Retiring in Wilmington & Cape Fear

About Wilmington & Cape Fear

This region covers the Cape Fear coast of southeastern North Carolina: Wilmington, the New Hanover County city on the east bank of the river, and the towns and master-planned communities of Brunswick County on the west bank. The Town of Leland reports that Brunswick County's population rose 24% between April 1, 2020 and July 1, 2024, to 169,448, and says the Census Bureau now recognizes it as the fastest-growing county in the state. Leland, the county's largest municipality, has a State Demographer certified count of 33,065, up 44.33% from 22,908 in 2020. Most of the retirement-oriented master-planned communities in this region sit in or near Leland; see Leland and Wilmington.

The two counties differ in ways that matter for a retiree's budget and risk planning. They have separate property tax rates and revaluation schedules, separate county emergency-management offices, and different hospital systems within a short drive of each other. Each figure below is tied to its year or date. Rates, prices and services change, so treat every number here as a starting point for your own check with the county, the community and your insurance agent.

Who Wilmington & Cape Fear fits

• Retirees who want a large choice of master-planned and age-restricted communities within a short drive of a mid-sized city, an international airport and a regional hospital system.
• Buyers comfortable with a coastal-plain location and willing to research evacuation zones, flood zones and wind coverage for a specific address before they buy.

Who may prefer somewhere else

• Buyers who want a settled, slow-growth setting: Brunswick County's 24% growth from 2020 to 2024 means continuing construction, road change and new commercial development.
• Buyers who do not want to spend time on flood and wind insurance: the North Carolina Department of Insurance says windstorm and hail coverage may be excluded from a primary homeowners policy depending on location and insurer, and then bought as a separate policy with its own deductible.

Major tradeoffs in Wilmington & Cape Fear

• Growth brings new shopping, medical and recreation options and also construction and traffic; the population figures above show how quickly Brunswick County has changed.
• Property tax rates differ sharply by county and municipality and move with revaluation. The NC Department of Revenue lists Brunswick County at .3420 per $100 for 2025-26 and New Hanover County at .3060; New Hanover's rate fell from .4500 the year before after a 2025 revaluation, while Brunswick's next revaluation is scheduled for 2027.
• Coastal exposure is real: Brunswick and New Hanover are both among the North Carolina counties with state-designated evacuation zones, and both are named in the coastal area served by the state's property insurance pool of last resort.

Places in Wilmington & Cape Fear

• Carolina BeachA New Hanover County oceanfront town with its own boardwalk district, marina and beach strand, where the retirement questions are evacuation, flood zones, separate flood and wind coverage, and access across the bridge.
• HampsteadA Pender County community with a refurbished county annex, a 53-acre county park and a fast-growing population, where most services come from the county rather than a town hall.
• Kure BeachThe southernmost oceanfront town on the New Hanover County island, whose town pages spell out a single-bridge evacuation route, mandatory vehicle re-entry decals, an ISO Class 2 fire rating and oceanfront flood exposure.
• LelandThe largest town in Brunswick County, across the Cape Fear River from Wilmington, and the home of several master-planned communities popular with retirees.
• Oak IslandA Brunswick County barrier-island town reached by two bridges, with a 2026 town tax rate of 20 cents per $100, a town-run senior center and recreation center, and a published storm plan built around bridge closures and zone-by-zone re-entry.
• SouthportA small incorporated city on the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in southern Brunswick County, with a historic downtown, its own city government and a 31-cent city property tax rate layered on the county's.
• St. JamesThe Town of St. James, an incorporated town in southern Brunswick County built around the gated St. James Plantation, with 81 holes of golf, a marina, a beach club on Oak Island and its own town government and property owners' association.
• Surf CityA Topsail-area oceanfront town in Pender County that pairs a federal beach-nourishment project with a town tax rate its own FAQ says runs above neighboring beach towns.
• WilmingtonThe port city and county seat of New Hanover County on the Cape Fear River, whose retirement housing includes resale-only active-adult neighborhoods such as the Del Webb neighborhood at Riverlights.
• Wrightsville BeachA New Hanover County barrier-island town reached over three aging bridges that NCDOT is replacing, where the whole town sits in a designated flood hazard area and the municipal tax rate is the lowest of the county's three beach towns.

See every place in both states

Housing in Wilmington & Cape Fear

Retirement housing here is dominated by master-planned communities across the river from Wilmington. Del Webb Wilmington at Mallory Creek in Leland is described by its developer as a 55+ community of single-family ranch-style homes; Brunswick Forest and Compass Pointe are large communities whose age-restriction status is discussed on their own pages. See Brunswick Forest, Compass Pointe and Del Webb Wilmington at Mallory Creek.

Inside the city of Wilmington, the Riverlights community on the Cape Fear River south of downtown has a Del Webb 55+ neighborhood that the Riverlights site says is now sold out; other home types there remain available to buyers of any age, according to that page. See Wilmington for details.

Healthcare in Wilmington & Cape Fear

Two Novant Health hospitals anchor the region. Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington opened as New Hanover Memorial Hospital on June 14, 1967, began its partnership with Novant Health in 2021, and lists cardiac care, orthopedics, oncology, pediatrics, women's health, rehabilitation and trauma care among its services. Its page states it is a Level II Trauma Center verified by the American College of Surgeons, and a second Novant page calls it the region's only Level II Trauma Center. A standalone emergency department, ED-North in Scotts Hill, opened in 2015.

