Wilmington's residential area lies between theCape Fear River and theAtlantic Ocean, and the city developed as a commercial port in the colonial era. The city was founded in the 1730s. After going through a series of different names (New Carthage, New London, Newton), its name became Wilmington.[9] In 1739, Col.William Bartram, the uncle ofthe naturalist, introduced a bill to establish Wilmington, named for one of his patrons,Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington.[9][10] Toward the end of the 19th century, Wilmington was a majority-black, racially integrated, prosperous city – and the largest in North Carolina. It suffered what became known as theWilmington massacre in 1898 whenwhite supremacists launched acoup that overthrew the legitimately elected localFusionist government.[11] It resulted in the expulsion of opposition black and white political leaders from the city, destruction of the property and businesses of black citizens, including the city's only black newspaper, and deaths ranging from an estimated 60 to more than 300 people.[11][12][13] By 1910,Charlotte overtook Wilmington as North Carolina's largest city.
Wilmington's downtown includes a 1.75-mile (2.82 km) riverwalk,[14] developed as a tourist attraction in the late 20th century. In 2003, the city was designated by the U.S. Congress as a "Coast Guard City", one of 29 cities that currently bear that designation.[15] It was formerly the home port for theUSCGC Diligence, aUnited States Coast Guardmedium-endurance cutter.[16][17] Wilmington was declared the firstWorld War II Heritage City in the country in 2020. The World War II battleshipUSS North Carolina, now a war memorial, is moored across from the downtown port area, and is open to the public for tours.[18] Other attractions include theCape Fear Museum of History and Science and the Children's Museum of Wilmington.[19]
The city was founded in the 1730s. After going through a series of different names (New Carthage, New London, Newton), its name became Wilmington.[9] In 1739, Col.William Bartram, the uncle ofthe naturalist, introduced a bill to establish Wilmington, named for one of his patrons,Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington.[9][10]
The area along the river had been inhabited by various successive cultures ofindigenous peoples for thousands of years. At the time of European encounter, historic Native Americans were members of tribes belonging to theEastern Siouan family.[30]
In the early 16th century, Italian explorerGiovanni da Verrazzano, commissioned by the king of France with a French crew, was reportedly the first European to see this area, including the city's present site. The first permanent colonial settlement in the area was established in the 1720s byEuropean settlers.[30] In September 1732, a community was founded on land owned by John Watson on theCape Fear River, at the confluence of its northwest and northeast branches.[31] The settlement, founded by the first royal governor,George Burrington, was called New Carthage, and then New Liverpool; it gradually took on the name New Town or Newton.[32]Governor Gabriel Johnston soon after established his government there for theNorth Carolina colony.[33]
Some early settlers of Wilmington came from theAlbemarle andPamlico regions, as well as from the colonies ofVirginia andSouth Carolina, but most new settlers migrated from thenorthern colonies, theWest Indies, andNorthern Europe.[34] Many of the early settlers wereindentured servants from Northern Europe. As the indentured servants gained their freedom and fewer could be persuaded to travel to North America because of improving conditions back home, the settlers imported an increasing number ofslaves to satisfy the labor demand.[32] By 1767, African slaves accounted for more than 62% of the population of the Lower Cape Fear region.[35] Many worked in the port as laborers, and some in ship-related trades.
