hoices, choices. A group of narrow, barrier islands in the southeastern corner of North Carolina and their nearby river-touched communities offer an environment so appealing that visitors have vacationed here for generations, and now families are choosing the area as a permanent place to retire, or raise a family.

Bald Head Island is the northernmost of all the Brunswick Islands, and is accessible only by pedestrian ferry or private boat. It is home to the Old Baldy Lighthouse, as well as private residences.

Just south of the charming community of Southport, Oak Island and Caswell Beach share a piece of land that offers gentle breezes and lapping waves.

Further south is Ocean Isle Beach, a newer community that came into its own in the early 1950s. Known then and now as a quiet family beach, Ocean Isle has maintained its quiet invitational spirit, while incorporating such newfangled additions as public tennis courts, boat docks and specialty shops.

The southernmost inhabited island in North Carolina is Sunset Beach. It’s the youngest and smallest, at a mere three miles of beachfront. It, too, beckons families across the only remaining pontoon bridge on the East Coast.

Just across that bridge toward the mainland lies Calabash, a tiny community that first became famous for its Calabash-style seafood, the lightly breaded, fried-in-peanut-oil delicacies that are guaranteed to satisfy.

Sunset Beach is home to Sea Trail, with over 2,000 acres of winding creeks, densely wooded lots and three popular golf courses. For Scott and Alice Stovin, this community fits all their criteria. “We wanted a golfing community, and wanted to be near the water,” she explained. “We moved here from Fairfax, Virginia, but because we are retired Air Force, we had lived all over.”

For some, it’s enough to be close to the beach, yet tucked away in a small, historic community that has been home to fishermen and farmers, and now shelters professionals and artists.