Photo: Swinging Bridge, Surf City
A Barrier Island
Topsail Island is considered a barrier island that is located north of Wilmington, NC and south of Jacksonville, NC (Stallman, 1996). The reason the island is considered a barrier island is due to the fact that the island is a protection for the mainland (Stallman, 1996). The island itself is only 26 miles long and in between 500 and 1500 feet wide (Stallman, 1996; Wilmington Today, 2009). There are only two ways on to the island today, which is through the swinging bridge or the high rise bridge. The swinging bridge was built in 1955 in Surf City to replace the pontoon bridge (Stallman, 1996). The pontoon bridge was the first means of transportation to the island which was built by the Army Corps of Engineers (Stallman, 1996). However, to make means of getting to the island more accessible, the swinging bridge was built and later on the high rise bridge was built at North Topsail Beach.
Swinging Bridge-Surf City, NC
High Rise Bridge- North Topsail Beach, NC
Photo: High Rise Bridge, North Topsail Beach
Three Towns
Topsail Island is made up of three different towns: Topsail Beach, Surf City, and North Topsail Beach (Stallman, 1996). Each of the towns has their own unique characteristics that make them different and ideal for numerous individuals, however the entire island is known for being a family beach. Topsail Beach is at the south end of the island which is a part of Pender County (Stallman, 1996; Wilmington Today, 2009). This small town was not incorporated until 1963 and currently contains the most historical memorabilia that was mentioned throughout the historical perspective (Stallman, 1996; Wilmington Today, 2009). Surf City is located in the middle of the two towns and was the first of the three towns to be incorporated, which was in 1955 (Stallman, 1996). This town is actually half in Pender County and half in Onslow County, and this is where a majority of the restaurants and shops on the island are located (Wilmington Today, 2009). The last town is North Topsail Beach, located in Onslow County, was not incorporated until 1990 (Stallman, 1996; Wilmington Today, 2009). North Topsail Beach is the fastest growing beach on the island, and is the only town that contains some condominiums and houses that permanent and seasonal residents reside in (Stallman, 1996).