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Surf City, NC

This is a small community in a single neighborhood. As throughout the site, some neighborhood-level data are reserved for subscribers.





Overview


Surf City is a very small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of North Carolina. With a population of 4,492 people and just one neighborhood, Surf City is the 209th largest community in North Carolina. Much of the housing stock in Surf City was built relatively recently. The construction of new real estate can often be taken as an indication that the local Surf City economy is robust, and that jobs or other amenities are attracting an influx of new residents. This seems to be the case in Surf City, where the median household income is $85,714.00.

Surf City home prices are not only among the most expensive in North Carolina, but Surf City real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Occupations and Workforce

Unlike some towns, Surf City isn’t mainly white- or blue-collar. Instead, the most prevalent occupations for people in Surf City are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Surf City is a town of professionals, sales and office workers, and managers. There are especially a lot of people living in Surf City who work in management occupations (16.07%), sales jobs (12.17%), and office and administrative support (10.45%).

Surf City is home to a number of people employed in the armed forces. When you visit or walk around Surf City, some of the people you will bump into will be military people In and out of uniform, jogging, shopping and generally out and about town.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 20.35% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Setting & Lifestyle

Another notable thing is that Surf City is a major vacation destination. Much of the town’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, Surf City’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live.

One of the nice things about Surf City is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

Being a small town, Surf City does not have a public transit system used by locals to get to and from work.

Demographics

Do you like to read, write and learn? If you move to Surf City, you'll likely find that many of your neighbors like to as well. Surf City is one of the more educated communities in America, with a full 50.10% of its adults having a college degree or even advanced degree, compared to a national average across all communities of 21.84%.

The per capita income in Surf City in 2022 was $45,364, which is wealthy relative to North Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $181,456 for a family of four. However, Surf City contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Surf City is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Surf City home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Surf City residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Surf City include German, English, Irish, Italian, and Scots-Irish.

The most common language spoken in Surf City is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and German/Yiddish.

Notable & Unique Neighborhood Characteristics

The way a neighborhood looks and feels when you walk or drive around it, from its setting, its buildings, and its flavor, can make all the difference. This neighborhood has some really cool things about the way it looks and feels as revealed by NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research. This might include anything from the housing stock to the types of households living here to how people get around.

Real Estate

is a neighborhood that is on the ocean, a bay, or inlet. Many times, such places have amenities that bring locals and visitors to the waterfront for recreational activities or to check out the scenery. In some densely populated areas that are less financially well-off, the neighborhood waterfront can be relatively industrial and less open to recreation. In addition to being coastal, is a very nautical neighborhood, meaning that it is somewhat historic, walkable, densely populated and on the water. This gives the neighborhood a very nautical feel, with some seaside and shipping feel, which some may really enjoy the sights and sounds of. One of the notable things about is that it is one of the quietest neighborhoods in America, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis and quantitative rating of quietness. When you are here, you will find it to be very quiet. If quiet and peaceful are your cup of tea, you may have found a great place for you.

In addition, vacant homes and apartments are a significant characteristic of this neighborhood. In fact, with 75.7% of the residential real estate vacant, the neighborhood claims the distinction of having a higher vacancy rate than 99.8% of the neighborhoods in America. This can either be because much of the property is seasonally occupied, like in many vacation areas, or that much of the real estate is more permanently abandoned.

People

Of note is NeighborhoodScout's research finding that the neighborhood has some of the lowest rates of children living in poverty of any neighborhood in the United States. In a nation where approximately 1 in 4 children are living in poverty, the community truly stands out from the rest in this regard.

In addition, if you're nearing retirement age, or in retirement, the is an excellent choice for you to consider for top-quality retirement living. This neighborhood is rated by NeighborhoodScout as among the top 7.2% of retiree-friendly neighborhoods in North Carolina, combining peace and quiet, safety from crime, and offering diverse housing options from which retirees can choose. Maybe it's because of these amenities that a large proportion of the residents here are college educated seniors, mixed with other age groups. For these and other reasons, NeighborhoodScout identifies this neighborhood as a top-notch place to consider if you are thinking of or planning to retire in North Carolina. In addition to being an excellent choice for active retirees, this neighborhood is also a very good choice for highly educated executives.

Occupations

With 1.6% of employed workers living in the neighborhood active in the military, this neighborhood has the distinction of having a higher proportion of people in the military than 95.4% of American neighborhoods. This is a major shaper of the neighborhood's culture and character.

Diversity

Did you know that the neighborhood has more Scots-Irish and Czechoslovakian ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 6.4% of this neighborhood's residents have Scots-Irish ancestry and 0.7% have Czechoslovakian ancestry.

The Neighbors

How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.

The neighbors in the neighborhood in Surf City are middle-income, making it a moderate income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 58.2% of the neighborhoods in America. In addition, 0.0% of the children seventeen and under living in this neighborhood are living below the federal poverty line, which is a lower rate of childhood poverty than is found in 100.0% of America's neighborhoods.

A neighborhood is far different if it is dominated by enlisted military personnel rather than people who earn their living by farming. It is also different if most of the neighbors are clerical support or managers. What is wonderful is the sheer diversity of neighborhoods, allowing you to find the type that fits your lifestyle and aspirations.

In the neighborhood, 53.4% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants, with 24.9% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations (10.7%), and 9.3% in manufacturing and laborer occupations.

Languages

The languages spoken by people in this neighborhood are diverse. These are tabulated as the languages people preferentially speak when they are at home with their families. The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 97.1% of households. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Spanish.

Ethnicity / Ancestry

Boston's Beacon Hill blue-blood streets, Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish enclaves, Los Angeles' Persian neighborhoods. Each has its own culture derived primarily from the ancestries and culture of the residents who call these neighborhoods home. Likewise, each neighborhood in America has its own culture – some more unique than others – based on lifestyle, occupations, the types of households – and importantly – on the ethnicities and ancestries of the people who live in the neighborhood. Understanding where people came from, who their grandparents or great-grandparents were, can help you understand how a neighborhood is today.

In the neighborhood in Surf City, NC, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as English (17.8%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (15.5%), and residents who report Irish roots (15.3%), and some of the residents are also of Italian ancestry (8.6%), along with some Scots-Irish ancestry residents (6.4%), among others.

Getting to Work

Even if your neighborhood is walkable, you may still have to drive to your place of work. Some neighborhoods are located where many can get to work in just a few minutes, while others are located such that most residents have a long and arduous commute. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (39.6% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.

Here most residents (60.2%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors to get to work (11.9%) . In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.


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