This is the second in my True Towns series on small towns that have maintained their identities and historic character.
Southport, North Carolina is the warmest spot in the entire state. That is a fact pulled straight from NOAA data. With a yearly average temperature of 65 degrees, its subtropical climate more closely resembles that of a northern coastal town in Florida.
As appealing as those words are to many of us, however, here is another sort of warmth that puts tiny Southport on my list of True Towns - and that is the warmth and respect that they hold for their surroundings.
Coastal communities these days are experiencing explosive growth from a combination of those fleeing the colder northern regions of the country for warmer surroundings, boomers (and now their children) looking for a little niche by the water or a second home, and investors taking advantage of the opportunity to make money from the burgeoning businesses known as Airbnb and VRBO.
Against such a tidal wave of pressure, what is a small town to do?