Oak Island, NC comprising of Long Beach and Yaupon Beaches, has ten miles of uncrowded beaches and a family oriented feel. There are more than 60 public beach accesses, two fishing piers, two marinas and three public boat ramps with access to the Intracoastal Waterway and the inlets leading to the ocean. You’ll find mini-golf, ice cream shops and many parks on this old-time lazy beach. The year-round population is around 7000 but the summer months jump to 30,000 to 50,000. The island has been inhabited since the early 19th century; Fort Caswell was built on its eastern end in 1838. Fort Caswell served as a Confederate fort in the Civil War and protected the port town of Wilmington. The remainder of the island was developed beginning in the late 1930s.