The Topsail area is comprised of several cities, towns, and unincorporated coastal communities between Topsail Sound and New River Inlet in Eastern North Carolina.
Topsail Island, the 26-mile long barrier island for which the area is most known, is comprised of three towns. The Town of North Topsail Beach in Onslow County makes up the northernmost area of the island, while the southern end of the island is home to the Town of Topsail Beach in Pender County. In the middle of these two communities is a third town (despite its name) called Surf City. Surf City has a Council-Manager form of government with an elected Mayor, and its area spans both Pender and Onslow Counties.
Immediately inland of Topsail Island to the West are three separate communities connected by US Route 17. From North to South, these include Sneads Ferry and Holly Ridge (both within Onslow County) and Hampstead, an unincorporated area of Pender County to the South.
Topsail Island is made accessible by two bridges along NC State Highway 210 that each cross over the Intracoastal Waterway.
Trooper Larry Walton Memorial Bridge traverses the ICWW between Sneads Ferry and North Topsail Beach on the island’s north end, while Surf City Bridge connects the mainland area of Surf City to the island.