Gulf is a community in Chatham County, North Carolina, home to about 178 people across 0.9 square miles. Its ZIP code is 27256, and parts of 27252 are in Gulf too.
Homes sold for a median of $189 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Mostly Gulf
Mostly Goldston; part is in Gulf
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Gulf. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
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| Nearest major airport | Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)36 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Durham, NC37 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Philadelphia, PA382 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Gulf; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Gulf had 122 residents in the 2020 census, down 15% since 2010.
It’s the 713th largest of 771 towns in North Carolina by population.
Chatham County grew from 23,912 residents in 1900 to 76,285 in 2020.
Chatham County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 90°F in summer, and winter lows average 31°F. About 46.7 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 2 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Sanford 8 Ne, NC weather station (14 miles away).
17,432 jobs at 1,719 businesses in Chatham County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
Nearest hospitals
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances.
Libraries
Counts are within about 1 mile of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
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Shares ZIP codes with Goldston.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.