Moving to St. James, NC: Living in St. James Guide

St. James is a young town built around one very large planned community. Tucked between Southport and Oak Island along the Intracoastal Waterway, it is best known for St. James Plantation, with 81 holes of golf, a full-service marina, a private oceanfront beach club on Oak Island, miles of walking trails and more than 100 social clubs.

It has grown fast and skews toward retirees. The population roughly doubled between 2010 and 2020, and the median age is 68. Most people who move here are retirees or near-retirees who want golf, boating and an active social calendar, with the historic waterfront of Southport about 10 miles away and the beach a short drive over the bridge.

This guide walks through the numbers, the lifestyle, and the practical details that make a move into St. James go smoothly.

Planning a move to St. James? Call our NC & SC team at 910-758-0081 or get your price online.

Where Is St. James, NC?

St. James is in southern Brunswick County, in the southeastern corner of North Carolina. The town of Oak Island borders it to the south, west and north. NC 211 (Southport-Supply Road) forms part of the town’s northern border, leading east about 5 miles to Southport and west about 11 miles to US 17 at Supply. St. James is part of the Wilmington metropolitan area.

Approximate driving distances from the center of town:

Oak Island: about 8 miles
Southport: about 11 miles
Wilmington: about 29 miles
Wilmington International Airport (ILM): about 33 miles
Myrtle Beach, SC: about 59 miles
Raleigh: about 159 miles

By water, the St. James Marina sits at mile marker 315 on the Intracoastal Waterway, and the community says the Atlantic is about five minutes away by boat.

St. James Population & Demographics

St. James has grown quickly. It had 3,165 residents at the 2010 Census and 6,529 at the 2020 Census. The Census Bureau estimates it reached 7,318 by July 2025, a 12.0% increase in just over five years. Brunswick County as a whole grew from 136,693 people in 2020 to an estimated 174,702 in 2025, up 27.8%.

St. James is a retirement town by the numbers. At the 2020 Census, the median age was 69.3 and 70% of residents were 65 or older. The town also stands out for education and income: more than two-thirds of adults hold a bachelor’s degree, and 96% of homes are owner-occupied.

Measure	St. James	Brunswick County	North Carolina	United States
Population (July 1, 2025 estimate)	7,318	174,702	—	—
Population (2020 Census)	6,529	136,693	—	—
Median age (ACS 2020–2024)	68.0	56.4	39.1	38.9
Residents 65 and older (ACS)	62.8%	33.8%	17.2%	17.2%
Median household income	$116,383	$77,024	$72,388	$80,734
Bachelor’s degree or higher (age 25+)	68.3%	34.7%	35.7%	35.7%
Owner-occupied homes	96.4%	84.6%	66.6%	65.2%
Poverty rate	4.3%	9.2%	13.0%	12.5%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts (Vintage 2025 estimates and 2020 Census); 2010 count and 2020 age figures from Wikipedia; all other rows are 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates via Census Reporter. St. James’s median income has a margin of error of about ±$17,400.

Is St. James Safe?

We did not find a recent, reliable crime-rate source for St. James that we felt comfortable quoting, so we won’t guess. The best approach is to contact the Town of St. James (Town Hall is at 4140A Southport-Supply Road) and ask which law enforcement agency covers your address and how to reach them. The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office serves the unincorporated areas around town. If you are buying in a community with its own security or entry procedures, ask the property owners association how those work as well.

Cost of Living in St. James

Home Prices

St. James is one of the most expensive places to buy in Brunswick County. The Census Bureau’s median value for owner-occupied homes is $636,800 (2020–2024, ±$31,813), compared with $349,800 for Brunswick County, $288,900 for North Carolina and $332,700 for the United States.

Zillow does not publish a separate home value index for St. James, so for a current price check, ask a local agent for recent sales in the specific section you are considering. For context, Zillow put the typical home in neighboring Oak Island at about $604,000 in August 2026, and the typical North Carolina home at about $334,800.

Budget beyond the purchase price, too. Golf memberships, marina slips, club dues and any association fees can add real monthly costs. Ask for a full list of dues and fees before you make an offer.

Rent

Long-term rentals are rare here, since 96.4% of homes are owner-occupied, and the Census Bureau does not publish a reliable median rent for the town. If you want to rent while you shop, nearby Oak Island, Southport and Leland have more rental choices. Zillow’s typical Oak Island rent was about $2,078 a month in August 2026, compared with a national typical rent of about $1,948.

