Swansboro is a resort town in Onslow County, North Carolina, United States. It is located along the Crystal Coast. The population was 3,744 at the 2020 census.

History

Swansboro started as a settlement around the plantation of Theophilus Weeks. In 1783, Swansboro was incorporated as a town, taking its name from Samuel Swann, a Speaker in the North Carolina House of Commons and a resident of Onslow County. In 1818, Otway Burns built the Prometheus, the first river steamboat constructed in North Carolina.

The town, originally spelled Swannsborough, is sometimes called "The Friendly City by the Sea". M.N. Lisk, a popular Swansboro mayor, initiated the annual Mullet Festival, one of the first coastal seafood festivals in North Carolina.

The town is featured as the setting of Nicholas Sparks' novel The Guardian.

The Swansboro Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

In 2018, Swansboro was among the hardest hit cities by Hurricane Florence. A record 30.58 inches (77 cm) of rain fell at Swansboro, North Carolina, breaking the previous state record of 24.06 inches (61 cm).

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (8.96%) is water.

Town government

The Town of Swansboro is governed by the mayor and five commissioners (who form the Board of Commissioners). The commissioners are elected for four-year and two-year terms. The Mayor is elected for a four-year term. They are elected as Town-wide representatives. The mayor presides at all meetings as the chairman of the Board of Commissioners, and votes only to break a tie. The mayor pro tem is appointed by the commissioners and presides over meetings in the absence of the mayor.

Demographics

2020 census

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"

|+Swansboro racial composition

!scope="col"| Race

!scope="col"| Number

!scope="col"| Percentage

|-

!scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)

| 3,091

| 82.56%

|-

!scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

| 121

| 3.23%

|-

!scope="row"| Native American

| 14

| 0.37%

|-

!scope="row"| Asian

| 77

| 2.06%

|-

!scope="row"| Pacific Islander

| 4

| 0.11%

|-

!scope="row"| Other/Mixed

| 201

| 5.37%

|-

!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino

| 236

| 6.3%

|}

As of the 2020 census, there were 3,744 people, 1,360 households, and 755 families residing in the town.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

Of households in Swansboro, 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.1% were married-couple households, 14.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Notable person

  • Otway Burns, (–1850), privateer and North Carolina State Senator, was born at Queen's Creek near Swansboro

References

  • Tourism website
  • Town Festivals
  • Town website
  • Swansboro Chamber of Commerce
  • Swansboro NC InsiderInfo.us Area Guide