There is a stretch of the Carolina coast where two very different cities pull in opposite directions. Drive north and you’ll eventually reach Wilmington, NC, with its historic riverfront, growing dining scene, university, airport and thriving business community. Head south and you’ll find Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand, with seemingly endless restaurants, entertainment, golf, shopping and one of the most visited stretches of coastline in the Southeast.
Right in between them is Southern Brunswick County.
For years, places like Calabash, Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle Beach and Shallotte were towns many people discovered on vacation. You rented the same beach house every summer, had a favorite seafood restaurant and learned which roads to take when beach traffic picked up. Then, at some point, a different thought occurred: What would it actually be like to live here?
More and more people are finding out. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Brunswick County’s population grew from a 2020 base of 136,695 to an estimated 174,702 in 2025. From July 2024 to July 2025 alone, the county grew 4.7%, placing it among the fastest-growing counties of its size in the country.
So, can we still call Southern Brunswick County a secret? Probably not. But that doesn’t mean everyone has figured it out yet.
A Different Kind of Coastal Location
Look at a map and Southern Brunswick County starts to make a lot of sense. Calabash sits near the North Carolina and South Carolina state line, putting residents between Wilmington to the north and Myrtle Beach to the south. Nearby are Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle Beach, while North Myrtle Beach is just across the state line.
That geography creates something a little unusual. You can live in a smaller coastal community without giving up convenient access to larger cities. A quiet morning at home can become an afternoon on the Wilmington Riverwalk, dinner in North Myrtle Beach, a beach day on Sunset Beach or a round of golf somewhere along the Grand Strand.
For people searching for new homes in North Carolina near the beach, that distinction matters. Living near the coast doesn’t necessarily mean living directly on a barrier island or in the middle of a busy beach destination. Sometimes the better fit is a few miles inland, where the beach is still part of everyday life without being right outside your front door.
Close to the Action Without Living in the Middle of It
Wilmington and Myrtle Beach have both grown considerably, and there are plenty of reasons people want to live in either city. But not everyone wants city life.
Southern Brunswick County offers a different rhythm. There are grocery stores, restaurants, medical providers, schools, golf courses and everyday services nearby, but the area still feels more like a collection of coastal towns than one continuous metro area. You notice it driving through Calabash. Fishing boats still work the local waterways, seafood restaurants are part of the town’s identity, and just beyond the commercial areas, the landscape opens toward the marshes, creeks and barrier islands that define this part of the Carolina coast.
That balance is one reason people looking at Calabash, North Carolina homes for sale or new homes in Calabash, NC may find themselves comparing the area with much larger coastal markets. Southern Brunswick County gives you access to larger cities without requiring you to live in the middle of one.
Everyday Life Works Here, Too
A coastal location is easy to love on vacation. Choosing where to live requires a different checklist. You need doctors, schools, groceries, reliable internet, career opportunities, airports and roads that can get you where you need to go.
Southern Brunswick County benefits from being part of a larger and rapidly growing region. Healthcare is available within Brunswick County, including Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center in Bolivia, which provides 24/7 emergency care along with heart and vascular care, imaging, surgery, orthopedics, rehabilitation, maternity care and other services. Residents can also access the broader healthcare networks available in Wilmington and the Myrtle Beach area.
Educational opportunities include Brunswick County Schools and Brunswick Community College, which offers university-transfer programs as well as education in business, computer science, health sciences, engineering, manufacturing, public safety and other fields. Wilmington and the Myrtle Beach region add additional higher education options.
The point isn’t that everything is on the same block. It’s that living in a smaller coastal town doesn’t require disconnecting from the practical things that make a place work year-round.
Remote Work Has Changed the Map
For many professionals, where you live and where you work no longer have to be the same place, and that has changed the equation for coastal North Carolina. Someone whose company is headquartered in Charlotte, Raleigh, Washington, New York or another major market may only need to travel occasionally. For that buyer, having the right home, reliable connectivity and reasonable access to an airport can matter more than being close to an office.
Southern Brunswick County provides access to two commercial airports. Wilmington International Airport (ILM) connects travelers with major hubs and destinations across the country, while Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) offers nonstop service to dozens of destinations. U.S. 17 serves as the primary coastal corridor connecting communities throughout Brunswick County with Wilmington to the north and the Grand Strand to the south.
That combination makes the area particularly interesting for someone who can work from home most days but still needs to catch a flight, visit a regional office or travel to a larger city. Your home can feel removed without actually being remote.
Calabash Is More Than a Vacation Stop
For generations of visitors, Calabash has been synonymous with seafood. Spend more time here, though, and you start seeing the town differently. Calabash sits along the river that shares its name, only a few miles from Sunset Beach and just north of the South Carolina border. North Myrtle Beach is nearby, while Wilmington remains accessible for day trips, appointments, flights, shopping and entertainment.
Some people moving here have known the area for decades. They vacationed on Sunset Beach or Ocean Isle Beach, brought their children here every summer and eventually decided they wanted more than one week a year. Others are relocating from another part of North Carolina or from states farther north.
And some people really do start with a Google search for new homes near Myrtle Beach, new homes in Calabash, NC, or the best places to live along the carolina coast and discover a town they had barely heard of before. There is no single route that brings people here, and that’s part of what makes the area interesting.
The Beach Is Close. So Is Everyday Life.
Living along the coast isn’t only about measuring the distance from your front door to the sand. It’s about what an ordinary Tuesday looks like. Can you enjoy the weather, get to the water without planning an entire day around it, meet friends for dinner, play golf, work from home and still have access to the services you need?
For a growing number of people, Southern Brunswick County checks those boxes. And at Kingfish Bay, that location is a big part of the story.
Our gated community in Calabash puts homeowners near Sunset Beach, North Myrtle Beach and the broader Brunswick County coast while offering a distinctly residential setting along the Calabash River. Within the community, residents have access to coastal amenities designed around how people actually want to spend their time here, including our Riverfront Park, pool, clubhouse and fitness center.
Maybe the Best Part Is Being in Between
There are good reasons people continue moving to Wilmington, and there are good reasons the Myrtle Beach area continues attracting new residents. Southern Brunswick County offers another option: you can be connected to both without making either city your home address.
You can live close to the beaches that first drew you here while having the conveniences that make staying here practical. You can find new construction homes in coastal North Carolina without giving up the character of a smaller town. And you can choose a community where the coast isn’t something reserved for vacation.
Maybe you first came here for a week. Maybe you’ve been coming for 20 years. Or maybe you opened Google one evening, searched for homes for sale near Myrtle Beach and Wilmington, and somehow landed here.
However you found Calabash, we think it’s worth seeing for yourself. Explore homes for sale at Kingfish Bay, or come spend some time with us. We’d love to show you around our little stretch of the Carolina coast and introduce you to the place so many people are discovering between Wilmington and Myrtle Beach.
