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Onslow County, formed in 1734 from a portion of New Hanover County, was named for the Distinguished Sir Arthur Onslow, Speaker of the British House of Commons for 33 years. Onslow County is located in southeastern North Carolina and is bordered by Pender County to the south, Duplin County to the west, Lenoir and Jones to the northwest and north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The County is approximately 120 miles east of Raleigh, and 50 miles north of Wilmington, NC. Onslow County has a flat, gently rolling terrain which slopes from an altitude of 63 feet at the town of Richlands to sea level and covers a total of 756 square miles encompassing nearly 500,000 acres. Of this total, 151,000 acres make up U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. The city of Jacksonville is home to the County government, and the areas surrounding Jacksonville comprise the major population centers and growth area in the County. The County is home to nearly 150,000 people and includes the towns of North Topsail Beach, Holly Ridge, Richlands, Swansboro, and parts of Surf City. Onslow County also offers a natural playground for the ultimate in outdoor coastal recreation and sports with over 30 miles of beautiful beaches sprinkled with shells, waters teeming with an abundance of marine life, forests filled with sporting wildlife, and farmland rich with harvests. The New River, despite its name, is known to be one of the oldest rivers in America. It is the only large river in the continental United States with headwaters and mouth in the same County Onslow. It is also one of the few rivers of any size in the U.S. that flows almost due south.
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