On the Brunswick County side, Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center is in Bolivia on Highway 17 and has served the county since 1977; its current facility opened in 2011 and replaced an older building in Supply. The hospital lists 24/7 emergency care, heart and vascular care and maternity. Del Webb's Mallory Creek page states the community is 11 miles from the New Hanover Regional Medical Center of Brunswick Forest and 5 miles from Waterford Medical Center; these distances are the developer's figures and drive times depend on traffic. See the healthcare access guide for statewide context.

Getting around and airports: Wilmington & Cape Fear

Wilmington International Airport (ILM), at 1740 Airport Boulevard in Wilmington, shows a map of 25 nonstop destinations on its home page. It lists American Airlines (Boston, New York, Washington/National, Chicago/O'Hare, Dallas and Miami), Avelo, Breeze, Delta, JetBlue, Sun Country and United (Newark, Chicago/O'Hare and Denver). Check the airline schedule for the months you would fly. The Town of Leland states that ILM is 11 miles from Leland.

The Town of Leland's community profile gives approximate travel times from Leland of 10 minutes to downtown Wilmington, 90 minutes to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and about 2 hours to Raleigh, and names US 74/76, Interstate 40 and Interstate 140 as the major highways. Del Webb states that Mallory Creek is about 15 minutes from downtown Wilmington, about 20 minutes from ILM and about 30 minutes from Wrightsville, Carolina and Southport beaches. These are marketing and town-profile figures, not measured commute times.

Insurance and risk in Wilmington & Cape Fear

Evacuation planning is organized by the state's Know Your Zone system, which the Department of Public Safety describes as a tiered evacuation system highlighting areas most vulnerable to hurricanes and other hazards; Zone A is typically evacuated first, then Zone B, and so on. The state lists Brunswick and New Hanover among its 21 counties with evacuation zones. Brunswick County explains that an evacuation order can come from the county for unincorporated areas, from a municipality for its own jurisdiction, or from the Governor, and that people should follow the blue evacuation route signs. New Hanover County says its public shelters are shelters of last resort and urges residents to sign up for emergency alerts.

Flood exposure varies by address. Brunswick County states that Flood Zone X and shaded X are low risk and not regulated by ordinance, while VE, Coastal A, AE and A zones have mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements and floodplain management standards. The county points to its Flood Zone Viewer. The North Carolina Insurance Underwriting Association, also called the Coastal Property Insurance Pool, states that it does not provide flood insurance and refers people to the National Flood Insurance Program.

On wind coverage, the Department of Insurance says windstorm and hail coverage may be excluded from the primary homeowners policy depending on where you live and the insurer's guidelines, that a separate policy carries a separate deductible, and that NCIUA eligibility requires an active primary policy from an admitted carrier that excludes windstorm. An NCIUA procedures document dated July 2019 defines the Coastal Area to include Brunswick and New Hanover counties and defines the Beach Area as land south and east of the inland waterway. Get written quotes for your specific address and read the coastal hurricane and flood insurance guide.

Recreation and lifestyle in Wilmington & Cape Fear

Community amenities described by developers include golf, tennis and pickleball courts, pools, fitness centers and trails; details and the source for each are on the community pages. Beaches named by developers as within roughly 30 minutes of Leland communities include Wrightsville, Carolina and Southport. Town-level recreation programs, including parks and cultural events, are run by the Town of Leland's parks and recreation department, according to its website navigation.

Communities in Wilmington & Cape Fear

• Del Webb Wilmington at Mallory CreekA Del Webb 55+ community of ranch-style single-family homes in Leland, with an amenity clubhouse, indoor and outdoor pools and pickleball courts.
• St. James PlantationA gated golf-and-marina master-planned community inside the incorporated Town of St. James near Southport, with 81 holes of golf, a beach club on Oak Island and a large retiree population but no age restriction.
• Del Webb at RiverlightsA 55+ Del Webb neighborhood within the Riverlights master-planned community on the Cape Fear River in Wilmington, sold out of new homes and available only through resale.
• Brunswick ForestA large master-planned community in Leland, Brunswick County, centered on the 18-hole Cape Fear National golf course, with pools, fitness centers, courts and trails.
• Compass PointeA gated resort-style community in Leland, minutes from downtown Wilmington, with the Grand Lanai amenity center, a private golf club, wellness center and custom-built homes.

Comparisons and guides for Wilmington & Cape Fear

• Carolina Beach vs Kure Beach: Boardwalk Town or Quiet Southern End of Pleasure Island
• Carolina Beach vs Oak Island: New Hanover Boardwalk Town or Brunswick County Two-Bridge Island
• Leland vs Wilmington: Master-Planned Brunswick County or the Cape Fear City
• Oak Island vs Southport: Barrier-Island Beach Town or Historic River City
• North Carolina Retirement Taxes: Income, Property, Sales and Estate
• Healthcare Access Across the Carolinas: Hospitals, Trauma Centers and Medicare
• Hurricane, Flood and Wind Insurance on the Carolina Coast: What Retirees Should Know
• 55-Plus Community vs. Conventional Neighborhood in the Carolinas