Best Neighborhoods in St. James

Golf-Course Homes Around the Clubs

St. James Plantation is built around four 18-hole courses and a 9-hole course: layouts by P.B. Dye, Jack Nicklaus and Hale Irwin, plus an 18-hole and a 9-hole course by Tim Cate. Homes on or near the fairways suit golfers who want to play several times a week and retirees who want the clubhouse social life at their doorstep. Ask which club each home is closest to, since that shapes your daily routine.

Harborside and the Marina

The Harborside area on St. James Drive is home to the St. James Marina, with room for 475 boats in wet slips and dry stack storage, plus the Beacon315 restaurant and tiki bar at the Harborside Marketplace. Full-service staff will launch your boat from dry storage, fuel it and wash it when you return. This part of the community suits boaters and anyone who wants waterway sunsets and a restaurant within walking distance.

Near the Grove Entrance

St. James has more than one entrance, and where you live affects your drive to the beach. According to the community, the private beach club on Oak Island is about 10 minutes by car from the Grove entrance and about 13 minutes from the main entrance. If a daily beach walk matters more to you than golf, a home near the Grove entrance can save a little time every trip. Waterway Park, Woodlands Park and the community’s 30 miles of trails round out the outdoor options.

Weather & Climate in St. James

St. James has a mild, humid coastal climate. NOAA’s 1991–2020 climate normals for the nearby Southport 5 N weather station put the annual average temperature at 65.0°F. January is the coolest month, with an average high of 60.0°F and a low of 35.5°F. July is the warmest, averaging a high of 91.6°F and a low of 72.8°F.

The station averages about 54.6 inches of precipitation a year. August (6.77 inches) and September (8.16 inches) are the wettest months, largely because of tropical systems. Snow is rare.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and the National Hurricane Center puts the peak on September 10, with most activity between mid-August and mid-October. St. James is on the mainland side of the waterway, but storms still bring wind, heavy rain and power outages, so have a plan and sign up for Brunswick County emergency alerts.

Best months to move: March through May and October through early December bring comfortable temperatures and fewer summer storms. Winter moves are easy here too, since freezing weather rarely lasts.

Things to Do in St. James

81 Holes of Golf

Golf is the centerpiece of life in St. James Plantation. The community’s 81 holes include courses designed by P.B. Dye, Jack Nicklaus, Hale Irwin and Tim Cate, so members can rotate through very different layouts without leaving home.

St. James Marina

The marina sits at Intracoastal Waterway mile marker 315, can handle boats up to 90 feet, and has an 8-foot depth at mean low water. With full-service dry stack storage, you can call ahead and have your boat in the water when you arrive.

The Beach Club on Oak Island

St. James By The Sea is the community’s private beach club on Oak Island’s south-facing beach. It has an old-fashioned boardwalk, an oceanfront gazebo, a picnic area, showers and private parking, with access all year.

Trails, Parks and Social Clubs

The community lists 30 miles of trails, Waterway Park, Woodlands Park and an outdoor pavilion, plus more than 100 social clubs for hobbies and interests. The town also operates the Homer E. Wright Event Center. For newcomers, clubs are the fastest way to build a circle of friends.

Historic Southport

Southport, about 11 miles away, adds a historic waterfront, shops, restaurants and festivals, and Oak Island’s fishing piers and the Oak Island Lighthouse are a short drive in the other direction.

Where to Eat in St. James

Beacon315

Beacon315 Restaurant & Tiki Bar is at the marina’s Harborside Marketplace, 2571 St. James Drive. The community calls it a resident favorite for food and sunsets, and it is the easiest dinner out without leaving St. James.

Castucci’s Italian Restaurant

Castucci’s is an Italian restaurant at 4332 Long Beach Road SE, on the road between St. James and Oak Island. It is a convenient option for a casual family dinner close to home.

Fishy Fishy Cafe

For seafood on the water, Fishy Fishy Cafe sits on the Southport Yacht Basin at 106 Yacht Basin Drive. It pairs well with an afternoon walking around Southport’s waterfront.

Jobs & Economy

With a median age of 68, most St. James residents are retired, and much of the local activity revolves around the community itself: golf, the marina, clubs, home building and real estate. For those still working, Southport, Leland and Wilmington (about 29 miles away) are within commuting distance.

Nearby, Duke Energy’s Brunswick nuclear plant, adjacent to Southport, has operated since 1975, and Dosher Memorial Hospital in Southport, a critical-access community hospital, lists the eastern portion of St. James in its service area. Across Brunswick County, retail trade is the largest industry by employment, with 6,437 workers in 2023, and the Brunswick County Board of Education is the top employer with more than 1,000 employees, according to the NC Rural Center.

