Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina Location in New Hanover County and the state of North Carolina.
Location in New Hanover County and the state of North Carolina.
Wrightsville Beach is a town in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States.
Wrightsville Beach is just east of Wilmington and is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The town consists of a four-mile-long beach island, an interior island called Harbor Island, and pockets of commercial property on the mainland.
Wrightsville Beach is composed of two islands that are separated by two different bodies of water.
The first documented history of present-day Wrightsville Beach began when the Lord's Proprietors granted territory to Charles Harrison in 1725.
The territory grant was for 640 acres (259 ha) positioned north of the present day Hiede Trask Bridge that runs over the Intracoastal Waterway and was the first formal ownership of property near the beach.
The town was incorporated in 1899 as Wrightsville Beach, with respect to the Wright family of Wilmington and the improve of Wrightsville on the mainland side of Harbor Island.
Beach street car) in 1902 by the Consolidated Railroad, Power & Light Company.
The street cars not only carried citizens to the beach, they carried freight as well.
The Power Company had special freight cars that carried goods to and from the beach.
The Consolidated Railroad, Power & Light Company, owned by the Mac - Rae family, also owned Wrightsville Beach.
With the beginning of the street car fitness to the beach, Mac - Rae began to precarious the beach as a resort destination.
The two hotels on the beach were renovated and the first enhance entertainment venue on the beach was built.
Lumina was the hot spot for beach goers for decades, welcoming tourists and beachgoer staying for weeks or the day..
After World War Two its popularity slowly declined due to the cancellation of the street car service to the beach in 1940 as well as the burgeoning number of other entertainment venues in and around the area.
Lumina changed hands a several times after the war as citizens tried various ways to make it the hottest spot on the beach.
Other beach landmarks were being constructed as Lumina was fading away.
In 1937 the third pier in North Carolina, the Ocean View Pier, was constructed.
Today (2015) it homes the beach's most famous restaurant, The Oceanic, a place where patrons can appreciate the ocean view while dining on fresh seafood.
The assembly and popularity of these new buildings was made possible in part by the assembly of a highway and car bridge to the beach in 1935.
People soon began to drive their own cars to the beach freshwater riding the street car.
Wrightsville Beach has weathered many storms amid its lifetime.
The first hit on August 17 making landfall at Hatteras but with widespread destruction at Wrightsville Beach as well.
The second storm came in just south of Wrightsville Beach on November 1 right at high tide.
Cottages were wiped off the beach, the train trestle was damaged and the Carolina Yacht Club had to be completely rebuilt.
The next big hit came from Hurricane Hazel, which made landfall on October 15, 1954 at Holden Beach.
This was the third titled hurricane to hit the region inside 7 weeks and is the only category 4 hurricane to make landfall in North Carolina.
The storm headed up the coast devastating Yaupon Beach, Long Beach and Southport before hitting Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach.
Hurricane Connie hit the beach in 1955 and caused damaged to Johnnie Mercer's pier and other homes along the beach.
Hurricane Bertha and Fran hit inside months of each other in 1996, completely wiping out the beaches' fishing piers and causing hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of damage.
Wrightsville Beach is positioned at 34 12 40 N 77 47 55 W, Wrightsville Beach lies south of Figure Eight Island, separated by Mason Inlet, and north of Masonboro Island, separated by Masonboro Inlet.
According to the United States Enumeration Bureau, the town has a total region of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2).1.3 square miles (3.4 km2) of it is territory and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) of it (44.40%) is water.
Historic Architecture of New Hanover County North Carolina.
North Carolina's Ocean Fishing Piers, From Kitty Hawk to Sunset Beach.
Wrightsville Beach Museum.
Tide and Time, A History of Wrightsville Beach North Carolina.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.
Official website of Wrightsville Beach, NC Municipalities and communities of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States
Categories:
Towns in New Hanover County, North Carolina - Towns in North Carolina - Beaches of North Carolina - Populated places established in 1853 - Barrier islands of North Carolina - Cape Fear (region)Landforms of New Hanover County, North Carolina - 1853 establishments in North Carolina
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