February 2024

In nearly every real estate market across the nation in 2023, headlines and anecdotal evidence mentioning the lack of available inventory were commonplace. Similar to the rest of the country, with notable exceptions, the concept of golden handcuffs — mortgage holders with favorable interest rates unwilling to sell or buy — applied to the tri-county…

The big story, our annual look at what’s going on in the real estate market in New Hanover, Pender and Brunswick counties, has been a labor of love. I was a Realtor (residential and a smattering of commercial broker) from age 20 into my 40s, and 2023 was the most unique real estate market that…

As Wilmington continues to consider revamping its public transportation system, while also considering bringing back passenger rail, it may be helpful to have a broader picture of the city’s rich history of public transportation. The city of Wilmington was founded in 1739. Its population at the 1840 census was 5,335, the largest in the state.…

Examine a lone blossom, a blue hydrangea set off by a bold orange background, captured at a moment in time. The flower is showing a few signs of age — minuscule brown spots on a few petals, a piece of leaf turning from bright to fading green. It is at least twice the size of…

It was cold and dark just before dawn and the sleet came in waves from a howling northwest wind. We were crawling through a layer of slick ice toward the Simmons skiff tossing in a soup of whitecaps, moored at the end of the pier. I could see the freezing water churning and lapping on…

Agriculture and agribusiness drive the North Carolina economy. It is the number one industry in the state, employing as much as one-fifth of the workforce. NC State University cites the economic impact as topping $103 billion. Just one to two generations ago, before the widespread proliferation of big box stores, it was common for people…

This is the story of a Wrightsville shrimper who carried on a love affair with his family, with the sea, and with his grandson. He has been described as “larger than life.” “I am forever grateful for our special memories,” his daughter Hayden said at his celebration of life service in November 2023.  “He started us…

On many a long-ago bright summer day, folks in Wilmington with time off from work headed for a shady, scenic spot along Bradley Creek and Wrightsville Sound. Not to Airlie Gardens, which did not exist in the early 1880s, but to the Seaside Park Hotel and its grounds. Even in the colonial days, shady groves…

Each year, the president of the Azalea Festival chooses an artist to create the official artwork of the festival. The tradition of selecting local artists to produce works that reflect Wilmington and the event began in 1987. Sharon Jones was selected as the artist for the 2024 Azalea Festival. “The Azalea Festival means so much…