Schools in St. James

St. James is served by Brunswick County Schools, which had 13,561 students across 20 schools in the 2024–2025 school year, with about 15 students per teacher, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Only about 1.4% of St. James residents were under 18 at the 2020 Census, but families with school-age children do live here.

Schools in the Southport area include Southport Elementary (701 W. 9th Street), South Brunswick Middle (100 Cougar Drive) and South Brunswick High (280 Cougar Drive). The district has a redistricting process underway, so confirm your assignment with its “Which school will my child attend?” tool.

Brunswick Community College has a Southport Center at 701 N. Lord Street and its main campus in Bolivia, a good resource for continuing education classes.

St. James Quick Facts

County	Brunswick
ZIP code	28461
Area codes	910 (with the 472 overlay)
Population	7,318 (2025 estimate); 6,529 (2020 Census)
Land area	9.11 square miles (Census TIGER data)
Main road	NC 211 (Southport-Supply Road)
Golf	81 holes (P.B. Dye, Nicklaus, Hale Irwin, Tim Cate)
Marina	ICW mile marker 315; 475 wet slip/dry stack capacity
Nearest commercial airport	Wilmington International (ILM), about 33 miles
Public schools	Brunswick County Schools
Town Hall	4140A Southport-Supply Road

Moving to St. James: Tips From Our Crew

Clear entry for the moving truck ahead of time. If your section of the community has an entry gate or visitor procedures, register your moving company and the date in advance so the truck is not stuck waiting at the entrance on moving day. Tell our St. James movers which entrance to use.
Check association rules before you schedule. Many planned communities set rules on moving hours, truck parking and where storage containers can sit. Ask your property owners association for its rules and share them with us so the crew plans around them.
Protect the golf course and landscaping. If your home backs up to a fairway or has a tight driveway, tell us about narrow drives, cul-de-sacs and soft yards so we can bring the right equipment and keep the truck on the pavement.
Downsizing? Plan it early. If you are leaving a larger home, our junk removal service can haul away what you don’t want to move, and storage can hold overflow while you decide what fits.
Bring golf clubs, boats and bikes into the plan. Let us know about golf carts, bicycles, kayaks or outdoor furniture so we can load and protect them properly.
Allow for hurricane season. If you are moving between June and November, keep a flexible backup date. We never charge a rescheduling fee, so changing your date for a storm costs you nothing.
Military retirees save 5%. St. James is home to about 1,080 veterans, according to Census data, and we offer 5% off military moves.

Frequently Asked Questions About Moving to St. James

Is St. James a good place to retire?

It is built for it. At the 2020 Census, the median age was 69.3 and 70% of residents were 65 or older. The community offers 81 holes of golf, a marina, a private beach club and more than 100 social clubs. Costs are higher than much of the county, so budget for dues and fees as well as the home.

Is St. James the same as St. James Plantation?

They are closely linked. St. James is an incorporated town with its own Town Hall on Southport-Supply Road, and St. James Plantation is the large planned community within it. Town services, community amenities and association rules can come from different places, so ask which is which when you have a question.

How far is St. James from the beach?

The community’s private beach club on Oak Island is about 10 minutes by car from the Grove entrance and about 13 minutes from the main entrance, according to the community. Oak Island’s public beaches and piers are nearby as well, and the town of Oak Island is about 8 miles away by road.

How much do movers cost for a move to St. James?

It depends on home size, distance, the date and access details like entrances, stairs and driveways. The best way to know is a free quote from one of our owners. For long-distance moves, we give a binding estimate, so the price never changes after you book, and we offer 5% off for military families.

When is the best time to move to St. James?

Spring and fall offer the best weather and fewer summer storms, and winter moves are usually mild. If you are moving in hurricane season, keep a backup date. Book a few weeks ahead for spring dates.

Move to St. James With A & M Friendly Movers

A & M Friendly Movers has been family-owned since 2015. Owners Matthew Treharn and Amber Hallaman stand behind every job with our Owner’s Promise: you talk to an owner, not a call center; if anything is damaged, an owner calls you the same day; and claims are resolved in 60–90 days. Our crews are background-checked, drug-tested W-2 employees, never subcontractors.

Many St. James families are coming from out of state, and our long-distance moves include a binding estimate, your own dedicated truck, the same W-2 crew door to door and a guaranteed delivery date. Our St. James movers also handle local moves, packing and storage. Call our NC & SC team at 910-758-0081, and an owner will call you back within 15 minutes between 8am and 8pm.

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