|
|
Onslow County , formed in 1734 from a portion of New Hanover County , was named for the Honorable Arthur Onslow, Speaker of the British House of Commons for 33 years. Onslow County is located in southeastern North Carolina and is bordered by Pender County to the south, Duplin County to the west, Carteret and Jones to the northeast and north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The County is approximately 120 miles from Raleigh and 50 miles from Wilmington , and it is affiliated with the Eastern Region economic zone.
|
 Onslow
County has a flat, gently rolling terrain that slopes from an altitude
of 63 feet at the town of Richlands to sea level and covers a total
of 756 square miles encompassing nearly 500,000 acres. Of this
total,
156,439 acres comprise the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and
the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station New River. Onslow County
has a population of approximately 157,000, with Jacksonville, the
county seat, having a population of approximately 73,000. Currently,
the County is experiencing significant growth in the Jacksonville
and in the areas bordering our beaches and waterways.
|
|
The
county also offers a natural playground for the ultimate in outdoor
coastal recreation and sports with
over 30 miles of beautiful beaches sprinkled with shells, waters
teeming with an abundance of marine life, forests filled with wildlife,
and rich farmland rich. The area enjoys a year-round temperate climate,
with average temperatures ranging from the 40s in January to the
80s in July. The New River, despite its name, is known to be one
of the oldest rivers in America . It is the only large river in
the continental United States with headwaters and mouth in the same
County (Onslow). It is also one of the few rivers of any size in
the U.S. that flows almost due south.