Bolivia, NC, is a small town located on Old U.S. Route 17 (Old Ocean Highway) in Brunswick County. It has held the county seat since 1977 when leaders decided to move it from Southport to a more centralized location. Prior to that, Bolivia wasn't much more than crossroads.
In the earliest days, it was the halfway point between two large cities on the only highway between North Carolina and South Carolina. When other routes opened, the number of visitors declined and businesses closed, but growth was reignited when the county seat was moved to its outskirts. Now, Bolivia is home to Brunswick Community College, Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center, and a number of smaller, often family-owned businesses.
Thanks to its rural location, Bolivia is popular with people who enjoy country living and may be looking for land for recreational use, like hunting, dirt biking, four-wheel driving, etc. It's also popular among equestrians, who need room for their horses to run and graze. While there are families that have been here for decades, it's attracted a surprising amount of young people in the past two decades, most likely spurred by the college and growing medical industry.
Located less than half an hour from Historic Downtown Wilmington, Bolivia isn't far from a variety of shopping, dining, and entertainment options. It's also just 15 minutes from Oak Island and the Brunswick County beaches, so residents can make a day of dipping their toes in the Atlantic Ocean.
For movie buffs, just over 20 minutes away is Southport, a popular filming location where visitors can revisit well-known sites from Safe Haven, A Walk to Remember, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and "Dawson's Creek".
If you have questions about living in Bolivia, we invite you to contact us. When you aren’t familiar with an area, it can be hard to narrow down your home search, but we’re ready to help. Just let us know what you’re looking for. We cover areas of Brunswick County, Pender County, Onslow County, and New Hanover County.
