Onslow County, North Carolina, USA

Onslow County is a coastal county in southeastern North Carolina, extending from the interior Coastal Plain to the Atlantic Ocean and encompassing broad river estuaries, wetlands, barrier-island shoreline and forested rural areas. Jacksonville is the county seat and largest city, while other incorporated communities include Richlands, Swansboro, Holly Ridge, North Topsail Beach and portions of Surf City. The New River flows through the county toward the Atlantic, and much of the central and southeastern county is occupied by Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River, which strongly influence the area’s population, economy and development. Onslow County covers about 762 square miles of land, had 204,576 residents at the 2020 census, and forms the core of the Jacksonville metropolitan area. The county was established in 1734 and named for Arthur Onslow, a longtime speaker of the British House of Commons.