Wrightsboro is a rural Port City suburb on the rise
Home to Wilmington International Airport, Wrightsboro is the first community air travelers pass through on their way to Wilmington and the region’s many beaches. Once a quiet rural community, Wrightsboro today is humming with new home construction. “It’s just a matter of time before it booms due to the airport and the proximity to downtown,” says Kim Penrose, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage who moved to the Port City four years ago. “If someone wants more land and privacy, you can get a little bit more for your money there.” The enclave is diverse in makeup, with residential areas surrounding farms and pockets of commercial and industrial space. In addition to highway access, Wrightsboro offers short commutes to downtown Wilmington, nearby industrial parks and GE Aerospace, which has a plant north of Interstate 140.
Single-family homes and townhouses about 5 miles from Wilmington
Wrightsboro’s single-family homes rest in rural-like subdivisions, where lot sizes often reach half an acre. Walnut Hills offers brick ranch-style homes, while Rivendell Bay features neo-traditional dwellings. Recently built Craftsman homes fill newer developments such as Hanover Lakes. The median price for a single-family home is around $470,000, above the national median. Most homes fall between $200,000 and $500,000, but the custom properties in the River Bluffs and Sunset Reach communities range from $520,000 to more than $1.3 million. Newly built townhouses cost between $350,000 and $900,000.
Generational farms and eco-growers keep agricultural roots alive
Wrightsboro’s rural character is shifting as undeveloped areas give way to new subdivisions. Still, the tradition of agriculture in the area remains strong. Lewis Nursery and Farms, a generational family farm based in Rocky Point, has a seasonal strawberry farm market in Wrightsboro off Castle Hayne Road. There, visitors can pick their own strawberries from April through May. Nearby, the family-owned Tinga Nursery has been a powerhouse retail and wholesale supplier of flowers, shrubs and trees for more than a century. Terra Vita Farm, which began in 2016 as a microgreen business and has grown into an eco-focused farm, operates a produce stand along Chair Road every Friday. Several other farms and nurseries dot the community.
Most shopping is done in Midtown Wilmington
A few shopping centers, home to national brands such as Food Lion and Family Dollar, are clustered together at the intersection of Castle Hayne Road and Riverside Drive. Local restaurants include Carolina Girls’ Grillin’ Café, a relaxed lunch spot serving sandwiches and salads. Southern comfort foods are the specialty at The Sawmill Café & Catering across the street. Penrose says residents head to Wilmington for more diverse shopping and dining options. The city’s historic downtown, located roughly 5 miles away, is home to the famed Riverwalk along the Cape Fear River and features specialty shops and long-running seafood spots. Midtown Wilmington is a destination for name-brand shopping at Mayfaire Towne Center and University Centre, which feature dozens of familiar retailers and high-end boutiques. Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center, the closest full-service hospital, is about 7 miles away.
Parks, playgrounds and river access in New Hanover County
Wrightsboro is home to Cape Fear Optimist Park, where youth softball and baseball leagues play games, but the community doesn’t have any public parks. The sprawling Northern Regional Park is a few miles north of Interstate 140 and features tennis courts, soccer fields, playgrounds and a disc golf course. Nearby, Blue Clay Bike Park offers mountain bikers roughly 8 miles of trails. Other nearby green spaces include Olsen Park, which has an accessible playground, and Smith Creek Park, where a wide, multi-use path loops around a calm fishing lake. Boating, kayaking and fishing along Northeast Cape Fear River are popular pastimes in Wilmington. Residents of River Bluffs and Sunset Reach have private community marinas. The closest public access point for the river is in Castle Hayne, about 6 miles from the center of Wrightsboro. Wrightsboro Beach, known for its surfable waves, is around a 12-mile drive from the town.
Public and private school options north of Wilmington
New Hanover County Schools earns an A-minus overall rating from Niche. The district has more than 40 schools serving about 25,000 students. Most of Wrightsboro is zoned for Wrightsboro Elementary, which earns a C-plus rating. The school feeds into the B-rated Holly Shelter Middle and the B-plus-rated New Hanover High, which is home to the district’s Lyceum Academy program. A small portion of homes close to Interstate 140 are zoned for Castle Hayne Elementary, which earns a B-plus. Those students can move on to the B-plus-rated Emsley A. Laney High after attending Holly Shelter Middle. Nearby private options include Wilmington Christian Academy and Northside School of Christian Leadership, both of which Niche does not yet rate. Cape Fear Community College’s north campus, home to the A-rated Wilmington Early College High, is about 4 miles away. The University of North Carolina at Wilmington is around 7 miles away.
Commuters have access to highways and Wilmington International Airport
Due to a lack of public transit options in Wrightsboro, the area is car-dependent. Residents here have nearby access to Interstate 140, which heads west to the town of Leland and connects with Interstate 40 to the east. Castle Hayne Road, the main road through Wrightsboro, heads south to downtown Wilmington, about 5 miles away. Wilmington International Airport offers nearly 30 nonstop flights to destinations such as Washington, D.C. and Miami, Florida. The airport is conducting a noise study in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration and the public to determine the impact on communities such as Wrightsboro. The study began in 2024 and is expected to last through 2025.
Important to know
The coastal character of New Hanover County means hurricanes and flooding are possible. FEMA flood maps show that some properties near creeks and the Northeast Cape Fear River in Wrightsboro are within or close to flood hazard areas.
