Topsail Island North Carolina Map

About Topsail Island, North Carolina

Topsail Island is a locality in Pender County, North Carolina, United States. It has a population of approximately 2,800. The population density is 55.0 people per km². Topsail Island is located at 34.4696°N, 77.4719°W. It observes the Eastern Time (America/New_York) timezone. ZIP code: 28445.

Topsail Island unfurls as a slender barrier island, a ribbon of sand and sea oats separating the Atlantic from the mainland’s placid Intracoastal Waterway. It lies 19.8 miles south of Jacksonville, NC (from Jacksonville, NC: bearing 187°T), and is situated 5.1 miles east-south-east of Holly Ridge. Its landscape is a study in coastal resilience, where dunes, sculpted by persistent winds, rise and fall like soft, green waves against the horizon. The air here carries the briny tang of salt and the damp, earthy scent of marsh grass, a perfume that clings to everything. Sunlight, especially as it slants towards evening, gilds the fine, pale sand with a luminous, almost ethereal glow, and the rhythmic sigh of the surf provides a constant, soothing soundtrack to the island's quiet existence. Historically, Topsail Island’s fortunes have been tied to the sea and its bounty, a lineage stretching back to early colonial days when it was a haven for pirates and smugglers. The island's name itself whispers of these maritime pasts, though its modern character is shaped by a vibrant tourism economy, drawing visitors to its wide, uncrowded beaches and the tranquil waters of the sound. Fishing villages, their weathered docks still alive with the comings and goings of trawlers, punctuate the coastline, a reminder of the island's enduring connection to the ocean's embrace. Beyond the lure of sun and surf, Topsail Island offers a glimpse into a coastal life lived at a deliberately slower cadence, where the changing tides dictate the day and the horizon holds an endless promise.

About This Topsail Island Map Page

This page provides an interactive Google map of Topsail Island, North Carolina with street, satellite and terrain views and integrated Street View imagery. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service, with current observations and a 7-day forecast also powered by Open-Meteo. Real-time local news and world news feeds keep the page current, while a Wikipedia summary or an editorially written description provides background on Topsail Island and Pender County.

Detailed location data for Topsail Island includes the ZIP code (28460), telephone area code (910), county seat of Pender County (Burgaw), and school district assignment. These are among the most commonly searched location details for any US city or town.

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity — ensuring the correct Topsail Island is identified even where the name is shared across multiple counties or states. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.