Two quiet Brunswick islands
Ocean Isle Beach or Holden Beach
Last updated October 15, 2026.
| Fact | Ocean Isle Beach | Holden Beach |
|---|---|---|
| County | Brunswick | Brunswick |
| Setting | Barrier island between Tubbs Inlet and Shallotte Inlet, plus a mainland approach | Eight-mile barrier island between Shallotte Inlet and Lockwood Folly Inlet |
| Elevation | Sea level | Sea level |
| Incorporated | 1959 | 1969 |
| 2020 census | 867 | 921 |
Both are low-rise barrier islands in Brunswick County, with the Atlantic on one side, the Intracoastal Waterway on the other, and vacation houses as the stay. Neither is a boardwalk city. Both have a fishing pier. Both need a bridge, and the bridges are not the same bridge.
Ocean Isle Beach
About five miles of oceanfront, from Tubbs Inlet to Shallotte Inlet. Incorporated in 1959. The 2020 census counted 867 residents. The pier is the landmark. Sunset Beach, and the Bird Island walk, is the neighbor to the west if you're willing to drive inland and over another bridge.
Holden Beach
About eight miles, from Shallotte Inlet to Lockwood Folly Inlet. Incorporated in 1969. The town calls itself the Family Beach. The 2020 census counted 921 residents. One road, N.C. 130, crosses the waterway. Shops and restaurants sit mostly on the mainland side of that bridge. Oak Island is the neighbor to the east, across the inlet, not a walk down the sand.
How to choose
Choose Ocean Isle if you want Sunset Beach and the Kindred Spirit mailbox as an easy second day. Choose Holden if you want a longer residential island and you're content to leave it for dinner. Choose Oak Island instead if you want a larger year-round town, and remember the lighthouse stands in Caswell Beach, the next town east.