Wilmington (North Carolina), city, seat of New Hanover County, southeastern North Carolina, a deepwater port on the Cape Fear River, near its mouth in the Atlantic Ocean; settled about 1732, incorporated as a city 1866. It is the state's principal seaport, a major trade and distribution center, and a resort. Manufactures include textiles, clothing, nuclear electricity-generating equipment, and fiber optics. A movie studio is here. Also of interest are the Burgwin-Wright House, which served (1781) during the American Revolution as the headquarters of the British general Charles Cornwallis, and the USS North Carolina, a World War II battleship moored in the Cape Fear River. In the city are the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (1947) and two junior colleges. The community, named for the British official Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, was an important Confederate port during the Civil War and remained open until 1865. Population 44,000 (1980); 55,530 (1990); 75,838 (2000).

Cape Fear the Movie
Cape Fear, motion picture about a released criminal’s psychological revenge on the prosecutor who put him in jail. Released in 1962, this film stars Robert Mitchum as Max Cady, a criminal who tracks down his prosecutor and begins a slow but relentless campaign to taunt and intimidate the man and his family while carefully remaining within the boundaries of the law. Cady’s ultimate intentions appear violent, and the prosecutor struggles to stay within the law while protecting his family. This film was remade in 1991 by director Martin Scorsese, with Robert De Niro as Cady.