# New Hanover County, North Carolina

New Hanover County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 225,702. The county seat is Wilmington. Though the second-smallest county in North Carolina by land area, it is one of the most populous counties, as Wilmington is one of the largest communities in the state. The county was created in 1729 as New Hanover Precinct and gained county status in 1739. New Hanover County is included in the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which also includes neighboring Pender and Brunswick counties.

## History

Located in the Low Country or Tidewater of North Carolina, the county was formed in 1729 as New Hanover Precinct of Bath County, from Craven Precinct. It was named for the House of Hanover, a German royal family then ruling Great Britain.
In 1734, parts of New Hanover Precinct became Bladen Precinct and Onslow Precinct. With the abolition of Bath County in 1739, all of its constituent precincts became counties.
In 1750, the northern part of New Hanover County became Duplin County. In 1764, another part of New Hanover County was combined with part of Bladen County to form Brunswick County. Finally, in 1875, the separation of northern New Hanover County to form Pender County reduced it to its present dimensions. The county was developed as plantations, largely for the cultivation of tobacco and other commodity crops by enslaved African Americans.
By 1860, the county seat and county were majority-black in population, with most of those people enslaved. Some of the closing battles of the American Civil War took place in this county, including the Second Battle of Fort Fisher (the last major coastal stronghold of the Confederacy) and the Battle of Wilmington. White Democrats were resentful when freedmen were given the vote.
Following the Reconstruction era, white Democrats regained control of the state legislature and continued to impose white supremacy across the state through Jim Crow laws. Violence by whites against blacks increased in the late 19th century, with 22 lynching deaths of African Americans recorded before the mid-20th century.
Racial terrorism on a larger scale took place in the Wilmington Insurrection of 1898, when a group of white Democrats rejected a duly elected, biracial city government. After overthrowing the Fusionist government, the mayor and city council, they led mobs that rioted and attacked the city's black neighborhoods and residents. A total of 60 to 300 blacks are believed to have been killed in the rioting, leaders were driven out of the city, and the presses of a black-owned newspaper were destroyed, along with many houses and businesses.
The insurrection was planned by a group of nine conspirators, who included Hugh MacRae. He later donated land to New Hanover County for a park; it was named in his honor. A plaque was installed there explaining the donation and his life; it does not refer to his role in the 1898 coup d'état. However, in July 2020, the name of the park was changed from "Hugh McRae Park" to "Long Leaf Park" due to his role in the insurrection.
Soon after, the state passed a new constitution raising barriers to voter registration: this effectively disenfranchised most blacks and imposed Jim Crow laws, forcing blacks out of the political system and into legal second-class status. These civil rights injustices were largely maintained into the 1960s, three generations later.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 328.86 square miles (851.7 km$^2$), of which 192.26 square miles (498.0 km$^2$) is land and 136.60 square miles (353.8 km$^2$) (41.54%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in North Carolina by land area (ahead of only Chowan County).

### State and local protected areas/sites

* Airlie Gardens
* Battleship North Carolina
* Bluethenthal Wildflower Preserve
* Cape Fear Museum of History and Science
* Cape Fear River Wetlands Game Land (part)
* Carolina Beach State Park
* Federal Point
* Fort Fisher State Historic Site
* Fort Fisher State Recreation Area
* Freeman Park
* Masonboro Island Estuarine Reserve Dedicated Nature Preserve
* Masonboro Island Reserve
* Masonboro Sound Area Outstanding Resource Water
* New Hanover County Arboretum
* North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher
* Pages Creek Park Preserve
* The Rocks at Fort Fisher
* South of Onslow County Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area (part)
* Sutton Lake Game Land
* Topsail Sound and Middle Sound Area Outstanding Resource Water
* Wilmington Historic District
* Zekes Island Estuarine Reserve Dedicated Nature Preserve (part)
* Zeke's Island Reserve (part)

