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Surf City vs Hampstead: Oceanfront Town or County-Served Mainland in Pender County

Surf City and Hampstead are both in Pender County between Wilmington and Jacksonville, both within the Topsail area and both served by the same Novant Health hospital in Burgaw, the same Pender County tax office and the same Wilmington airport. The choice between them is a choice between an incorporated oceanfront town with its own tax rate, fee schedule and beach project, and a growing mainland community where the county provides most services.

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Surf City vs Hampstead: the short answer

Surf City and Hampstead are both in Pender County between Wilmington and Jacksonville, both within the Topsail area and both served by the same Novant Health hospital in Burgaw, the same Pender County tax office and the same Wilmington airport. The choice between them is a choice between an incorporated oceanfront town with its own tax rate, fee schedule and beach project, and a growing mainland community where the county provides most services.

Surf City's own finance FAQ explains a recent town tax increase and why its rate runs above neighboring beach towns. Hampstead has no town hall: Pender County's Hampstead Annex, the former Topsail High School, houses planning, permitting, social services, veterans services, parks and recreation and the Sheriff's Department. Neither community is age-restricted. Use the dimensions below as a checklist, and confirm the jurisdiction, rate and district of any parcel with the town and the Pender County tax office. State tax rules for retirees are in the NC retirement taxes guide.

Full profiles: Surf City (North Carolina) and Hampstead (North Carolina).

Which one fits you

Choose Surf City if

  • You want to live in an oceanfront town with a funded federal beach-protection project: the town's FAQ describes a 50-year Army Corps of Engineers authorization with re-nourishment about every six years.
  • You want a town government that publishes its finances plainly, including a $0.53 per $100 town rate, a $6.00 per Equivalent Residential Unit stormwater fee and a budget page with a fee schedule.
  • You can accept a combined town and county rate well above the county rate alone, plus flood-zone and wind-insurance cost on an oceanfront or soundside parcel.
  • You want town police and fire protection, garbage collection and parks rates that come with annexation, and a Beach & Sound menu organized around the ocean.

Choose Hampstead if

  • You want to avoid a town tax line: a Hampstead parcel outside any municipality is taxed on the county rate of $0.7375 per $100, plus any fire-district levy you confirm with the county.
  • You want county services in one place: the Hampstead Annex houses Planning, Community Development, Permitting and Inspections, Social Services, Veterans Services, Parks and Recreation and the Sheriff's Department, with an auditorium of 244 fixed seats.
  • You want a county park as your main recreation site: Hampstead Kiwanis Park covers 53 acres with lighted fields, a walking trail with fitness stations, four pickleball courts and six tennis courts.
  • You accept that the county grew 16% between April 1, 2020 and July 1, 2024 and will ask about utilities, rezonings and construction near any home.

