| Official Name: | Carolina Beach |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Nickname: | C.B. |
| Motto: | "Relax, you’re here." |
| Mapsize: | 260px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | North Carolina |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | New Hanover |
| Government Type: | Council-Manager |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Lynn Barbee[1] |
| Leader Title1: | Mayor Pro Tem |
| Leader Name1: | Jay Healy |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [2] |
| Area Total Km2: | 7.09 |
| Area Land Km2: | 6.35 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.74 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 2.74 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 2.45 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.29 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 6564 |
| Population Density Km2: | 1033.61 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 2677.00 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation Ft: | 13 |
| Coordinates: | 34.0397°N -77.8961°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 28428 |
| Area Codes: | 910, 472 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 37-10500[3] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2405381 |
Carolina Beach is a beach town in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States, situated about 12miles south of Wilmington International Airport in southeastern coastal North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 6,564. It is part of the Wilmington metropolitan area. The community of Wilmington Beach was annexed by the town in 2000.
Carolina Beach lies at the northern end of Pleasure Island, which it shares with the community of Kure Beach, south of the inlet that separates the island from the unincorporated community of Sea Breeze. The town has a land area of 2.45sqmi, extending along the island from Freeman Park in the north to Alabama Avenue in the south.The town borders Kure Beach, which is directly to the south of Carolina Beach. During the summer months, the town of Carolina Beach has live Beach music every Friday night on the boardwalk right near town center.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.5sqmi.2.2mi2 of it is land and 0.2sqmi of it (8.13%) is water.
| Number | Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 5,982 | 91.13% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 53 | 0.81% | |
| Native American | 17 | 0.26% | |
| Asian | 50 | 0.76% | |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.02% | |
| Other/Mixed | 277 | 4.22% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 184 | 2.8% |
At the 2013 census estimate,[3] there were 2,296 households, and 1,253 families residing in the town. The population density was 2086.4/mi2. There were 4,086 housing units at an average density of 1813.5/mi2. The racial makeup of the town was 98.94% White, 0.39% African American,0.50% Asian, and 0.17% from other races.
There were 2,296 households, out of which 18.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.4% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03, and the average family size was 2.59.
The population was spread out in the town, with 14.8% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 34.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $37,662, and the median income for a family was $44,882. Males had a median income of $31,013 versus $21,241 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,128. About 8.4% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
The New Hanover County Schools district covers Carolina Beach. Only Carolina Beach Elementary School, founded in 1937, is located in the town.[4] Older students are assigned to Charles P. Murray Middle School and Eugene Ashley High School in Wilmington.[5]
The town was "wiped off the map" by Hurricane Hazel in 1954. Reportedly, 362 buildings were destroyed in the town.[6]