Naval stores and lumber fueled the region's economy, both before and after theAmerican Revolution. During the Revolutionary War, the British maintained a garrison atFort Johnston near Wilmington.[36]
Due to Wilmington's commercial importance as a major port, it had a critical role in opposition to the British in the years leading up to the revolution. The city had outspoken political leaders who influenced and led the resistance movement in North Carolina. The foremost of these was Wilmington residentCornelius Harnett, who was serving in theGeneral Assembly at the time, and where he rallied opposition to theSugar Act in 1764. When theBritish Parliament passed theStamp Act the following year, designed to raise revenue forthe Crown with a kind of tax on shipping, Wilmington was the site of an elaborate demonstration against it.[37]
On October 19, 1765, several hundred townspeople gathered in protest of the new law, burned an effigy of one town resident who favored the act, and toasted to "Liberty, Property, and No Stamp Duty." On October 31, another crowd gathered in a symbolic funeral of "Liberty". Before the effigy was buried, though, Liberty was found to have a pulse, and celebration ensued.[38][39]
William Houston ofDuplin County was appointed stamp receiver for Cape Fear. When Houston visited Wilmington on business, still unaware of his appointment, he recounted,
"The Inhabitants immediately assembled about me & demanded a Categorical Answer whether I intended to put the Act relating [to] the Stamps in force. The Town Bell was rung[,] Drums [were] beating, Colours [were] flying and [a] great concourse of People [were] gathered together." For the sake of his own life, and "to quiet the Minds of the inraged [sic] and furious Mobb...," Houston resigned his position at the courthouse.[38][40]
GovernorWilliam Tryon made attempts to mitigate the opposition, to no avail. On November 18, 1765, he pleaded his case directly to prominent residents of the area. They said the law restricted their rights. When the stamps arrived on November 28 onHMSDiligence, Tryon ordered them to be kept on board. Shipping on the Cape Fear River was stopped, as were the functions of the courts.[38]
Tryon, after having received his official commission as governor (a position he had assumed only after the death ofArthur Dobbs), was brought to Wilmington byCaptain Constantine Phipps on a barge from theDiligence, and "was received cordially by the gentlemen of the borough." He was greeted with the firing of seventeen pieces ofartillery, and the New Hanover County Regiment of the North Carolinamilitia, who had lined the streets. This "warm welcome" was spoiled, however, after a dispute arose between Captain Phipps and captains of ships in the harbor regarding the display of their colors. The townspeople became infuriated with Phipps and threats were made against both sides. After Tryon harangued them for their actions, the townspeople gathered around the barrels of punch andox he had brought as refreshments. The barrels were broken open, letting the punch spill into the streets; they threw the head of the ox into thepillory, and gave its body to the enslaved population. Because of the unrest, Tryon moved his seat of government toNew Bern instead of Wilmington.[32][41]
On February 18, 1766, two merchant ships arrived without stamped papers atBrunswick Town. Each ship provided signed statements from the collectors at their respective ports of origin that no were stamps available, but Captain Jacob Lobb of the British cruiserViper seized the vessels. In response, numerous residents from southern counties met in Wilmington. The group organized as theSons of Liberty and pledged to block implementation of the Stamp Act. The following day, as many as a thousand men, including the mayor and aldermen of Wilmington, were led by Cornelius Harnett to Brunswick to confront Tryon. The governor was unyielding, but a mob retrieved the seized ships. They forced royal customs officers and public officials in the region to swear never to issue stamped paper.[42] The Westminster Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in March 1766.
In the 1830s, citizens of Wilmington became eager to take advantage ofrailroad transportation. At this time, the shipping tonnage registered at Wilmington was 9,035.[43] Plans were developed to build a railroad line from the capital,Raleigh, to Wilmington. When Raleigh citizens declined to subscribe in sufficient number tostock to raise money for the project, organizers changed the terminus toWeldon. When the railroad line was completed in 1840, it was the longest single line ofrailroad track in the world. The railroad also controlled a fleet of steamboats that ran between Wilmington andCharleston; these were used both for passenger travel and freight. Regular boat lines servedFayetteville, and packet lines traveled to northern ports. The city was a main stopover point, contributing greatly to its commerce.[32]
By mid-century, the churchyard ofSt. James Episcopal Church and other town cemeteries had become filled with graves. On November 16, 1853, a group of citizens, organized as "the Proprietors of the Wilmington Cemetery", was formed to develop a newcemetery. Sixty-five acres of land around Burnt Mill Creek were chosen as the site for what would be calledOakdale Cemetery. It was the first rural cemetery in North Carolina. The cemetery's first interment, on February 6, 1855, was six-year-old Annie deRosset.[44] Many remains from St. James churchyard were relocated to the new cemetery.
