Sunset Beach is a seaside town in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States.

It is part of the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area and the southernmost beach in the state.

The seaside town of Sunset Beach got its start in 1955 when the land it occupies was bought by Mannon C. Gore.

Development began in earnest with the completion of a bridge connecting the beach island to the mainland in 1958,[5] modeled by Gore and operated by him until 1961 when it was taken over by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

[7] On February 15, 2021, an EF3 tornado hit the north side of town around midnight, damaging multiple homes in several neighborhoods, including some that were completely destroyed.

It was a wooden structure that could only hold one lane of traffic at any given time, and was the only one of its kind still in use along the East Coast until 2010.

While this caused headaches for those trying to get on or off the island, many locals said the bridge did, however, give the town a more relaxed feel.

Historically, this had been in stark contrast to the rapid growth affecting other beach communities along the Grand Strand.

Ocean Ridge Plantation, while not in the town limits, has one of its "sister communities" in Sunset Beach's ETJ.

Ocean Ridge has an amenities center/clubhouse on the island, while Sea Trail Home Owners Association has a designated parking lot for members.