This charming sea port is located on the southeastern tip of Brunswick County at the mouth of the Cape Fear River. Fort Johnson was constructed between 1745 and 1754 to protect upriver settlements like Wilmington. The community soon became home to river pilots, traders, fishermen and military men. Southport is geographically unique in that it sits among so much water. The sea breezes which kept the town cooler than other localities during the steamy summer months continued to being in outsiders to the area.

The larger city of Wilmington, North Carolina is just up river about 30 miles away and Myrtle Beach is about 65 miles south. Traffic in Southport is light considering there are only about 2,600 year-round residents. Of course during the summer traffic increases all over the Cape Fear region as tourists come to visit the Coastal Carolina’s beaches and towns.

Outside of the historic district of Southport there are several communities such as Turtlewood, Cottages Point, Cades Cove, the Cottages at Price’s Creek, Harbor Oaks and The Landing at Southport. The following subdivisions are either the Southport City limits or very close: Indigo Plantation, Highland Heights, Marsh Creek and Smithville Woods.