Wilmington NC (North Carolina)

Wilmington NC is a port city in New Hanover County (southeastern North Carolina, USA), with population around 112,000 (ranking it state's 8th largest). Wilmington metro includes also New Hanover and Pender counties, and has population around 265,000.

Port Wilmington (locode USILM) is located on Cape Fear River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The port has general cargo and container terminals, as well as an oil terminal (pier) serving tanker ships. The Port is managed by North Carolina State Ports Authority.

In 2021, Port Wilmington NC was ranked North America's 4th most productive port, while North Carolina Ports was ranked the world's 49th most efficient port company. The ratings (by World Bank Group and S&P Global Market Intelligence) were based on the in-port time spent by container ships. For the 5-year period (2016-2021) NC Ports invested US$256+ million in infrastructure development and improvement projects.

Wilmington NC is the homeport for USCGC Diligence (cutter). The WW2 battleship USS North Carolina is a war memorial; permanently moored in the port area (across from downtown). Other popular tourist attractions include Cape Fear Museum, various annual sporting and cultural events. Here is also EUE Screen Gems Studios (1984-opened, the biggest TV and movie production facility outside California). Its sound stage (Dream Stage 10) is USA's 3rd-largest and houses North America's biggest special-effects water tank.

The historic downtown features a mile-long Riverwalk/esplanade developed as a tourist attraction. The riverfront promenade is just minutes away from the beaches. Residents live between Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean. There are four main beach communities located nearby (Carolina Beach, Fort Fisher, Kure Beach, Wrightsville Beach), all within 30 min drive distance from downtown.