The Wilmington Gas Light Company was established in 1854. Soon after, streetlights were powered by gas made from lightwood androsin, replacing the old street oil lamps. On December 27, 1855, the first cornerstone was laid, and construction began on a new city hall. A grant from the Thalian Association funded the attached opera house, named Thalian Hall. In 1857, the city opened its first public school, named the Union Free School, on 6th Street between Nun and Church Streets, serving White students.[45]
Wilmington had a Black majority population before the Civil War.[46] While most were slaves, the city had a significant community offree people of color, who developed businesses and trades. For a period up toNat Turner's rebellion, they had been allowed to vote, carry arms, and serve in the militia. Fears after the rebellion resulted in the state legislature passing laws to restrict the rights of free Blacks.
During theCivil War, the port was the major base forConfederate and privately owned blockade runners, which delivered badly needed supplies from England. The Union mounted a blockade to reduce the goods received by the South. The city was captured by Union forces in theBattle of Wilmington in February 1865, about one month after the fall ofFort Fisher had closed the port. Wilmington was the last Confederate port to be captured.[47] As nearly all the military action took place some distance from the city, numerousantebellum houses and other buildings survived the war years.[48]
In mid-August 1862, Wilmington was devastated by a deadly outbreak ofyellow fever. This fever outbreak was brought about by a blockade runner namedKate. Sources suggest that the runner had crew members who were sick before the ship landed, but Dr. W.T. Wragg would later write an article in theNew York Journal of Medicine that there were at least five cases in the city before the ship arrived. Dr. Wragg treated many of the yellow fever victims during the outbreak and claimed that the dirtiness of the city and the fumes of the dirty water left by heavy rains caused the disease. By the end of the outbreak at least 1,500 and perhaps as many as 2,000, contracted yellow fever. Of those, between 650 and 800 died, a mortality rate approximately 40 percent.Walter Reed would later discover in 1900 that yellow fever was transmitted by mosquitoes, so Wilmington's outbreak had to be introduced by a third party and spread by mosquitoes in the city.[49][50]
During theReconstruction era, former free Blacks and newly emancipatedfreedmen built a community in the city. About 55% of its residents were Black people.[51][52] At the time, Wilmington was the largest city and the economic capital of the state.
Three of the city's aldermen were Black. Black people were also in positions of justice of the peace, deputy clerk of court, street superintendent, coroners, policemen, mail clerks, and mail carriers.[53]
At the time, Black people accounted for over 30% of Wilmington's skilled craftsmen, such as mechanics, carpenters, jewelers, watchmakers, painters, plasterers, plumbers, stevedores, blacksmiths, masons, and wheelwrights. In addition, they owned 10 of the city's 11 restaurants and were 90% of the city's 22 barbers. The city had more Black bootmakers/shoemakers than White ones, and half of the city's tailors were Black. Lastly, two brothers,Alexander and Frank Manly, owned theWilmington Daily Record, the only Black-owned newspaper in the state, and one of the few in the country at that time.[54]
In the 1890s, a coalition of Republicans andPopulists had gained state and federal offices. The Democrats were determined to reassert their control. Violence increased around elections in this period, as armed Whiteparamilitary insurgents, known asRed Shirts, worked to suppress Black andRepublican voting. White Democrats regained control of the state legislature and sought to imposewhite supremacy, but some Blacks continued to be elected to local offices.[55]
TheWilmington Insurrection of 1898 (also known as the Wilmington Race Riot) occurred as a result of the racially charged political conflict that had occurred in the decades after the Civil War and efforts by White Democrats to re-establish white supremacy and overturn Black voting. In 1898, a cadre of White Democrats, professionals, and businessmen planned to overthrow the city government if their candidates were not elected. Two days after the election, in which a White Republican was elected mayor and both White and Black aldermen were elected, more than 1500 White men (led by DemocratAlfred M. Waddell, an unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate in 1896) attacked and burned the only Black-owned daily newspaper in the state and ran off the new officers. They overthrew the legitimately elected municipal government. Waddell and his men forced the elected Republican city officials to resign at gunpoint and replaced them with men selected by leading White Democrats. Waddell was elected mayor by the newly seated board of aldermen that day. Prominent Black Americans and White Republicans were banished from the city in the following days.[46] This is the only suchcoup d'étatin United States history.[46][56]
