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Geographic Features
The town of Sunset Beach is the most southern of the Brunswick Islands and several square miles of mainland in North Carolina. This area is adored for its breathtaking beauty and pristine white sand beaches. Sunset Beach has remained small in comparison to the other beach communities along the Grand Strand because the only way into town is by crossing a pontoon swing bridge. This bridge straddles the Intracoastal Waterway and neighboring marshland. It is a wooden structure that can only hold one lane of traffic at a time and is the only one along the east coast still in use. In March 2008 construction commenced on a modern bridge that should completed by December 2010.
Sunset Beach offers many stunning natural features. Neighboring Bird Island is the perfect place to walk among sand dunes, beach comb, and learn about local wildlife. This is the natural habitat for coastal wildlife of all kinds including the endangered loggerhead sea turtle. There is a full-service fishing pier and the quaint town offers small boutiques, dining, golf and the Ingram Planetarium. Pastel colored cottages are nestled among the dunes that line the oceanfront. At Sunset Beach you can even watch the both sun rise and set over the water.
Price Range
Sunset Beach homes have relatively high prices compared to both North Carolina and the United States. The median home price is $271,733. Most of the homes are single-family detached homes with 3 to 4 bedrooms and were built between 1970 and 1994. There are some new homes of a larger size with 5 or more bedrooms.
- Less than $105,000 6%
- $105,001-$210,000 28%
- $210,001-$420,000 47%
- $420,001-$631,000 11%
- $631,001-$842,000 6%
- $842,001-$1,052,000 1%
- $1,052,001-$1,579,000 1%
- More than $1,579,001 1%
Daily Life
Sunset Beach offers the restful world of Southern coastal living. It is a popular vacation spot in the summer months but transforms into an even quieter small town in the winter. It has a year-round population of more than 2,000 residents, with only 100 of them living on the barrier island. Much of the town's economy is based in tourism but many of the people who live there telecommute.
The small size of Sunset Beach creates a very car-oriented town. There is no public transportation system and many of the roads can be somewhat rural. Traffic is never a concern.
Sunset Beach provides a fun and relaxed way of life, with ocean and temperate weather offering residents a continual selection of activities that keeps everyone is happily busy. Golfers have the treat of choosing between the magnificent golf courses located in Sunset Beach and the famous Myrtle Beach courses that are just a short drive away. Imagine waking up and taking early morning beach walks, deep-sea fishing, and kayaking through tidal estuaries. Bird Island offers the perfect place to experience and learn about local wildlife.
Golf
Sunset Beach is ideally located for some of the best golf in the country. Here golfers can choose one of the many great local courses or make the short drive to golf some of Myrtle Beach's most requested courses. Sea Trail Golf Courses has three distinctively different golf courses. The Dan Maples Course, Rees Jones Course, and Willard Byrd Course were all named as "Best Resort Courses of Distinction" by Golfweek magazine.
Other notable courses in Sunset Beach include:
- Oyster Bay Golf Links
- Pearl Golf Links
- Sand Piper Bay Golf and Country Club
- Thistle Golf Course
Recreation and Sports
Even with its small size, Sunset Beach boasts unique opportunities for recreation. The Ingram Planetarium will allow you to explore the heavens with their recent installation of the SciDome HD Digital projection system. Lean back and relax in the Sky Theatre's seats as the Planetarium staff navigates the sky and points out constellations and planets. They have exceptional programs about astronomy, science, and space exploration.
The Atlantic Ocean makes favorite water sports a must; jet skiing, parasailing, kayaking, and surfing are all quite popular. Get your fishing rods out for deep-sea fishing aboard modern sports fishing boats and inshore fishing from the Sunset Beach Pier. Your catch may include bass, bream, flounder, sea bass, and tuna.
The Silver Coast Winery is only 15 minutes away. Sample their delicious wines and take a tour to learn how their wine is made. They have 40 acres of vineyard for visitors to stroll around and their tasting room features great art by local artists.
