When summer heats up in the Triangle, thousands head east, out U.S. 64 to North Carolina's famous Outer Banks or a quick getaway down Interstate 40 to Wrightsville Beach.
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Not only are beaches a great place to unwind and create family bonding moments, but they also boost people's mental health.
So what makes a good beach town? Access to a beach, of course, but also plenty of indoor and outdoor activities to keep kids entertained, warm weather, and a long beach season.
Stacker crunched the numbers to find the best beach towns in North Carolina. To be considered a beach town, each city needed at least one beach that the Environmental Protection Agency monitors.
Rankings were determined by a number of factors weighted by importance, including miles of shoreline, access to beach-related businesses based on Census Bureau County Business Patterns, and Zillow median home prices.There are 178 beaches monitored by the EPA in North Carolina, totaling 303.8 miles of shoreline. Read on to get some vacation-planning inspo.
#25. Morehead City, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 3
- Miles of shoreline: 1.1
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 79 degrees
- Median home price: $359,584
#24. Oak Island, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 4
- Miles of shoreline: 5.2
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 80 degrees
- Median home price: $507,911
#23. Harkers Island, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 3
- Miles of shoreline: 1.3
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 79 degrees
- Median home price: $335,550
#22. Newport, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 4
- Miles of shoreline: 1.3
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 76 degrees
- Median home price: $294,879
#21. Washington, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 5
- Miles of shoreline: 2.5
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 78 degrees
- Median home price: $216,764
#20. Rodanthe, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 2
- Miles of shoreline: 5.4
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 79 degrees
- Median home price: $562,484
#19. Hatteras, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 2
- Miles of shoreline: 4.6
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 79 degrees
- Median home price: $451,585
#18. Swansboro, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 3
- Miles of shoreline: 3.0
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 79 degrees
- Median home price: $314,751
#17. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 5
- Miles of shoreline: 2.5
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 80 degrees
- Median home price: $558,401
#16. Southport, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 4
- Miles of shoreline: 19.5
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 80 degrees
- Median home price: $383,184
#15. Buxton, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 1
- Miles of shoreline: 5.9
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 79 degrees
- Median home price: $429,957
#14. Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 9
- Miles of shoreline: 1.9
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 79 degrees
- Median home price: $475,014
#13. Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 4
- Miles of shoreline: 11.0
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 79 degrees
- Median home price: $597,728
#12. Corolla, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 5
- Miles of shoreline: 42.5
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 78 degrees
- Median home price: $834,625
#11. Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 8
- Miles of shoreline: 20.5
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 80 degrees
- Median home price: $558,603
#10. Beaufort, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 10
- Miles of shoreline: 1.7
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 79 degrees
- Median home price: $366,193
#9. Kure Beach, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 6
- Miles of shoreline: 6.2
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 80 degrees
- Median home price: $710,732
#8. Sneads Ferry, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 10
- Miles of shoreline: 31.5
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 79 degrees
- Median home price: $364,587
#7. Ocracoke, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 5
- Miles of shoreline: 32.0
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 79 degrees
- Median home price: $406,115
#6. Holly Ridge, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 6
- Miles of shoreline: 11.8
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 79 degrees
- Median home price: $322,102
#5. Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 12
- Miles of shoreline: 5.9
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 80 degrees
- Median home price: $1,322,625
#4. Salvo, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 5
- Miles of shoreline: 26.4
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 79 degrees
- Median home price: $579,070
#3. Emerald Isle, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 10
- Miles of shoreline: 17.0
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 79 degrees
- Median home price: $660,718
#2. Nags Head, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 15
- Miles of shoreline: 20.7
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 79 degrees
- Median home price: $646,313
#1. Atlantic Beach, North Carolina
- Number of beaches: 14
- Miles of shoreline: 13.0
- Average swim season length: 214 days
- Average county summer temperature: 79 degrees
- Median home price: $476,892