### Major water bodies

* Atlantic Ocean (North Atlantic Ocean)
* Banks Channel
* Bradley Creek
* Brunswick River
* Cape Fear River
* Frying Pan Shoals
* Futch Creek
* Greenfield Lake
* Hewletts Creek
* Howe Creek
* Intracoastal Waterway
* Island Creek
* Lake Sutton
* Leutze Lake
* Northeast Cape Fear River
* Onslow Bay
* Prince George Creek
* Smith Creek
* Snow's Cut
* Whiskey Creek

### Major islands

* Eagles Island
* Pleasure Island
* Figure Eight Island
* Masonboro Island
* Wrightsville Beach
* Zeke’s Island

### Adjacent counties

* Pender County – north
* Brunswick County – west

### Major highways

* I-40
* I-140 / NC 140
* US 17
* US 17 Bus.
* US 17 Byp. (future Hampstead Bypass)
* US 74
* US 76
* US 117
* US 421
* US 421 Truck
* NC 132
* NC 133
* NC 211
* NC 417 (temporary highway designation for US 17 Byp.)

### Major infrastructure

* Amtrak Thruway (Forden Station)
* Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority
* Pilots Ridge, small private airport near Myrtle Grove
* Port of Wilmington
* Southport–Fort Fisher Ferry (to Brunswick County)
* Wilmington International Airport

## Demographics
### 2020 census

New Hanover County racial composition :
| Race | Number | Percentage |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 167,150 | 74.06% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 26,974 | 11.95% |
| Native American | 678 | 0.3% |
| Asian | 3,468 | 1.54% |
| Pacific Islander | 148 | 0.07% |
| Other/Mixed | 9,984 | 4.42% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 17,300 | 7.66% |
As of the 2020 census, there were 225,702 people, 100,189 households, and 56,160 families residing in the county.

### 2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 160,307 people, 68,183 households, and 41,591 families residing in the county. The population density was 806 people per square mile (311 people/km$^2$). There were 79,616 housing units at an average density of 400 units per square mile (150 units/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the county was 79.91% White, 16.97% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. 2.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 14.3% were of English, 13.0% United States or American, 10.6% German and 10.2% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 68,183 households, out of which 26.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.50% were married couples living together, 11.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.00% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size were 2.29 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.00% under the age of 18, 12.00% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,172, and the median income for a family was $50,861. Males had a median income of $35,801 versus $25,305 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,123. About 8.30% of families and 13.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.70% of those under age 18 and 9.00% of those age 65 or over.

## Law and government

New Hanover County is governed by a county commission. The commission comprises five members elected at-large in four-year staggered terms. The body elects its own chairman and vice-chairman. It sets policy for county administration within the confines of state law, adopts local ordinances, appoints advisory committees, and enacts an annual county budget.
New Hanover County is represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Republican David Rouzer, who is the representative for North Carolina's 7th congressional district. From 2013 to 2017, a portion of northwestern and central New Hanover County was redistricted to North Carolina's 3rd congressional district, which was represented by Republican Walter B. Jones Jr. before his death. The county is also in the 7th and 8th districts of the North Carolina Senate, represented by Republicans Michael V. Lee and Bill Rabon, respectively; and the 18th, 19th, and 20th districts of the North Carolina House of Representatives, represented by two Republicans and one Democrat.
New Hanover County is a member of the regional Cape Fear Council of Governments.
New Hanover County Sheriff's Office (NHCSO) serves as the county's primary law enforcement agency. NHCSO is responsible for patrolling the county (primarily outside the Wilmington city limits), staffing the juvenile and adult correctional facilities, and proving court security for the W. Allen Cobb Judicial Annex in Wilmington.

