Fishing Piers

Two fishing piers were popular for fishing then, the Crystal Pier and Johnnie Mercer’s, but both succumbed to severe hurricane damage; Johnnie Mercer’s has since been rebuilt as a concrete structure and should be able to survive nearly any hurricane. The Wrightsville Beach King Mackerel Tournament was a major event then and offered some of the largest cash prizes on the east coast.

The “downtown” or commercial area of the island was not much smaller then than now, but its makeup was different. As Wrightsville Beach developed into a high-end resort and residential location, the commercial locale evolved with many more upscale shops and restaurants opening, and, of course, the business density has increased considerably.

What’s In A Name?

The name itself, Wrightsville Beach, offers not even a hint of the beautiful and expensive homes, luxurious condos, glorious beaches, great restaurants and tony hotels and motels of this barrier island roughly ten miles east of the Cape Fear River and downtown Wilmington.

Almost completely developed with little room for additional construction, the island ranges from 1,000 to 5,000 feet wide and is nearly four miles long from Masonboro Inlet on the south to Mason Inlet on the north.

Vacationers Arrive

Although the year-round population is only about 3,000, it grows to about 30,000 during the warmer months, especially on weekends, when absentee owners of houses and condos take up residence in their summer homes, and vacationers flock to the myriad of rentals available. This, combined with a large number of daytime visitors to the beach, fondly referred to as daytrippers, makes Wrightsville Beach a very popular and busy place during the tourist season.