Whites attacked and killed an estimated 60 to more than 300 people;[11][12][13] no Whites died in the violence. As a result of the attacks, more than 2100 Blacks permanently left the city, leaving a hole among its professional and middle classes. The demographic change was so large that the city became majority White, rather than the majority Black it was before the coup.[46]
Following these events, the North Carolina legislature passed a new constitution that raised barriers tovoter registration, imposing requirements forpoll taxes andliteracy tests that effectivelydisfranchised most Black voters, following the example of Mississippi. Blacks were essentially excluded from the political system until after the enactment of the federalVoting Rights Act of 1965.[46]
Wilmington is home to the Bijou Theater, which began as a tent in 1904 and progressed to a permanent structure in 1906. It operated until 1956, making it the oldest movie theater in the state and one of the oldest, continuously running theaters in the country.[57] In 1910,Charlotte passed Wilmington to become North Carolina's largest city.[58] In the mid-20th century, efforts to preserve many historic building began. Due to this, many historic buildings were listed asNational Register of Historic Places.[59] Since the 1980s, Wilmington has remained the largest film and television production area in the state;[60] many locations in and outside the city have beenused for filming.[28][29] In 1990, the extension ofInterstate 40 to New Hanover County was opened and officially connected the region to theInterstate Highway System.[61]
A 1918 panorama of downtown WilmingtonA 1918 panorama of Wilmington's waterfront
Threeprisoner-of-war (POW) camps operated in the city from February 1944 through April 1946. At their peak, the camps held 550German prisoners. The first camp was located on the corner of Shipyard Boulevard and Carolina Beach Road; it was moved downtown to Ann Street, between 8th and 10th Avenues, when it outgrew the original location. A smaller contingent of prisoners was assigned to a third site, working in the officers' mess and doing groundskeeping at Bluethenthal Army Air Base, which is nowWilmington International Airport.[63]
Wilmington is the eastern terminus ofInterstate 40, an east-west freeway that ends 2,554 miles away atBarstow, California, where it joins I-15, the gateway to Southern California. This road passes through many major cities and state capitals along the way.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 52.97 square miles (137.2 km2), of which 51.41 square miles (133.2 km2) is land and 1.56 square miles (4.0 km2) (2.95%) is water.[3]Wrightsville Beach is a common destination in the Wilmington area. Carolina Beach and Kure Beach also add to the city's attractions.[71]
Winters are generally mild with January highs in the mid-50s °F (≈12 °C) and lows in the mid-30s °F (≈1 °C). Snowfall does not occur in most years, and when it does, is generally light.
Spring is reasonably lengthy, beginning in late February and lasting to early May. The presence of abundant dense vegetation in the area causes significant pollen dusting in the springtime that tends to turn rooftops and cars yellow.
Summer brings high humidity, with daily high temperatures usually ranging from the upper 80s to lower 90s °F (31–34 °C), and daily low temperatures usually from 70 to 75 °F (≈22 °C).Heat indices can easily break the 100 °F (38 °C) mark, though the actual temperature does not in most years. Due to the proximity of warm Atlantic Ocean waters and prevailing tropical-system tracks, the Wilmington area is subject to hurricane or tropical storm activity, mostly from August to early October, with an average frequency of once every seven years. Such tropical systems can bring high winds and very heavy rains, sometimes 4 inches (100 mm) or more in a single tropical system. Precipitation in Wilmington occurs year-round. April is the driest month, with just over 3 inches (76 mm) of rain on average, and August and September are the wettest months, with over 8 inches (200 mm) of rain each, on average. In an average year, the July to September period delivers nearly 40% of annual rainfall.
