New Hanover County, North Carolina

New Hanover County
County
New Hanover County Courthouse
Flag Seal
Motto:  "The model of good governance"
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°11′N 77°52′W / 34.18°N 77.86°W / 34.18; -77.86
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Founded	1729
Named for	House of Hanover
Seat	Wilmington
Largest community	Wilmington
Area
• Total	328.86 sq mi (851.7 km2)
• Land	192.26 sq mi (498.0 km2)
• Water	136.60 sq mi (353.8 km2)  41.54%
Population  (2020)
• Total	225,702
• Estimate  (2023)	238,852
• Density	1,173.94/sq mi (453.26/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	7th
Website	www.nhcgov.com

New Hanover County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 225,702.^[1] Though the second-smallest county in North Carolina by land area,^[2] it is one of the most populous, as its county seat, Wilmington,^[3] is one of the state's largest communities. The county was created in 1729 as New Hanover Precinct and gained county status in 1739.^[4] New Hanover County is included in the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which also includes neighboring Pender and Brunswick counties.