Richlands is a town in Onslow County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 2,287. It is included in the Jacksonville, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. Incorporated on March 29, 1880, it was the first town in Onslow County to have its own library and museum. Richlands was also the first town in Onslow County to have a female mayor, Annette Hargett.

Onslow County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 204,576. Its county seat is Jacksonville. The county was created in 1734 as Onslow Precinct and gained county status in 1739. Onslow County comprises the Jacksonville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. The southern border is the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.