Autumn is also generally humid at the beginning, with the threat from tropical weather systems (hurricanes, tropical storms, and tropical depressions) peaking in September.
Normal January mean temperature: 46.0 °F (7.8 °C). The coldest month in recorded history was January 1977, averaging 35.7 °F (2.1 °C). January 1981 had a colder average minimum of 25.8 °F (−3.4 °C).
Normal July mean temperature: 81.1 °F (27.3 °C). The hottest month in recorded history was July 2012, averaging 84.7 °F (29.3 °C). July 1993 had a hotter average maximum of 94.0 °F (34.4 °C).
Average nights ≤ 32 °F (0 °C): 39
First and last freezes of the season: November 18 and March 20, allowing a growing season of 244 days
Average days ≥ 90 °F (32 °C): 43, but historically as low as 9 in 1909 and as high as 71 in 1980.
First and last 90 °F highs: May 15, September 15
Highest recorded temperature: 104 °F (40 °C) on June 27, 1952[72]
Lowest daily maximum temperature: 16 °F (−9 °C) onFebruary 13, 1899 and December 30, 1917[72]
Highest daily minimum temperature: 83 °F (28 °C) on August 1, 1999, and August 9, 2007[72]
Average annual precipitation: 60.15 inches (1,530 mm), but historically ranging from 27.68 in (703 mm) in 1909 to 102.40 in (2,601 mm) in 2018,[73] aided by 23.02 inches of rain, September 13–16, fromHurricane Florence's slow movement acrossthe Carolinas.[73][74] The 2018 annual precipitation of 102.40 inches exceeded the previous record wettest year (1877, with 83.65 inches of precipitation).[73]
Wettest day: 13.38 in (339.9 mm) on September 15, 1999[72]
Wilmington boasts a largehistoric district encompassing nearly 300 blocks. Abandoned warehouses on downtown's northern end have been recently demolished making room for multimillion dollar projects, such as what was the world headquarters ofPharmaceutical Product Development and current tallest building in Wilmington at 228 feet (69 m). (The building was then bought byThermo Fisher Scientific. In 2023, it was bought by the City of Wilmington and renamed "Skyline Center". It is now the main building for city government operations.[81][82]) Other completed projects include a state-of-the-art convention center, Live Oak Bank Pavilion, Pier 33 Apartments, and The Cove houseboat community in Port City Marina.
Wilmington, North Carolina – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the U.S. census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
There were 34,359 households, out of which 20.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.5% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.5% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.4% under the age of 18, 17.2% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,099, and the median income for a family was $41,891. Males had a median income of $30,803 versus $23,423 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $21,503. About 13.3% of families and 19.6% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 25.9% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.
Wilmington has an increasing problem with gang violence,[88] and on October 15, 2013, the WPD and NHC sheriff's department created a joint task force to combat gang violence.[89] Just a day later the city council approved $142,000 in funding for a gang investigative unit.[90]
Less than half of Wilmington's population is religiously affiliated (47.30%), with the majority of practitioners beingChristian. The two largest Christian denominations in Wilmington are Protestant:Baptists (14.66%) andMethodists (8.29%), followed byRoman Catholics (7.42%). There are also a significant number ofPresbyterians (3.19%),Episcopalians (2.30%),Pentecostals (1.45%), andLutherans (1.32%). Other Christian denominations make up 7.02%, and theLatter-Day Saints have 0.90%. Much smaller is the proportion of residents who followIslam (0.46%), andJudaism (0.25%). A small percentage of people practiceEastern religions (0.04%).[91]
Wilmington's industrial base includes electrical, medical, electronic and telecommunications equipment; clothing and apparel; food processing; paper products; nuclear fuel; and pharmaceuticals. Wilmington is part of North Carolina's Research coast, adjacent to theResearch Triangle Park inDurham.[92]
Also important to Wilmington's economy is tourism due to its close proximity to the ocean and vibrant nightlife. Retail areas include theCotton Exchange of Wilmington andIndependence Mall.