### Politics

New Hanover County is politically competitive. It favored Republican presidential candidates every election between 1968 and 2016, except in 1976, with county favoring Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. The county has also favored Democratic U.S. Senate candidates in recent elections, though Republicans still tend to perform better in local contests. In 2024, Kamala Harris became the first Democratic presidential nominee to win the county yet lose the presidential election since 1956.
United States presidential election results for New Hanover County, North Carolina :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 67,949 | 48.98% | 68,814 | 49.60% | 1,971 | 1.42% |
| 2020 | 63,331 | 48.04% | 66,138 | 50.17% | 2,361 | 1.79% |
| 2016 | 55,344 | 49.46% | 50,979 | 45.56% | 5,582 | 4.99% |
| 2012 | 53,385 | 51.52% | 48,668 | 46.96% | 1,575 | 1.52% |
| 2008 | 50,544 | 50.21% | 49,145 | 48.82% | 976 | 0.97% |
| 2004 | 45,351 | 55.82% | 35,572 | 43.78% | 324 | 0.40% |
| 2000 | 36,503 | 55.04% | 29,292 | 44.17% | 524 | 0.79% |
| 1996 | 27,889 | 50.92% | 22,839 | 41.70% | 4,041 | 7.38% |
| 1992 | 24,338 | 46.67% | 20,291 | 38.91% | 7,525 | 14.43% |
| 1988 | 23,807 | 60.56% | 15,401 | 39.18% | 105 | 0.27% |
| 1984 | 23,771 | 65.21% | 12,591 | 34.54% | 90 | 0.25% |
| 1980 | 17,243 | 53.48% | 13,670 | 42.40% | 1,331 | 4.13% |
| 1976 | 13,687 | 48.06% | 14,504 | 50.93% | 286 | 1.00% |
| 1972 | 19,060 | 74.41% | 5,894 | 23.01% | 661 | 2.58% |
| 1968 | 10,020 | 37.03% | 7,750 | 28.64% | 9,291 | 34.33% |
| 1964 | 12,140 | 49.10% | 12,584 | 50.90% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 9,775 | 42.58% | 13,182 | 57.42% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 9,470 | 48.03% | 10,247 | 51.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 9,330 | 47.46% | 10,330 | 52.54% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 3,162 | 28.25% | 5,364 | 47.92% | 2,667 | 23.83% |
| 1944 | 2,829 | 23.01% | 9,467 | 76.99% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 1,635 | 15.97% | 8,600 | 84.03% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 1,306 | 15.04% | 7,379 | 84.96% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 1,430 | 18.81% | 6,030 | 79.33% | 141 | 1.86% |
| 1928 | 4,248 | 60.62% | 2,760 | 39.38% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 1,190 | 18.80% | 4,735 | 74.80% | 405 | 6.40% |
| 1920 | 712 | 14.79% | 4,102 | 85.21% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 492 | 17.28% | 2,355 | 82.72% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1912 | 140 | 6.17% | 2,021 | 89.11% | 107 | 4.72% |
| 1908 | 511 | 21.58% | 1,857 | 78.42% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1904 | 91 | 6.77% | 1,254 | 93.23% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1900 | 60 | 2.60% | 2,247 | 97.40% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1896 | 3,183 | 58.17% | 2,100 | 38.38% | 189 | 3.45% |
| 1892 | 1,500 | 38.01% | 2,408 | 61.02% | 38 | 0.96% |
| 1888 | 2,856 | 60.43% | 1,870 | 39.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1884 | 2,894 | 62.38% | 1,745 | 37.62% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1880 | 2,200 | 55.88% | 1,438 | 36.53% | 299 | 7.59% |

## Education

The county is served by New Hanover County Schools.

## Healthcare

New Hanover Regional Medical Center is a hospital in Wilmington. It was established in 1967 as a public hospital, and it was the first hospital in the city to admit patients of all races. It was operated by New Hanover County. In February 2021 Novant Health, a nonprofit private organization, acquired the hospital.

## Communities
### City

* Wilmington (county seat and largest community)

### Towns

* Carolina Beach
* Kure Beach
* Wrightsville Beach

### Townships

* Cape Fear
* Federal Point
* Harnett
* Masonboro
* Wilmington

### Census-designated places

* Bayshore
* Blue Clay Farms
* Castle Hayne
* Hightsville
* Kings Grant
* Kirkland
* Murraysville
* Myrtle Grove
* Northchase
* Ogden
* Porters Neck
* Sea Breeze
* Silver Lake
* Skippers Corner
* Wrightsboro

### Unincorporated community

* Monkey Junction

### Former communities

* Masonboro
* Seagate
* Wilmington Beach

## Notable people

* Michael Jordan, NBA player
* Meadowlark Lemon, NBA player for the Harlem Globetrotters