Wilmington may be a smaller city, but we can pack a punch. It’s no secret for those of us who live here. In just one area we have a Historic Southern downtown, a river with an international port, and islands and beaches. Here you can “choose your own adventure” whether you want to live on the Intracoastal, beachfront, midtown, or riverfront.
So much is wrapped up in our community, it truly packs a punch. Here are some ways our amazing city matters on a world scale:
Test Markets
From southerners to northern and western transplants; retirees and college students at UNCW and Cape Fear Community College — Wilmington has a wide range of demographics. For this reason, we make an outstanding test market. Businesses starting here and looking to expand know this: if it will work in Wilmington, it could work anywhere. A number of corporations have learned this too — Chick-fil-a and Bojangles have tested out new products in Wilmington exclusively to gauge their reception.
Growing Tech Hub that Isn’t Raleigh
The Research Triangle gets the spotlight for tech advancements and startups, but Wilmington is a low-key tech startup hub. A number of smaller companies have found a home here while growing tech companies like nCino, Castle Branch, and Live Oak are also making waves. Recruiters at these tech companies aren’t struggling either — their pitch to new hires is life on the water, a relatively low cost of living, and a commute without Triangle traffic.
Film is Making a Comeback
There were a few dark years for film in town following changes to the film tax exemption in North Carolina and the passage of HB2. The thriving film industry in our area took a significant hit in 2016 and almost dissolved with those political changes. But in the last few years, film has found its way back to the heart of Wilmington and surrounding areas.
This year alone, the North Carolina Film Office announced that productions had spent or pledged a total of $180 million in the state in 2022, with most of the productions in Wilmington. That’s less than the record total of $416 million spent statewide in 2021, reports The StarNews, but the film industry is still holding strong.
Current productions include “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” “Welcome to Flatch,” and the mini-series in post-production “George and Tammy.”
