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Home > Area Overview > Overview 7 |
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Greater Topsail Island
Area
Local folklore claims the name, Topsail (pronounced Tops’l), originated during the 1700s when pirate ships roamed the coastal waters. Historians explain that 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 now a quiet place enjoyed by longtime residents who find pleasure in the friendly services of locally owned restaurants, retail stores and service businesses. 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 are hatched 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.
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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 extends well beyond the island to the mainland. The city has
recently opened 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.
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| Hampstead was once
a small fishing village and a whistle stop alongside the Atlantic Coast Line
Railroad. Now it is one of the fastest growing areas in the state, as more
and more folks are choosing to call Hampstead home. 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.
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| Farmers drove their
livestock across the waterway to graze on wild grass. Locals rowed wooden
boats across the water to picnic on the island’s beaches. There was no
bridge to Topsail Island. Then came World War II, and the U.S. Navy took
over the island and began a partnership with Johns Hopkins University known
as Operation Bumblebee. The waterway was dredged, roads were built, and
fresh water was piped onto the island. An arsenal center for the assembly
and storage of rockets was built in what is now the heart of the Topsail
Beach. 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.
The arsenal (Assembly) building from Operation Bumblebee now houses the
Missiles and More Museum and is open to the public.
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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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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