Wilmington is home to the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, the oldest Chamber in North Carolina, organized in 1853.[94] Companies with their headquarters in Wilmington includeLive Oak Bank andHomeInsurance.com.
The city supports a very active calendar with its showcase theater,Thalian Hall, hosting about 250 events annually. The complex has been in continuous operation since it opened in 1858 and houses three performance venues, the Main Stage, the Grand Ballroom, and the Studio Theater.[96]
The Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center,[97] 120 South Second Street in theWilmington Historic District, is a multiuse facility owned by the City of Wilmington and managed by the Thalian Association,[98] the Official Community Theater of North Carolina.[99] Here, five studios are available to nonprofit organizations for theatrical performances, rehearsals, musicals, recitals and art classes. For more than half a century, the Hannah Block Historic USO Building has facilitated the coming together of generations, providing children with programs that challenge them creatively, and enhance the quality of life for residents throughout the region.
The Hannah Block Second Street Stage is home to the Thalian Association Children's Theater.[100] It is one of the main attractions at the Hannah Block Community Arts Center. The theater seats 200 and is used as a performance venue by community theater groups and other entertainment productions.
The University of North Carolina at Wilmington College of Arts and Science departments of Theatre, Music and Art share a state-of-the-art, $34 million Cultural Arts Building, which opened in December 2006. The production area consists of a music recital hall, art gallery, and two theaters. Sponsored events include 4 theater productions a year.[101]
The Brooklyn Arts Center at St. Andrews is a 125-year-old building on the corner of North 4th Street and Campbell Street in downtown Wilmington. The Brooklyn Arts Center at Saint Andrews (BAC) is on the National Register of Historic Places. The BAC is used for weddings, concerts, fundraisers, art shows, vintage flea markets, and other community-driven events.[102]
Wilmington is home to the Wilmington Conservatory of Fine Arts, a studio for foundlings. The Wilmington Conservatory of Fine Arts is the only studio in the region to offerProgressing Ballet Technique[103] instruction from two certified instructors. The Conservatory is also host to Turning Pointe Dance Company, a faith-based dance company, which performs artistic pieces such as "Pinocchio" for the Wilmington Community.[104]
Since 1995, Wilmington hosts an annual, nationally recognized, independent film festival called "Cucalorus".[108] It is the keystone event of The Cucalorus Film Foundation, a non-profit organization. The Foundation also sponsors weekly screenings, several short documentary projects, and the annual Kids Festival, with hands on film-making workshops.
The Cape Fear Independent Film Network also hosts a film festival annually, and the Wilmington Jewish Film Festival also takes place yearly.[109] For several years Wilmington was also the location of fan conventions forOne Tree Hill, reuniting the cast and drawing tourists to the city.[110]
In 2014, GovernorPat McCrory decided not to renew the film incentives, which ended up taking a massive toll on not just Wilmington's but North Carolina's entire film industry.[111] As a result, most productions and film businesses moved to other cities, especially toAtlanta, Georgia. For the years following, were many attempts to bring the industry back to North Carolina via the North Carolina Film and Entertainment Grant. This grant designates $31 million per fiscal year (Jul 1 – Jun 30) in film incentives.[112]
In the early 2020s, after theCOVID-19 lockdowns and changes to state legislation, filming in the city began to increase again, with 2021 being the biggest year to date for both the city's film industry as well as the whole film industry at large in North Carolina.[113][114][115][116]
In 2022,Dark Horse Studios—which became Wilmington's second film studio in 2020—planned a 20-million-dollar expansion to their studio complex in Wilmington, set to be complete in 2024.[117][118][119]
On September 27, 2023, Cinespace Studios announced it had purchased theEUE/Screen Gems Studios location in Wilmington.[23]
Chamber Music Wilmington was founded in 1995 and presents its four-concert "Simply Classical" series every season. The concerts are performed by world-class chamber musicians and are held at UNCW's Beckwith Recital Hall.
