As one of the easternmost states in the United States, North Carolina has a long, rich history. It actually has quite a bit of history that we know about even before it became one of the thirteen original colonies. Whether you’re visiting Sunset Beach, NC or moving there, knowing about its history can be interesting and useful. Here’s a bit of information about the history of North Carolina in general and Sunset Beach in particular.

Although many people believe that most American Indian tribes were wanderers and hunter-gatherers, there is archaeological evidence that the Carolinas were first inhabited by settled Indian tribes who lived in the woodlands, hunted game, and lived off of the land that they farmed.

The first European to explore North Carolina was an Italian named Verrazzano. His goal, like Columbus’s later goal, was to take French trade ships on a shorter route to the West Indies. None of the Europeans from this first exploration settled in this area, but a Spanish exploring party later camped out in the area, later giving way to the English settlers, who started at Roanoke and expanded throughout the Carolinas. Eventually, North Carolina was made one of the original colonies of the United States of America.

The history of Sunset Beach, in particular, dates all the way back to the 1700’s, when the island was owned by the Brooks family. In 1955, a farmer named Mannon C. Gore bought the island. Gore was good with settling land by dredging it and building new bridges, and this is what he did at Sunset Beach. He and his son Edward Gore built many of the monuments that still stand in the city’s memory, though most have been replaced by newer versions of the Gore piers and bridges.

Currently, Sunset Beach still holds onto its small town heritage. Even though it draws many tourists each year, it is a quiet place to live. It strives to maintain a peaceful area for endangered wildlife and to keep its community family-oriented and visitor-friendly.