Local folklore claims the name, Topsail (pronounced Tops’l), dates back to the 1700s when pirate ships roamed the coastal waters. Marauding pirates hid their ships in the channel behind the island and waited for passing merchant ships loaded with goods. Eventually the merchants became aware of this infamous hiding place and began to watch for the tops of the pirates' sails peeking above the live oak trees — hence the name Topsail Island.

A single main road runs parallel to the ocean along the length of this narrow 26-mile-long barrier island. In a few instances on the wider parts of the island, you will find an additional smaller street or two running parallel to the ocean, but there is still only one traffic light on the entire island strand. The 3,500 year-round residents here enjoy a relatively quiet lifestyle on the beach, that is until summer rolls around and Topsail's summer population swells to 35,000.

The island is located in both Onslow and Pender counties approximately 45 minutes north of Wilmington. Two bridges allow access to the island — a swing bridge in Surf City and a high-rise bridge that connects Sneads Ferry to North Topsail Beach. There are three towns on the island: North Topsail Beach, Surf City and Topsail Beach. The two mainland towns of Sneads Ferry and Holly Ridge complete the section known as the Greater Topsail Area.

North Topsail Beach, the northernmost town, is a residential community with oceanfront resort condominium complexes and rental cottages. With only two restaurants and a pizza shop, North Topsail Beach's visitors depend on Sneads Ferry or Surf City for most of their shopping and entertainment.

Surf City, located on both the island and mainland, is in the center of the island. It is the commercial hub with a number of restaurants and retail establishments. A variety of vacation rental homes, condominiums and motels are also found here, along with the most year-round residents.

Topsail Beach, on the southern end of the island, is accessible only through Surf City. It is a quieter area with year-round homes, rental cottages, motels and condominiums complementing a small downtown shopping area.

On the mainland, Sneads Ferry and Holly Ridge offer more choices for entertainment, dining and shopping. Sneads Ferry is a small village where shrimping and fishing are a way of life. In recent years, however, the area has grown and is now developing into a community of upscale housing developments. Holly Ridge once had a large population during World War II when Camp Davis was established as an Army coastal artillery and anti-aircraft training base. The town is once again on the move with several new communities being built in Holly Ridge.

Topsail Island is a small place with a big history, from the early Native Americans and explorers in the 1500s to pirates, the Civil War Era, World War II and Operation Bumblebee. This history can be found in the Missiles and More Museum on Channel Boulevard in Topsail Beach (see our Attractions chapter).

Local residents are protective of their environment. This is particularly evident in the Topsail Turtle Project and the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, both run solely by volunteers. Many of the volunteers locate and monitor loggerhead turtle nests until the young turtles hatch and make their way to the sea, while others maintain the center and care for sick and injured sea turtles until they have been rehabilitated and returned to the ocean. Still others take responsibility for the Turtle Talks, where participants can learn about the turtles and how they can help protect them. A visit to the Turtle Hospital, as it is affectionately known, is a real highlight of a Topsail Island vacation (see our Attractions chapter for more about the Turtle Hospital). The greater Topsail Island area is a friendly place, offering a nice balance between residents and visitors.

Surf City is the center of the island both geographically and commercially. The commercial hub of the island, Surf City is where you will find restaurants, gift shops, grocery stores, churches, a fishing pier, tackle shops, surf shops and kayak outfitters — everything you need to enjoy a trip to the beach. Surf City is growing and now extends well beyond the island to the mainland. The city has an oceanfront welcome center, bike paths and a community recreation center that offers a variety of classes from ballroom dancing to boating. The new Soundside Park at the swing-bridge is a perfect place to enjoy a picnic and watch the boats go by.

Hampstead, once a small fishing village and a whistle stop alongside the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, is now one of the fastest growing areas in the region. Many neighborhoods front the waterway, more are along the numerous creeks and even more line the area's four golf courses. Hampstead is seeing growth and change come quickly, and farmlands once used for blueberries and tobacco are growing houses and neighborhoods as development of the area increases.

The Town of Topsail Beach is situated at the southern end of Topsail Island and is the smallest of the three island communities. There are more than 1,300 homes, but only about 500 year-round residents. The seasonal influx of tourists helps sustain the town's motels, restaurants, gift shops, fishing pier and other businesses. Topsail Beach is also home to the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center and the Missiles and More Museum.

Holly Ridge was incorporated in 1941 when 28 people lived in town. Two years later Camp Davis, an anti-aircraft, artillery training base, came to town and the population soared to 110,000. Today, with 1,180 full-time residents Holly Ridge is once again on the move. New neighborhoods of single-family homes and condominium communities seem to appear every day. Located halfway between Wilmington and Jacksonville, Holly Ridge is both convenient and close to the beach.

North Topsail Beach stretches from Surf City to the northern point of the island, where the New River Inlet joins the Atlantic. While predominantly a community of full-time residents and rental cottages, there are also large and luxurious oceanfront resort condominium complexes. With only a few restaurants, North Topsail Beach's visitors and residents depend on Surf City or Sneads Ferry for their shopping and entertainment.

Ennett's "Lower Ferry", as Sneads Ferry was originally called, was an important link for postal delivery between Virginia and South Carolina, and for news of Revolutionary War battles in the 1770s. The ferry operated for more than 200 years before it was replaced by a wooden bridge in 1939. Today, the bridge is a new high-rise span.

The village of Sneads Ferry is a working fishing village located on the New River near the northern tip of Topsail Island off N.C. Highway 172. Here the river joins the Intracoastal Waterway and access to the Atlantic Ocean is easy. Sneads Ferry takes in more fish than any other Onslow County port — more than 385 tons of shrimp, 25 tons of flounder and approximately 493 tons of other delicious seafood like clams, scallops, oysters, mullet, spot, grouper, sea bass, soft-shell and hard-shell crabs per year.