Sneads Ferry

Sneads Ferry began as a colonial ferry crossing on the New River—operated by Robert Snead in the 1760s—and evolved into a commercial fishing port famed for its white-shrimp harvest. Today the unincorporated village of roughly 2,550 residents supports seafood processors, charter captains, and a growing population of Marines stationed at nearby Stone Bay and Camp Lejeune.

While Hampstead is a commuter suburb and Holly Ridge a gateway town, Sneads Ferry is a rustic waterfront community: shrimp trawlers, crab shacks, and pastel cottages lining back-creeks. Housing developments are pushing north along NC-172, but the working-waterfront character still drives identity—and tourism.