Wilmington's chapter began before the nation itself. Founded in 1739 on the banks of the Cape Fear River, our city grew as a colonial port where merchants, shipbuilders, and tradesmen came to build something of their own…

The founders of this nation, and the founders of this city, invested in things they would never see finished. We owe the next 250 years the same…

Our state toast celebrates the land of the long leaf pine, 'where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great.' That single line captures the work of a chamber of commerce, and the promise of America itself.