Hampstead, NC

Hampstead is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Pender County, along U.S. Route 17 between Wilmington and Jacksonville. It has become a north-south commuter corridor, with coastal growth, schools, subdivisions, and access to nearby water shaping the area. Hampstead has colonial-era roots, but its present-day feel is more about the expanding Wilmington region and the draw of Topsail Island nearby. It feels spread out, coastal-adjacent, and busy in a road-oriented way.