The Wilmington Symphony Orchestra was established in 1971 and offers throughout the year a series of five classical performances, and a Free Family Concert.[120]
One of the largestDIY festivals, the Wilmington Exchange Festival, occurs over a period of five days aroundMemorial Day each year.[121]
Beginning in 1980, the North Carolina Jazz Festival is an annual three-day traditional jazz festival that features world-renowned jazz musicians.[122]
The Cape Fear Blues Society is a driving force behind blues music in Wilmington. The organization manages, staffs and sponsors weekly Cape Fear Blues Jams and the annual Cape Fear Blues Challenge talent competition (winners travel to Memphis TN for the International Blues Challenge). Its largest endeavor is the Cape Fear Blues Festival, an annual celebration that showcases local, regional and national touring blues artists performing at a variety of events and venues, including the Cape Fear Blues Cruise, Blues Workshops, an All-Day Blues Jam, and numerous live club shows. Membership in the CFBS is open to listeners and musicians alike.[123]
Further information on the rock & roll band:Thunderlip
The Second and Orange Street USO Club was erected by theArmy Corps of Engineers at a cost of $80,000. Along with an identical structure on Nixon Street for African-American servicemen, it opened in December 1941, the same month that the Japanese attackedPearl Harbor. From 1941 to 1945, the USO hosted 35,000 uniformed visitors a week. Recently renovated with sensitivity to its historic character, the Hannah Block Historic USO (HBHUSO) lobby serves as a museum where World War II memorabilia and other artifacts are displayed. The building itself was rededicated in Ms. Block's name in 2006 and restored to its 1943 wartime character in 2008. The building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The World War II Wilmington Home Front Heritage Coalition,[130] an all volunteer 501(c)(3) preservation organization, is the de facto preservationist of the building's history and maintains the home front museum.
Wilmington is host to many annual festivals, including, most notably, theAzalea Festival. The Azalea Festival, sponsored by the Cape Fear Garden Club, features a garden tour, historic home tour, garden party, musical performances, a parade, and a fireworks show. It takes places every year in April.[131]
TheWilmington Sharks are aCoastal Plain League (CPL) baseball team in Wilmington that was founded in 1997 and was among the charter organizations when the CPL was formed that same year. The roster is made up of top collegiate baseball players fine-tuning their skills using wood bats to prepare for professional baseball. Their stadium is located at Buck Hardee Field at Legion Stadium.
TheWilmington Hammerheads were a professional soccer team based in Wilmington. They were founded in 1996 and played in theUnited Soccer Leagues Second Division. Their stadium wasLegion Stadium, however,UNCW Soccer Stadium for their 2017 season. After the 2009 season, the USL discontinued their relationship with the franchise ownerChuck Sullivan.[132] The Hammerheads franchise returned in 2011, but was disbanded again in 2017.[133] Currently, the organization only manages its youth team under the name Wilmington Hammerheads Youth FC.[134]
The University of North Carolina Wilmington is also home to the Seamen Ultimate Frisbee team. The team won the National Championship in 1993 and most recently qualified for the USA Ultimate College Nationals tournament in 2014
The Cape Fear Rugby Football Club is an amateur rugby club playing in USA Rugby South Division II. They were founded in 1974 and hosts the annualCape Fear Sevens Tournament held over July 4 weekend; hosting teams from all over the world. They own their own rugby pitch located at 21st and Chestnut St.[135]
The beach near Wilmington, NC is home to the annual O’Neil/Sweetwater Pro-Am and Music Festival, the second largest surfing contest on the East Coast.[138]
TheStar-News is Wilmington's daily newspaper; read widely throughout the Lower Cape Fear region and now owned by Gannett, following its merger with the Star's previous owner,GateHouse Media.[140] A daily online newspaper,Port City Daily, is owned by Local Daily Media.[141][142] Two historically black newspapers are distributed and published weekly:The Wilmington Journal andThe Challenger Newspapers.Encore Magazine is a weekly arts and entertainment publication.