Neighboring Sunset Beach is Bird Island nature preserve, which is a perfect place to experience unspoiled nature. Sand dunes and the tidal estuary create beautiful areas to wander. Kayaking around through the lagoons at high tide is a lovely way to explore and bird watch. You might even spy piping plover, wood stork, and black skimmer.
Night Life
The nightlife in Sunset Beach is best experienced outside enjoying a delectable seafood dinner or walking along the beach looking at the stars. Local restaurants feature freshly caught seafood and serve southern classics that will have your mouth watering.
Magnolias Fine Food and Spirits offers delicious food and cocktails overlooking the golf course. Their neighboring Brassie's Pub is a great place for a relaxing beer. Crabby Oddwaters has fine dining in a comfortable atmosphere.
Festivals and Events
The Sunset at Sunset event is held every October at the Ingram Planetarium. Last year over 4000 people came out to enjoy the fabulous vendors, live music, and fun. They are planning on adding a 5-K beach run and a children's fun run in 2011.
Neighboring towns host festivals and events throughout the year. North Carolina Oyster Festival is held in Ocean Isle Beach. This event has won many awards and brings together thousands of people to enjoy the highly delectable local oysters. Holden Beach hosts the beloved North Carolina Festival by the Sea. This two day events is features a parade down the Holden Beach causeway, live music, arts and crafts vendors, and yummy food. There are also popular fishing tournaments. For example the Fall Brawl King Classic is held every October when the King Mackerel are at its peak and even features great food, entertainment, and a cast net throwing contest.
Parks
Bird Island is a nature lover's paradise and the ideal place to walk among sand dunes, beach comb, and learn about local wildlife. It was once a separate island accessible only by walking through the shallow inlet at low tide, but today it is connected to Sunset Beach because the inlet has filled in with sand. Bird Island is a dedicated North Carolina Coastal Reserve and is completely untouched by development. Its nearly 1,300 acres of beach, marsh, and wetlands protects habitat used by several threatened or endangered species, including loggerhead sea turtles, sea beach amaranth, piping plover, wood stork, and black skimmer. In the summer months early morning bird walks are conducted by the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust. Bird Island is also home to the Kindred Spirit Mailbox, where visitors record their thoughts in one of the notebooks kept inside the mailbox.
A short drive to the mainland presents numerous wildlife exploration opportunities at area preserves. The Ev-Henwood Nature Preserve, Green Swamp Preserve, and Boiling Lakes Preserve are all popular destinations.
Schools
Sunset Beach is part of the Brunswick County School District. There are approximately 11,500 students enrolled in the district's 16 public schools. This is an above average school district compared to both North Carolina and the United States. They rate 37.4% higher than North Carolina school districts and 33.3% higher than US school districts. There is an average of 15 students per classroom and spend an average of $9,141 per child enrolled compared to the national average of $5,678.
Neighborhoods
Sunset Beach is made up of three mainland neighborhoods and the barrier island Bird Island. Mainland neighborhoods are luxury golf course developments: Ocean Ridge Plantation, Sea Trail Resort and Sandpiper Bay. Bird Island is primarily home to vacation rental cottages, although there are close to 100 full time residents.
Area History and Culture
The region around Sunset Beach was originally inhabited by the Cape Fear Indians; European settlers never learned their true name. The natives called the region Chicora and were first known to the English in 1661, when a colony from New England created an unsuccessful settlement near the mouth of the river. The Brooks family purchased Sunset Beach in the 1700s.
During the 1930s, the US Army Corps of Engineers dredged the US Intracoastal Waterway, creating barrier islands like Sunset Beach. The waterway is over 3,000 miles long and consists of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and artificial canals. It provides a navigable route along its length without many of the hazards of travel on the open sea.
In 1955 Mannon Gore purchased Sunset Beach from the Brooks Family. He designed and built the first pontoon swing bridge and the original Vesta Pier, named after a civil war blockade-runner who is buried on the island. Property sales started in 1958 and Mr. Gore and his son Edward continued to successfully develop the island into the tranquil vacation spot it is today.
