We are renting a house at Oak Island, North Carolina this week that was built on the grounds of what was the longest pier on the East Coast of the U.S. for a while, and was the longest pier in North Carolina until it was demolished for the final time, not by a hurricane but by the hand of man in 2006. It is survived by another, shorter pier called the Ocean Crest.
Because I used to have relatives on the island, I’ve been coming to Oak Island, North Carolina, formerly known as Long Beach, North Carolina, every year or two since I was born. I was curious how close our house was to the old pier’s location so I did some research.
The “Long Beach Pier” was built in 1955 (the year after Hurricane Hazel wiped out most of the island). For many years at over 1000 feet long it was the longest pier on the East Coast, and was the longest in NC until it was demolished. It was rebuilt after several hurricanes damaged it over the years, the worst being Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
The last night that the pier was open was Dec. 31, 2005. The pier was demolished in 2006. Nine oceanfront lots were put up for sale for $1.1m each as part of a divorce settlement. However, none of the land was built on until 2013. What a waste of 7 years!
The house we are occupying this week was the first to be built in early 2013. In late 2014, the house to the right was built. Then in 2014, the houses to the left were added, and in 2016, the houses to the right were added.
The pier was located 4 houses down (left) from ours, which was the first to be built on the grounds in 2013 and is shown on the satellite photo above.
This home is valued at $1.7m now but didn’t pass $1.1m until 2020. The other 7 are estimated to have values from $1.4m to $2.3m as of 2024, a total of $16.4m vs the initial price of $9.9m (the $2.3m lot where the pier used to be was actually 2 lots).
There are archived pictures of the pier here and I’m sure I have photos or video of it somewhere.
The 20 or 30 Long Beach Villas across the street from this house were built in 1985. The 3-bedroom condos sell for around $500,000 each today and a few are available for $1000/week to rent.
To the left of that was the Long Beach Motel which was demolished between 1999-2006 according to the satellite pics. The sign for that stayed up until at least 2013, according to Google Street View. Those lots were also sold for new houses.
Another mainstay that my wife bemoans every time she hears about it is the Golden Corral in the nearby town of Southport, at 5059 Southport Supply Rd SE, Southport, NC 28461. It had a great buffet (COVID killed what was left of those) and we loved it. Here’s proof: Google Street View 2007, 2013, 2016, ,2017, 2019, 2022, 2024.
After it went out of business, in the late 2000’s, Atlantic Seafood and Steak moved into the same building. They planted the palm trees and their food was good too.
Around 2018 the building was torn down and all the lot has been empty since then — except for the palm trees and the skeleton of the sign. Here’s what it looks like today:
