Hightsville, NC

Hightsville is a census-designated place in New Hanover County, within the statistical township of Cape Fear and the Wilmington metropolitan area. The 2020 census counted 710 residents. It was first listed as a CDP in 2000, giving the community a defined place on the census map even though its local life is woven into the larger county and Wilmington region. The name marks a small residential community in the coastal plain around the Cape Fear area.

Hightsville’s character comes from that in-between position. It has its own census boundary and community name, while work, schools, shopping, and many public services are tied to the broader Wilmington area. New Hanover County supplies the civic frame, and the Cape Fear township name places Hightsville within one of North Carolina’s older coastal regions. The result is a place that feels local on the neighborhood map but metropolitan in its daily connections, with the county and Wilmington providing the larger network around a small community.