Northside, Wilmington: homes, schools, parks and commute

Last checked Oct. 11, 2026. Sources: the City of Wilmington’s neighborhood planning areas, historic districts and parks map layers, New Hanover County’s address points, New Hanover County Schools’ School Locator, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 school test data, the Zillow Home Value Index (Zillow Research), New Hanover County’s 2025 Wave Transit map and © OpenStreetMap contributors.

The Northside wraps around downtown to the north and east: a grid of older houses, cottages and small apartment buildings, with the Brooklyn and Love Grove sections to the north and the Carolina Heights historic district along Market and Princess streets on its southern edge. On the city’s planning map it is the Northside planning area, about 1,160 acres.

What this means for you

• Zoned high school: New Hanover High for every residential address. Check an exact address with the district’s School Locator.
• Home value: $330,529 in ZIP code 28401 in August 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
• Nearest interstate: I-40 exit 420, where the interstate meets College Road, about 5.7 miles by road.

Part of our Wilmington neighborhoods guide.

Where it is

The planning area runs from the edge of downtown north, and east along Market Street and Princess Street. The streets with the most homes, by New Hanover County’s address points, are North Fifth Avenue, North Seventh Street, Chestnut Street, Grace Street, Rankin Street, North Sixth Street, McRae Street and Campbell Street.

The city’s planning map lists Clarendon Park, Love Grove, Carolina Heights and the Northside urban renewal area inside it, and OpenStreetMap places Brooklyn and Love Grove here. On the city’s historic districts layer, 1,078 of its residential addresses are in the Wilmington National Register Historic District, 565 in the district’s expansion area and 372 in the Carolina Heights district and its expansion.

The county’s address points show 2,989 residential addresses: 1,852 single homes, 864 units in apartment and condo buildings and 272 addresses on vacant lots. ZIP code 28401 covers 96% of them; the rest are in 28405 and 28403.

Schools

We checked every residential address in the planning area against the zone map behind New Hanover County Schools’ School Locator on Oct. 11, and spot-checked addresses against the district’s 2026 zone maps. Results are the share of state tests at grade level in 2025-26, from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.

Statewide, 59.1% of end-of-grade tests and 59.6% of end-of-course tests were at grade level. Snipes and Williston are on the state’s 2025-26 low-performing schools list, each with a D. New Hanover High is on Market Street inside the area. Each school name links to its NC School Report Card. More in our schools guide.

Home values

Zillow’s typical home value in ZIP code 28401 was $330,529 in August 2026, down 0.8% from $333,265 a year earlier, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. The index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, houses and condos together, not a sale price. The ZIP code also covers downtown and the south side of the city. Zillow’s figure for Wilmington as a whole was $419,038, down 0.1%. More in our home prices guide.

Parks and trails

From the city’s parks layer, inside or at the edge of the area:

• Northside Park and Pool, 610 Bess St.
• Archie Blue Park, 1306 Stanley St.
• Portia Mills Hines Park, 400 N. 10th St.
• Mary Bridgers Park, 1925 Chestnut St.
• Bulluck Park, 2013 Market St.
• Hilton Park, 1801 N. Fifth Ave.
• Hemenway Center, 507 McRae St.
• Thomas and Willie E. Jervay Freedom Walk, 1305 N. Fourth St.
• 1898 Park, 1074 N. Third St., just outside the area

See our parks and trails guide.

Getting around

• Roads: Market Street (U.S. 17 Business) runs along the south side, and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway (U.S. 74) leads east toward I-40.
• I-40: exit 420 is about 5.7 miles by road.
• Downtown and City Hall: about 0.9 miles.
• Wilmington International Airport: about 5.6 miles. Distances are measured on the OpenStreetMap road network with the OSRM routing engine from the middle of the area’s homes; they are distances, not drive times.
• Bus: Wave Transit routes 101 (Princess Place), 108 (Market Street), 201, 205, 206 and 210 stop in the area on the county’s 2025 transit map. Check Wave Transit at 910-343-0106. More in our getting around guide.

Groceries and everyday stores

OpenStreetMap lists a Family Fare supermarket on Market Street at the area’s edge, and Farmin’ On Front, a grocery on North Front Street downtown. The Main Library of the New Hanover County Public Library is just south of the area, downtown.

How we drew this area

This page follows the Northside boundary on the City of Wilmington’s neighborhood planning areas map. Home counts and ZIP codes come from New Hanover County’s address points inside that boundary. Road distances and store locations use © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Frequently asked questions

What schools is the Northside of Wilmington zoned for?

All 2,989 residential addresses in the city’s Northside planning area are zoned for A.H. Snipes Academy of Arts and Design, Williston Middle and New Hanover High, according to New Hanover County Schools’ zone map.

Which neighborhoods are in Wilmington’s Northside?

The city’s planning map lists Clarendon Park, Love Grove, Carolina Heights and the Northside urban renewal area inside the Northside planning area. OpenStreetMap also places Brooklyn there.

Is the Northside a good place to live?

Here are the facts. The Northside is a 1,160-acre area next to downtown with eight city parks and park sites, including Northside Park and Pool, served by six Wave Transit routes. It is zoned for New Hanover High. The typical home value in ZIP code 28401 was $330,529 in August 2026, according to Zillow.

What ZIP code is the Northside?

Mostly 28401, which covers 96% of its residential addresses. A small eastern part is in 28405.