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== History == Oak Island, on which much of the town sits, has been inhabited since the early 19th century when [[Fort Caswell]] was constructed on its east end in 1838. The island developed slowly, but by the late 1930s it began attracting people from nearby [[Southport, North Carolina|Southport]] with [[fox hunting]] popular in the areas along the [[Intracoastal Waterway]] (ICW). In 1954, [[Hurricane Hazel]] struck, leaving only five buildings standing on the west end of the island<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gifford |first=Jim |year=2004| title=Hurricane Hazel: Canada's Storm of the Century| publisher=Dundurn Press| location=Toronto| ISBN=1-55002-526-0| page=22}}</ref> The island recovered quickly however, and the towns of [[Long Beach, North Carolina|Long Beach]] and [[Yaupon Beach]] were incorporated. Along with this increasing level of development came strident demands for a reliable crossing of the ICW to provide access to the island. [[File:Swain's Cut Bridge.png|thumb|left|Swain's Cut Bridge]] When the ICW was completed in the late 1930s, a swingbridge initially provided this service. Destroyed by a barge strike in 1971, construction of the high rise [[G. V. Barbee Bridge|Barbee Bridge]] began almost immediately; it opened for traffic in 1975 (interim service included a ferry and pontoon bridge).<ref name="Furstenau">{{cite book | author=Furstenau, Wolfgang | title=Long Beach | location=Long Beach, NC | publisher=Furstenau | year=1995 | ISBN=978-09648233-0-3}}</ref> A second high rise structure, the [[Swain's Cut Bridge]], was built over the ICW to the island in 2010.<ref name="Swainโs Cut Bridge">{{cite web|url=http://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20101113/long-awaited-oak-island-bridge-opens-for-traffic|title=Swain's Cut Bridge|website=StarNews.com|access-date=January 17, 2019}}</ref> In 1999, [[Long Beach, North Carolina|Long Beach]] and [[Yaupon Beach, North Carolina|Yaupon Beach]], decided to consolidate into the Town of Oak Island, and while [[Caswell Beach, North Carolina|Caswell Beach]] considered the matter, it opted to stay independent.<ref name="Oak Island Consolidation">{{cite web|url= https://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/SessionLaws/PDF/1999-2000/SL1999-66.pdf |title=Oak Island Consolidation|website=NC.gov|access-date=January 15, 2019}}</ref> Immediately after the new town got up and running, it began to either incorporate or obtain [[Extraterritorial jurisdiction|Extra Territorial Jurisdiction]] (ETJ) on properties located to its north on the mainland.<ref name="Oak Island Land Use Plan">{{cite web|url=https://www.oakislandnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Comprehensive_Land_Use_Plan.pdf|title=Oak Island Land Use Plan|website=Oak Island.com|access-date=February 4, 2019}}</ref>
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