We Can Watch Wilmington Grow

As the Greater Wilmington Area moves forward in the early stages of the 21st century, it faces many challenges and opportunities. Thankfully the opportunities and resulting rewards are greatly outnumbering the challenges.

In most departments, we’ve been taking care of the store as we grow. For example, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Department has a new headquarters and state-of-the-art county jail. The Wilmington Police Department has a new headquarters. The airport has been renovated and is serving more passengers each year. And there may be a new Convention Center downtown.

Waterfront Changes    back to top

The Cape Fear River has been dredged to accommodate the larger, new container ships, and four new cranes have been added to the port. In addition, a new, even larger port is to be built on the west side of the river. A transportation center is planned for downtown, Riverwalk is nearing completion and new parks are being added.

Healthcare-wise, the area is making giant strides. The New Hanover County Regional Medical Center continues to expand at a rapid pace, both on the main campus and in outlying areas. Related healthcare providers are building facilities at an almost dizzying rate.

The University of North Carolina at Wilmington is adding to its campus and is ranked as one of the best public universities in the South. Cape Fear Community College continues to grow and improve to better serve the needs of our area for skills such as law enforcement, computers and health care.

We have a magnificent new multi-million dollar art museum, a fantastic new aquarium, and an outstanding Cape Fear Museum downtown. We have a huge and fascinating Historic District, a fun downtown and a battleship guarding it all.

However, success has not been without cost. Our dramatic population growth has put a tremendous strain on an infrastructure never designed for it. Traffic woes have been significant, especially on often-clogged College Road and Market Street.

Long-time natives, most of whom haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing a real tie-up on a major city expressway, are grumbling mightily. Short-time-resident Yankees just smile and think something like, “This is nothing compared with the Dan Ryan in Chicago during rush hour.”

Fortunately for all of us, relief has arrived in the form of the new Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and the I-140 Bypass, which has taken some of the congestion from city thoroughfares, especially Market Street. Also, the city is investing heavily in new computerized controls for the traffic lights, which will help traffic move more smoothly.

Businesses Grow    back to top

With all we have to offer, people believe in this area and want to invest here. People like PPD, which just built a beautiful new corporate headquarters downtown on the river. People like General Electric Nuclear Energy, which just moved corporate headquarters here from California. So many entrepreneurial businesses are forming that businesses serving small business are expanding too. All in all, the Wilmington area is a place to believe in and invest in.

So, whatever you need, we’ve got it and then some. If you haven’t been here before, come on down, we’re ready to welcome you. If you’re already here, sit back and enjoy - it only gets better.