Home sites are still available today, and the community should have 2,100 single family homes in a dozen or more neighborhoods across 2,500 acres at build out. Homes range in size from approximately 1,600 square feet for bungalows to nearly 4,000 square feet for custom built homes. Some have fairway views, while others have pond, woods or marsh views. Quiet lanes meander, with many homes sitting on cul de sacs. Tall trees give each neighborhood a soothing ambiance.

Prices start in the mid-$500,000s. The HOA is $190 to the $300s per month. Please verify this with a Realtor as prices are bound to change.

Amenities are top notch. The five golf courses, named Lion's Paw, Panther's Run, Tiger's Eye and Leopard's Chase and Jaguar's Lair, are known as the Big Cats. Both Leopard's Chase and Tiger's Eye were named the Best New Golf Course in America when they debuted.

Other amenities include the nicely appointed Plantation Club, which has indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, a sauna, a fitness center and a four-acre lake. The Plantation Gardens is 300 acres of woodland and irrigated garden plots. This is where residents grow their own herbs and vegetables.

Biking and walking trails wind throughout Ocean Ridge, wandering through the pretty neighborhoods, along the fairways and through the woods. More than 50 clubs encompass weight training, books, singing, Pilates, cards, Bible study, golf and more. Ocean Ridge also has a private oceanfront beach club. It is actually in Sunset Beach, which is about five minutes away.

Ocean Isle does not have a hospital, but Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center is 14 miles away in Supply and is accredited by the Joint Commission.

This area has hot, humid summers with temperatures in 80s and 90s and mild winters with temperatures in 40s, 50s and 60s. On average, it receives 56 inches of rain per year.

Visit www.oceanridgeplantationhomes.com for more information. Go to tinyurl.com/sc9sv4f2 for listings. Please note that some real estate sites show some Ocean Ridge Plantation homes with an address in Shallotte, the town that is north of Ocean Isle Beach, and some homes with a Sunset Beach address, the town to the west of Ocean Isle Beach.

North Carolina:

Sir Walter Raleigh sent English colonists to North Carolina in 1585 and 1587 to settle Roanoke Island. Permanent settlements were established in 1653, and early conflicts included pirate raids, the Quaker-led Cary Rebellion and the Tuscarora Indian War.

North Carolina didn't see much fighting during the American Revolution, but many residents went out of state to fight. A lot of locals were pro-Union and anti-slavery, but the state joined the Confederacy during the Civil War.

The state is the nation's largest tobacco producer, furniture maker and brick and textile manufacturer. Papermaking, chemicals, and metalworking are important to the state economy, too. Most lithium and mica come from here.

Tourists spend more than $1 billion in North Carolina annually. Sporting options include skiing, golfing and fishing. Major attractions include the Great Smoky Mountains, Cape Hatteras, the Blue Ridge National Parkway, the Wright Brothers memorial, Carl Sandburg's home, and an Old Salem re-creation in Winston-Salem. North Carolina's climate is warm and tropical most of the time, but it can be subject to fierce storms part of the year.