History of Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
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Image:Wilmington flag.jpg|center|280px
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|City City|Incorporation
|December 31, 1739
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|City Tree
|Chestnut
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|City flower
|Azalea
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|City colors
|Blue & White
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Image:NCMap-doton-Wilmington.PNG|278px|Location of Wilmington
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|Mayor||
Bill Saffo
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|County||
New Hanover County, North Carolina|New Hanover County
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|Area
- Total
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41.5 square mile|mi²
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|Population City Proper (2006)
|100,000
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|Metropolitan Area|Metro (2006)
|362,166
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|Population density (200)
|2,069.3/mi²
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|Time zone||Eastern (UTC−5)
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|Coordinates||{{Coord|34|13|24|N|77|54|44|W|type:city|display=inline}}
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|Sister Cities||
*Dandong|Dandong, China
*Doncaster|Doncaster, United Kingdom
*Bridgetown|Bridgetown, Barbados
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Wilmington is a city in New Hanover County, North Carolina|New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 100,000 as of 2006; Star News Online (September 26, 2006). "[http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060926/NEWS/609260423/0/sports]". Wilmington at 100,000: A 'big town growing into a city'? 2005 Census Bureau estimates indicate a population of 95,476. The 2006 Census Bureau estimates set the population of the Wilmington MSA at 326,166, making it the seventh largest metropolitan area in the state. It is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina|New Hanover County{{GR|6}}. It was named in honor of Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington|Spencer Compton, the Earl of Wilmington, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister under George II of England|George II.
Wilmington was settled on the Cape Fear River and is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. Wilmington offers its historic downtown as a main tourist attraction and business center and is minutes away from nearby beaches. The city residents have the advantage of living nestled between a river and the ocean.
Wilmington is also known as the childhood home of basketball great Michael Jordan and journalist David Brinkley; famous Wilmington natives include Kevin Beasley, Sonny Jurgenson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Charles Kuralt, Charlie Daniels, Roman Gabriel, Meadowlark Lemon, Trot Nixon, and Alge Crumpler. It is also home to the WWII Battleship USS North Carolina (BB-55). Now a war memorial, the ship is open to public tours and is on display across from the downtown port area. The town is home to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the Wilmington Hammerheads USL soccer team, the training camp site for the Charlotte Bobcats and the Cape Fear Museum. The city has become a major center of American film and television production; motion pictures such as Blue Velvet and The Crow (film)|The Crow as well as television shows such as The WB's Dawson's Creek and One Tree Hill (TV series)|One Tree Hill have been produced there.
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