Oak
Island Lifestyle
Oak Island, the most populated and largest of the Brunswick County
Isles, is home to more than 5,000 residents. The town’s
dedication to preservation of the environment has won national
recognition. Wind-swept live oaks and yaupon trees, beautiful
beaches and nature trails make this a nature lover’s paradise.
A community defined by its dedication to family-friendly activities,
Oak Island is a great place to live or visit. With over ten miles
of southern facing beaches, the island offers more than 50 public
beach accesses, several public boat ramps, picnic areas, extensive
sidewalks, nature centers, parks and walking trails. Activities
include golf, fishing, boating, crabbing, claming, shelling, walking
on nature trails or just plain relaxing on the beach. Visitors
and residents appreciate the many colorful shops and dining options
also found here. Situated midway between Wilmington and Myrtle
Beach Oak Island is close to a host of cultural and entertainment
activities, while maintaining the hospitality and warmth of a
small town.
Oak
Island is 12.6 miles long and averages about one mile across,
It consists of the Town of Oak Island and the Town of Caswell
Beach with areas of salt marsh, freshwater wetlands, maritime
forests and miles of beach strand. With a complex ecosystem, the
island is home to a wide variety of plant and animal life. Loggerhead,
Green and Kemp Ridley sea turtles, considered to be some of the
island’s most important residents, return annually to lay
their eggs.
Oak
Island History
The history of Oak Island stretches back to 1826 when construction
first began on Fort Caswell on what is now Caswell Beach. The
Oak Island Lifesaving Station opened and the Oak Island Lighthouse
was completed in 1889. Serving to protect and guide sailors around
the turbulent waters of the nearby Cape Fear River, the station
became home to the first residents of Oak Island.
Throughout the 1800’s Oak Island remained mostly undeveloped
and played host to fox hunters, a sport important to the Island’s
early development. In 1936 the Inter-coastal Waterway was completed,
deepening the Elizabeth River and creating a true “island.”
Then in 1936, Earnest D. Middleton purchased land on Oak Island.
A timber exporter from Charleston, SC, Middleton began development
in an area known as Long Beach and by 1939, Long Beach was open
to the public. Oceanfront lots were offered for $350 each and
the island hosted about 40 small cottages, a pavilion, dining
room and 20 bath houses. On Saturday nights, the town came alive
with orchestras and dancing. But the building boom was short-lived
as shortages during World War II halted construction. After the
restrictions were raised, Long Beach grew to about 300 homes.
Unfortunately,
in 1954, disaster struck in the form of Hurricane Hazel, wiping
out all but five homes on the island. Residents were forced to
take shelter in nearby Southport, but rebuilding began soon thereafter
and in 1955 the town was incorporated. E. F. Middleton and developer
G.V. Barbee continued development, discovering a safe haven in
the woods-side Davis Creek area. Laid out with major roadways
running perpendicular to the ocean rather than parallel, the town
was considered more of a permanent resident rather than a resort
community.
