Beaufort ( , different from that of Beaufort, South Carolina) is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States, and its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. Established in 1713 and incorporated in 1723, Beaufort is the fourth oldest town in North Carolina (after Bath,

New Bern New Bern, formerly Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 31,291 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located at the confluence of the Neuse River, Neuse a ...

and Edenton). The population was 4,464 at the 2020 census. Beaufort is located in North Carolina's " Inner Banks" region. The town is home to the

North Carolina Maritime Museum The North Carolina Maritime Museum is a system of regional museums within the North Carolina Museum of History, which in turn part of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. There are several branches of the Maritime Muse ...

, the

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

Marine Laboratory ( Nicholas School of the Environment), and the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with Weather forecasting, forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, Hydrography, charting the seas, ...

(NOAA) Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research. It is also the location of the Rachel Carson Reserve, part of the N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve system. It is sometimes confused with a city of the same name in

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

; the two are distinguished by different pronunciations.

History

The Beaufort Historic District, Carteret County Home, Gibbs House, Jacob Henry House, and Old Burying Ground are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. In June 1718 Blackbeard the pirate ran his flagship, the '' Queen Anne's Revenge'' and his sloop ''Adventure'', aground near present-day Beaufort Inlet, NC. The ''Queen Anne's Revenge'' was added to the

in 2004 with the reference number 04000148. Thirty two years later, in August 1750, at least three Spanish merchantmen ran aground in

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

during a hurricane. One of the three, the ''

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

'', sank near Cape Lookout.

Geography

Beaufort is located south of the center of Carteret County. It is located on Beaufort Inlet, a channel leading south to the Atlantic Ocean. To the west is the tidal Newport River, separating the town from Morehead City. To the east is the unincorporated neighborhood of Lenoxville, extending to the North River, another tidal river. U.S. Route 70 passes through Beaufort, leading west across the Newport River to Morehead City and northeast to its end in the town of

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Beaufort has a total area of , of which is land and , or 17.75%, is water.

Climate

Beaufort has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(Cfa), which is characterized by long, hot summers, and short, cool winters.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,464 people, 2,156 households, and 1,071 families residing in the town.

2008

As of the census of 2008, there were 4,189 people, 1,780 households, and 1,048 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,187 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 75.87%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 19.99%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.37% Asian, 0.11% Native American, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 2.39% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 3.77% of the population. There were 1,780 households, out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.1% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.65. In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.3% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,763, and the median income for a family was $39,429. Males had a median income of $30,859 versus $22,955 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,356. About 13.3% of families and 16.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.0% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Beaufort uses a council-manager form of government. The community elects a mayor and five council members. Mayors serve two-year terms, and council members serve staggered four-year terms.

Education

K-12 education

Carteret County Public Schools is the county school district. Zoned schools include: * Beaufort Elementary School - There is also a former Beaufort Elementary Campus. * Beaufort Middle School * Beaufort students attend East Carteret High School, - located north of town Charter schools include: * Tiller School ;Middle school ;High school

Higher education

* Nicholas School of the Environment Marine Lab

Transportation

Highways

* US 70 * NC 101

Airport

* Michael J. Smith Field

Culture

Beaufort hosts several annual events, including: * Beaufort Music Festival * North Carolina Maritime Museum Wooden Boat Show * BARTA Fishing Tournament * Beaufort Pirate Invasion * Beaufort Wine and Food Festival Beaufort is also home to the Carteret County main public library.

Honors and designations

* On February 1, 2012, Beaufort was ranked as "America's Coolest Small Town" by readers of ''Budget Travel Magazine.'' * Beaufort NC was named a 2015 Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation in honor of its commitment to effective urban forest management.

Sister cities

According to Beaufort Sister Cities, Inc., the city of Beaufort has 19 sister cities: * Beaufort, Victoria, Australia * Beaufort, Haute-Garonne, France * Beaufort, Hérault, France * Beaufort, Isère, France * Beaufort, Jura, France * Beaufort, Nord, France *

Beaufort-Blavincourt Beaufort-Blavincourt (; ) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France. Geography A farming village located 13 miles (21 km) west of Arras on the D78 road. Population Sights * The church ...

, France * Beaufort-en-Argonne, France * Beaufort-en-Santerre, France * Beaufort-en-Vallée, France * Beaufort-sur-Doron, France * Beaufort-sur-Gervanne, France * Chapdes-Beaufort, France * Montmorency-Beaufort, France * Beaufort,

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

, Ireland *

Beaufort, Luxembourg Beaufort (; ; ) is a Communes of Luxembourg, commune and town in eastern Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Echternach (canton), Echternach, which is part of the district of Grevenmacher (district), Grevenmacher. Commune In 2024, the town o ...

* Beaufort, Sabah, Malaysia * Beaufort West, Western Cape, South Africa * Beaufort, Wales, United Kingdom

References

External links

* *
Beaufort, NC info on InsiderInfo.Us

NOAA Beaufort Laboratory
{{authority control Populated places established in 1709 Towns in North Carolina Towns in Carteret County, North Carolina County seats in North Carolina 1709 establishments in North Carolina