Jacksonville, NC

After a 1752 hurricane destroyed Onslow County’s seat at Johnston, Wantlands Ferry on the site of present-day Jacksonville was chosen for the new courthouse. Jacksonville remains the county seat and is also the most populous community in Onslow County; its 2020 population was 72,723, compared with 783 in 1930. The city is home to Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River. Schools on those bases are operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity, while Onslow County Schools serves the rest of Jacksonville. Earlier local industry drew on the New River for naval stores such as turpentine, as well as lumber and tobacco. The city is about an hour from Wilmington and 15 minutes from the Intracoastal Waterway.