Surf City and Hampstead side by side

DimensionSurf CityHampstead
Town and county property taxSurf City's finance FAQ gives the town property tax rate as $0.53 per $100 of assessed value and says the rate rose $0.12 in the budget it describes, a 30% increase, to pay for new fire and police positions, a pay study, solid waste, beach nourishment and facilities. The NC Department of Revenue lists Pender County at $0.7375 for 2025-26. As our arithmetic, $0.53 plus $0.7375 is $1.2675 per $100, or about $5,070 a year on a $400,000 assessed value, before the stormwater fee and relief.A Hampstead parcel outside any municipality pays the county rate of $0.7375. As our arithmetic, that is about $2,950 a year on a $400,000 assessed value, which is about $2,120 less than the Surf City figure above. Confirm whether a Hampstead parcel sits inside a municipality or a special district, since a town rate or fire-district levy would add to the county's rate. The town rate quoted above comes from the FAQ's description of one budget year, so confirm the current adopted rate.
Revaluation timingSurf City's FAQ says the next chance to adjust the town rate is the fiscal year 2026/2027 budget, which will take reassessment figures into account, and argues that a penny of tax raises less revenue because values were set in 2019. Pender County's reappraisal page confirms that its last reappraisal took effect January 1, 2019 and that the 2026 revaluation takes effect January 1, 2026 and repeats every four years.The same revaluation applies to Hampstead. The county says the rate adopted in its fiscal year 2026-2027 budget may differ from the $0.7375 in the state table, and that appeals must be based on value, not on the change in value or the expected tax increase, filed with the Board of Equalization and Review. Price a home from the current assessment plus the combined rates, not from last year's bill.
Relief for owners 65 and olderPender County's program requires the applicant to be at least 65 as of January 1, be the deeded owner, live in the home full time and have combined income of no more than $38,800 for 2025, a figure the county says can change. The exclusion is $25,000 or 50% of the appraised value, whichever is greater, with first-time applications due June 1. Because the exclusion applies to the permanent residence, a second home on the oceanfront does not qualify.The same county program applies to a Hampstead permanent residence, with the same income limit, exclusion and June 1 deadline. The difference is the base: with no town rate, the dollar value of the same exclusion is smaller, so relief offsets less of the bill in Hampstead than in Surf City.
Fees and utilitiesThe town adds a stormwater fee of $6.00 per Equivalent Residential Unit to the monthly utility bill, calculated from the impervious area of a parcel. Its FAQ reports a sewer base-rate increase of $10 with a 12% increase on the tiered rates and no water-rate increase in the year it describes, and its budget page lists a 2026-2027 fee schedule.Pender County Utilities manages six water and sewer districts serving more than eleven thousand residents and operates a surface water treatment plant with a finished-water capacity of 4 million gallons per day, with granular activated carbon units that help with PFAs and GenX. A membrane treatment plant in Hampstead is in the permitting phase. Confirm whether a parcel is served by a county district, a private system or a well and septic system.
Ocean exposure and beach protectionThe town describes its beach-nourishment project as a sand barrier that weakens wave energy and safeguards structures behind the dunes. The FAQ timeline lists a feasibility report in 2010, construction appropriations in 2019, the withdrawal of North Topsail Beach in 2021 and a signed Chief's Report in July 2025, with sand placement anticipated from December 2025 and about thirteen months to completion. The local share is paid from property tax revenue, with a $103,642 increase for beach nourishment tied to $.10 of the rate.Hampstead is not oceanfront, so the nourishment cost does not apply, but flood exposure does: Pender County's Know Your Flood Hazard page says living near the Northeast Cape Fear, Cape Fear and Black Rivers brings greater flood risk, and that structures in a Special Flood Hazard Area have a 26% chance of flooding over a 30-year mortgage. Ask for the elevation certificate on file for any property you consider.
Insurance and evacuationThe NC Department of Insurance says homeowners policies do not cover flood damage and that windstorm and hail may be excluded or sold under a separate deductible, often through the North Carolina Insurance Underwriting Association. Surf City offers CodeRED sign-up and a Parking & Island Re-Entry page, both worth reviewing before a storm, and the Know Your Zone tool sets the evacuation zone, with Zone A typically evacuated first. See the coastal hurricane and flood insurance guide.The same insurance rules apply in Hampstead. Pender County Emergency Management runs the Emergency Operations Center during hurricanes, offers a mobile app and Nixle alerts and operates a weather station at the Hampstead Annex. All county shelters are inside school buildings, and evacuees should bring bedding, toiletries, medications and snacks. Request wind and flood quotes for the exact address before contract.
Recreation and daily lifeThe town's calendar shows a food truck festival and an annual bike ride on Topsail Island, and its news page advertises sealed bids for Segment 5 of the JH Batts Multi-Use Path. Parks and recreation registration covers flag football, soccer and basketball. The town is working on a comprehensive parking program, a reminder that beach access and parking are managed during busy periods.Hampstead Kiwanis Park has lighted athletic fields, a walking trail with fitness stations, two playgrounds, three reservable picnic shelters, two basketball courts and a sand volleyball area. The county hosts the Alive After Five concert series from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM each summer, and a planned Hampstead Branch Library of about 20,000 square feet will sit next to the Annex. The Annex auditorium rents for $45 per hour to county residents and nonprofits.
Hospitals and airportNovant Health Pender Medical Center is in Burgaw, describing emergency care, surgery and recovery care. New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington says it has served the region since 1967 and is a Level II Trauma Center verified by the American College of Surgeons. Wilmington International Airport lists service on American, Avelo, Breeze and Delta. Time the drive from a specific address at the hours you would travel.Both hospitals and the same airport serve Hampstead, and the Annex itself holds county Veterans Services and the Department of Social Services, so veterans benefits and many county errands can be handled locally. The healthcare access guide explains how to compare networks.

Related guides

Sources and review date

Last reviewed . Facts on this page come from the sources below; where a rule or figure can change, check the linked source before relying on it.

  1. Town of Surf City, NC — Town of Surf City (accessed 2026-09-30)
  2. Frequently Asked Questions — Town of Surf City (accessed 2026-09-30)
  3. Residents — Town of Surf City (accessed 2026-09-30)
  4. Budget & Fiscal Information — Town of Surf City (accessed 2026-09-30)
  5. 2026 Tax Reappraisal — Pender County, NC (accessed 2026-09-30)
  6. Property Tax Relief — Pender County, NC (accessed 2026-09-30)
  7. Know Your Flood Hazard — Pender County, NC (accessed 2026-09-30)
  8. Pender Medical Center — Novant Health (accessed 2026-09-30)
  9. About New Hanover Regional Medical Center — Novant Health (accessed 2026-09-30)
  10. 2025-2026 County Tax Rates — North Carolina Department of Revenue (accessed 2026-09-30)
  11. Current Sales and Use Tax Rates — North Carolina Department of Revenue (accessed 2026-09-30)
  12. Windstorm and Hail — North Carolina Department of Insurance (accessed 2026-09-30)
  13. Know Your Zone — North Carolina Department of Public Safety (accessed 2026-09-30)
  14. Wilmington International Airport — Wilmington International Airport (accessed 2026-09-30)
  15. Hampstead Annex — Pender County, NC (accessed 2026-09-30)
  16. Hampstead Kiwanis Park — Pender County, NC (accessed 2026-09-30)
  17. Hampstead Alive After Five — Pender County, NC (accessed 2026-09-30)
  18. Hampstead Library Facility — Pender County, NC (accessed 2026-09-30)
  19. Pender County Utilities — Pender County, NC (accessed 2026-09-30)
  20. Long-Range Planning — Pender County, NC (accessed 2026-09-30)
  21. Brunswick County is the fastest growing county in North Carolina — North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management (accessed 2026-09-30)
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