WUNJ-TV, Channel 39, (PBS member station, part of theUNC-TV Network)
Cable news stationNews 14 Carolina also maintains its coastal bureau in Wilmington.
On September 8, 2008, at noon, WWAY, WECT, WSFX, WILM-LP and W51CW all turned off their analog signals, making Wilmington the first market in the nation to go digital-only as part of a test by theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) to iron out transition and reception concerns before thenationwide shutoff. Wilmington was chosen as the test market because the area's digital channel positions will remain unchanged after the transition.[143] As the area's official conduit of emergency information, WUNJ did not participate in the early analog switchoff, and kept their analog signal on until the nationaldigital switchover date of June 12, 2009.[144] W47CK did not participate due to its low-power status; FCC rules currently exempt low-powered stations from the 2009 analog shutdown.[145] WILM-LP and W51CW chose to participate, even though they are exempt as LPTV stations.[146]
DespiteTropical Storm Hanna making landfall southwest of Wilmington two days before (September 6), the switchover continued as scheduled. The ceremony was marked by governmental and television representatives flipping a large switch (marked with the slogan "First in Flight, First in Digital") from analog to digital.[147]
TheWilmington International Airport (ILM) serves the area with commercial air service provided byAmerican Airlines,Delta Air Lines,United Airlines andAvelo Airlines. American Airlines carries a large share of the airport's traffic, and therefore flies the largest of the aircraft in and out of the airport. The airport serves over 930,000 travelers per year.[148][149][150] The airport is also home to two fixed-base operations (FBOs) that currently house over 100 private aircraft. The airport maintains a separate International Terminal providing a full service Federal Inspection Station to clear international flights. This includes U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Immigration. The airport is 4 miles from downtown and is served byWave Transit buses.
The city of Wilmington offers transient docking facilities[155] in the center of downtown Wilmington along the Cape Fear River approximately 12.5 miles (20 km) from theIntracoastal Waterway. The river depth in the run up from the ICW is in excess of 40 feet (12 m). Taxicab services are available from several vendors, however, the City's Taxi Commission keeps meter rates artificially low. In 2021, regulations were eased to help the taxi industry compete with other companies likeUber andLyft.[156]
The Gary Shell Cross-City Trail is primarily amulti-use trail that provides bicycle and pedestrian access to numerous recreational, cultural and educational destinations in Wilmington. The Gary Shell Cross-City Trail provides bicycle and pedestrian connection from Wade Park, Halyburton Park and Empie Park to the Heide-Trask Drawbridge at the Intracoastal Waterway.[157] It also connects to the River to Sea Bikeway and the under-construction Central College Trail and Greenville Loop Trail.
New Hanover Regional Medical Center is a hospital in Wilmington. It was established in 1967 as apublic hospital, and it was the first hospital in the city to admit patients of all races.[158] It was operated by New Hanover County.[159] In February 2021Novant Health, a nonprofit private organization, acquired the hospital.[160]
^Official snowfall records for Wilmington were kept at the Weather Bureau in downtown from December 1870 to September 1951, and at Wilmington Int'l since October 1951. Precipitation, minimum temperature, and maximum temperature records date to January 1, 1871, March 1, 1873, and April 1, 1874, respectively.[75] For more information, seeThreadEx.
^Disbanded in 2017. All operations were moved to its youth team, Wilmington Hammerheads Youth FC.
^Roadside Hollywood: The Movie Lover's State-By-State Guide to Film Locations, Celebrity Hangouts, Celluloid Tourist Attractions, and More. Contemporary Books. Pages 173–175.ISBN9780809243266.
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