Cape Fear (region)

Cape Fear (region)

Cape Fear is a coastal plain and tidewater region of North Carolina centered about the city of Wilmington. The region takes its name from the adjacent Cape Fear headland, as does the Cape Fear River which flows through the region and empties into the Atlantic Ocean near the cape. Much of the region's populated areas are found along the Atlantic beaches and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway while the rural areas are dominated by farms and swampland like that of the Green Swamp. The general area can be also identified by the titles Lower Cape Fear, Wilmington Metropolitan Area, Southeastern North Carolina, and Azalea Coast. The latter name is derived from the North Carolina Azalea Festival held annually in Wilmington. Municipalities in the area belong to the Cape Fear Council of Governments.

The region is home to the Port of Wilmington, the busiest port in North Carolina, operated by the North Carolina State Ports Authority. It is also the location of Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point, the largest ammunition port in the nation, and the Army's primary east coast deep-water port. Plans are underway for the construction of the North Carolina International Port in the region on the west bank of the Cape Fear River as an expansion of the Port of Wilmington.

Three counties form the core of the Cape Fear region: New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender. These three counties are also included in the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which as of the 2000 census, had a population of 274,532. A July 1, 2008 census estimate puts the population total at 347,012. The coastal communities boast a large, seasonal tourism industry leading to much higher populations in the summer months and lower populations in the winter months.

Two additional counties, Bladen County and Columbus, are occasionally included as part of the Cape Fear region, as are Duplin, Onslow, and Sampson counties, but to a lesser extent.