 6,571. Oak Island was formed from the merging of the towns of Long Beach and Yaupon Beach.

Tourism is a big part of Brunswick County's economy. One reason is because it is located between Myrtle Beach, SC and Wilmington, NC. Brunswick also has many beaches of its own. Holden, Caswell, Long, Yaupon, Sunset, and Ocean Isle. The Intracoastal Waterway runs through most of these beaches and Myrtle Beach which makes them all easy access for boats. There are over 30 golf courses as well as historical sites. Old Brunswick Town, Fort Caswell, and "Old Baldy" the Bald Head Island lighthouse are some points of interest.

Another tourist attraction would have to be the North Carolina Fourth of July Festival held in Southport. It is a four-day festival that is based on the waterfront and includes the usual parade and fireworks. Southport is also a popular place to make movies and television shows. Movies such as Crimes of the Heart, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Summer Catch. Television shows include Dawson's Creek, and possibly the world's most famous geriatric lawyer, Matlock.

People come to Brunswick County to eat too. The tiny town of Calabash is the self-proclaimed "Seafood Capital of the World". The style of cooking is responsible for all the "Calabash Style" restaurants that are present most frequently in Myrtle Beach but there are others around North and South Carolina.

Agriculture is another thing Brunswick County is known for. In the late 1700's, Brunswick produced 90% of all the rice grown in North Carolina. This can be attributed to the many wet, swampy areas, which made rice the perfect crop. Nowadays, tobacco and cotton are what is mainly grown.

Naval Stores also played a pivotal role in the prosperity of Brunswick County. For instance in 1772 alone there were 49,207 barrels of tar and 5,224 barrels of turpentine exported from Port Brunswick.

There are some important industries in Brunswick County. They include a CP&L nuclear power plant and also a Division of Archer Daniels Midland, which produces food additives. Near the power plant is the home of the largest ammunitions depot in the United States at Sunny Point Military Ocean Terminal. It was the only place in the US to be guarded during the Persian Gulf War.

Brunswick County has a long a rich history. It was one of the first southeastern colonies in North Carolina. Brunswick is also rapidly getting bigger and more urbanized. There are more and more offices, restaurant chains, hotels springing up every year. Brunswick County may one day grow into a predominately non-rural section of North Carolina.

Works Cited

"County Histories." North Carolina Encyclopedia. North Carolina State Library. July 1997. 16 Nov. 2001 http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/NC/CNTYOUT/CTYCOVER.HTM.

Oak Island, North Carolina. 2001. 10 Nov. 2001 http://www.oakislandnc.com/.

Brunswick County. 2001. 10 Nov. 2001 http://www.brunsco.net/.

"Brunswick County, North Carolina." State and County QuickFacts. US Census Bureau. 2001. 16 Nov. 2001 http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37/37019.html.

Created November 19, 2001
Updated May 19, 2003