Welcome to Oak Island ...
The coastal town of Oak Island is located in Brunswick County<1>.
A typical abbreviation for Oak Island: Oak Is. (in Canada, 'Isld.' is the more common abbreviation.)
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Oak Island has a population of 8,390 people<2> (see below for details).
Oak Island is near sea level<3>.
Time Zone: Oak Island lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area Codes for Oak Island: 910 & 472<4>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Oak Island had an population of 8,390 people. This is an increase of 23.69% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 27.68% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Oak Island had a population of 6,783 people (or 6.28% of the total population of Brunswick County). This makes Oak Island the county's 2nd most populous community.
The population of Oak Island represents 0.07% of the population of North Carolina (which has 9,535,483 people), making it the state's 108th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 6,783 people, the population of Oak Island increased 3.23% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 6,571 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Oak Island.
Communities Also Named Oak Island ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 5 communities that are also named Oak Island - they are located in Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota and Texas (2).
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Oak Island.
Websites for Oak Island ...
Official Website: www.oakislandnc.com/
Communities near Oak Island ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Oak Island.
- Leland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leland have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leland
- Leland is located in Brunswick County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 25,647 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leland <6>
- Boiling Spring Lakes
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boiling Spring Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boiling Spring Lakes
- Boiling Spring Lakes is located in Brunswick County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,430 people
- Carolina Beach
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carolina Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina Beach
- Carolina Beach is located in New Hanover County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,369 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carolina Beach <6>
- Shallotte
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shallotte
- Shallotte is located in Brunswick County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,409 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shallotte <6>
- Southport
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southport
- Southport is located in Brunswick County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,088 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Southport <6>
- Kure Beach
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kure Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kure Beach
- Kure Beach is located in New Hanover County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,077 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kure Beach <6>
- Ocean Isle Beach
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ocean Isle Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean Isle Beach
- Ocean Isle Beach is located in Brunswick County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 709 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ocean Isle Beach <6>
- Holden Beach
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holden Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holden Beach
- Holden Beach is located in Brunswick County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 675 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holden Beach <6>
- Varnamtown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Varnamtown have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varnamtown
- Varnamtown is located in Brunswick County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 603 people
- Bald Head Island
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bald Head Island have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bald Head Island
- Bald Head Island is located in Brunswick County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 186 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bald Head Island <6>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Oak Island. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Oak Island.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Oak Island. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Oak Island.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Oak Island. See our Newspapers Page for Oak Island.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Oak Island ...
Looking for more information about Oak Island? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Oak Island, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Oak Island.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Oak Island: www.oakislandnc.com/
The official website for Brunswick County: www.brunsco.net/
The official website for State of North Carolina: https://www.nc.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of North Carolina's counties, including Brunswick, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Oak Island. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Oak Island - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 910 code has been Overlayed with the 472 area code. New phone numbers in the Oak Island area will be assigned with one of these codes: 910 or 472. As a result, placing a call in the Oak Island area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number). |
| <5> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |