Historic Downtown is an 87-acre area on the Cape Fear River in ZIP code 28401 with 859 residential addresses, most in apartment and condo buildings.

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.

Downtown is the city’s oldest part: a grid of brick commercial blocks, churches and townhouses running back from the Cape Fear River and the Riverwalk. On the city’s planning map it is the Historic Downtown planning area, about 87 acres between the river and roughly Third Street. Most people who live here live in apartments and condos above or between the storefronts.

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 begins at exit 420 on the city’s north side, about 7 miles by road. City Hall is about 0.2 miles away.

Part of our Wilmington neighborhoods guide. For things to do here, see our downtown and the Riverwalk guide.

Where it is

The planning area covers the blocks north and south of Market Street, from Water Street and Front Street on the river east to about Third Street. Market Street cuts through the middle and runs east out of downtown. The streets with the most homes, by New Hanover County’s address points, are North Water Street, North Second Street, Grace Street, Chestnut Street and North Front Street. The city’s Upper Downtown planning area is to the north, and the Northside is to the northeast.

The whole area lies inside the Wilmington Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the city’s historic districts layer. The county’s address points show 859 residential addresses: 789 units in apartment and condo buildings, 47 single homes and 23 addresses on vacant lots. All of them are in ZIP code 28401.

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.

Level Zoned school Addresses Tests at grade level, 2025-26
Elementary A.H. Snipes Academy of Arts and Design, 2150 Chestnut St. 859 of 859 33.9%
Middle Williston Middle, 401 S. 10th St. 859 of 859 33.1%
High New Hanover High, 1307 Market St. 859 of 859 43.6%

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. Each school name links to its NC School Report Card. The district also runs magnet and specialty programs families can apply to; see 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. ZIP code 28401 reaches well beyond downtown, into the Northside 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:

  • The Riverwalk, along Water Street on the river
  • Bijou Park, 231 N. Front St.
  • Water Street Park, Water Street at Market Street
  • Carolina Courtyard Park, 201 Chestnut St.
  • Claude Howell Park at Orange Street, 200 S. Water St.
  • Innis Park, 102 N. Third St., beside City Hall

See our parks and trails guide.

Getting around

  • Roads: Market Street (U.S. 17 Business) runs east from the river. The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge carries U.S. 17, U.S. 76 and U.S. 421 west across the river at the south edge of downtown.
  • I-40: exit 420, where the interstate meets College Road, is about 7 miles by road.
  • Wilmington International Airport: about 6.4 miles by road. 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 108 (Market Street), 201 (Carolina Beach Road) and 206 (Oleander Drive) stop in the area on the county’s 2025 transit map, and the 203 Port City Trolley runs downtown in season. Check Wave Transit at 910-343-0106.
  • Parking: meters, city decks and permits are in our getting around guide.

Groceries and everyday stores

OpenStreetMap lists Farmin’ On Front, a grocery on North Front Street, inside the area, and the New Hanover County Public Library’s Main Library downtown.

Taxes

A downtown home pays the county and city property tax rates, and parts of downtown also pay the 5-cent Municipal Service District rate. See our property taxes guide.

How we drew this area

This page follows the Historic Downtown 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 downtown Wilmington zoned for?

All 859 residential addresses in the city’s Historic Downtown 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.

What ZIP code is downtown Wilmington?

  1. Every residential address in the Historic Downtown planning area is in that ZIP code, according to New Hanover County’s address records.

Is downtown Wilmington a good place to live?

Here are the facts. Historic Downtown is an 87-acre area on the Cape Fear River, inside the Wilmington National Register Historic District, with the Riverwalk and five small city parks. Its schools are Snipes, Williston Middle and New Hanover High. The typical home value in ZIP code 28401 was $330,529 in August 2026, according to Zillow.

What kind of housing is in downtown Wilmington?

Mostly apartments and condos. Of the 859 residential addresses in the area, 789 are units in multi-unit buildings and 47 are single homes, according to New Hanover County’s address points.