Wilmington, city, seat of New Hanover County, southeastern North Carolina, a deepwater port on the Cape Fear River, near its mouth in the Atlantic Ocean; settled about 1732, incorporated as a city 1866. It is the state's principal seaport, a major trade and distribution center, and a resort. Manufactures include textiles, clothing, nuclear electricity-generating equipment, and fiber optics. A movie studio is here. Also of interest are the Burgwin-Wright House, which served (1781) during the American Revolution as the headquarters of the British general Charles Cornwallis, and the USS North Carolina, a World War II battleship moored in the Cape Fear River. In the city are the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (1947) and two junior colleges. The community, named for the British official Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, was an important Confederate port during the Civil War and remained open until 1865. Population 44,000 (1980); 55,530 (1990); 75,838 (2000).
