Brunswick County coast
Holden Beach
Eight miles of houses, one bridge, and a town motto that just says Family Beach.
Last updated October 15, 2026.
- County
- Brunswick
- Setting
- Eight-mile barrier island between Shallotte Inlet and Lockwood Folly Inlet
- Elevation
- Sea level
- Incorporated
- 1969
- 2020 census
- 921
Holden Beach is an eight-mile barrier island in Brunswick County. Shallotte Inlet caps the west end. Lockwood Folly Inlet caps the east, with Oak Island waving from the far side. The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway is the north shore, all cordgrass and passing boats.
One road gets you there: N.C. 130, Holden Beach Road, over the waterway. Incorporated in 1969. The 2020 census counted 921 residents.
The town calls itself the Family Beach, and the island behaves. Houses, a pier, and almost no commercial strip. Shops and restaurants cluster on the mainland side of the bridge. That's your grocery run and, most nights, your dinner.
Ocean Isle Beach is west, across Shallotte Inlet. Oak Island is east, across Lockwood Folly Inlet. Shallotte is the bigger mainland town, about 10 miles from the bridge via N.C. 130.