Wilmington, NC
This charming port city is located in
the southeastern corner of North
Carolina, between the Cape Fear River
and the Atlantic Ocean. Wilmington
has become a popular destination
because of its moderate, four-season
climate, historic preservation district,
annual events such as the Azalea
Festival and Riverfest, and numerous
championship golf courses.
In 2008, The National Trust for
Historic Preservation named Wilmington one of its Dozen Distinctive
Destinations. Wilmington experienced
staggering growth in the 1990s, ranking at one time as the second-fastest
growing city in the country, behind
only Las Vegas. Economists have forecast growth in the Greater Wilmington
area to be the fastest in the state up to
2010, averaging 7 percent.
Wilmington offers a historic
downtown with a one-mile long
Riverwalk as a main tourist attraction.
It is also home to the World War II
Battleship, the USS North Carolina, a
war memorial that is open to public
tours and on display across the Cape
Fear River from downtown. The city
is minutes away from many nearby
beaches. Wrightsville Beach is a Mecca
for sailors, surfers, sunbathers, beachcombers and seafood lovers. It is also
a sportsman’s paradise for anglers,
mariners and water sports enthusiasts.
Wilmington is home to a regional
visual and performing arts center, a
regional medical center and Screen
Gems Studios, one of the largest
motion picture and television studios
outside of Hollywood. Here, many
famous movies and the popular TV
shows One Tree Hill and Dawson’s
Creek were filmed. The city supports a
very active calendar with its showcase
theater, the Thalian Hall Center for the
Performing Arts, which hosts about
250 events annually. The complex has
been in continuous operation since
it opened in 1858. The University of
North Carolina at Wilmington has a
state-of-the-art Cultural Arts Building
which opened in December 2006, and
houses a music recital hall, art gallery
and two theaters for major events.
The Wilmington Hammerheads
are a professional soccer team based
in Wilmington. The Cape Fear Rugby
Football Club is an amateur rugby
club that hosts the annual Cape Fear
Sevens Tournament, which brings
rugby teams from all over the world.
Golf is a year-round sport, thanks to
the warming influence of the Gulf
Stream flowing close offshore in the
Atlantic Ocean.
CONRAD POPE
