Morehead City is a port city in Carteret County,

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 ...

, United States. The population was 8,661 at the 2010 census. Morehead City celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding on May 5, 2007. It forms part of the

Crystal Coast In North Carolina, the Crystal Coast is an 85-mile stretch of coastline that extends from the Cape Lookout National Seashore, which includes 56 miles of protected beaches, southwestward to the New River (eastern North Carolina), New River. The Cr ...

History

By the early 1850s, a group of investors had been formed and incorporated a land development project known as the "Shepard Point Land Company," which purchased of land on the eastern tip of the

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

bordering the Newport River, known then as "Shepards Point," which is the present location of Morehead City. The Shepard Point Land Company's objective was to take advantage of the natural deep channel of Topsail Inlet, known today as the Beaufort Inlet, which splits

Bogue Banks Bogue Banks form a barrier island off the mainland of North Carolina in Carteret County. The island, separated from the mainland by Bogue Sound, runs east to west, with the ocean beaches facing due south. Bogue Banks is the only island on the ...

from Shackleford Banks and provides access to Morehead City,

Beaufort, North Carolina Beaufort ( , different from that of Beaufort, South Carolina) is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. Established in 1713 and incorporated in 1723, Beaufort is the fourth oldest town in North Carolina ( ...

, the Newport River and the

Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a Navigability, inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, the ...

. The Shepard Point Land Company was established to construct a deepwater

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

to allow another access point for North Carolina timber products to relieve pressure at the port located in Wilmington. To make the port accessible to the interior of North Carolina, the Atlantic and

North Carolina Railroad The North Carolina Railroad is a state-owned rail corridor extending from Morehead City, North Carolina, to Charlotte. The railroad carries over 70 freight trains operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway and eight passenger trains (Amtrak's ...

line between Goldsboro and

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 ...

was completed on April 29, 1858. North Carolina Governor John Motley Morehead, for whom the city of Morehead City is named, was a principal member of the Shepard Point Land Company investment group. Fully operational rail service began in July 1858 connecting the town to points west, north, and south. The city of Morehead City was laid out using a

grid plan In urban planning, the grid plan, grid street plan, or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid. Two inherent characteristics of the grid plan, frequent intersections and orthogon ...

, whereby city blocks were equally laid out with each block consisting of 16 equally divided lots. The city blocks stretched from 1st Street to 15th Street, incorporating a system of alleys forming an "H" shape that enabled businesses and residential homes to be served from the alleys behind them. Morehead City was officially incorporated by the North Carolina Senate in 1860, at which time the total number of households consisted of only 300 individual families. The city continued to prosper until the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, when in 1862 it was occupied by Federal troops. The war disrupted commerce, and the economy of the port declined along with the town's population. It was not until the 1880s, with the construction of the Atlantic Hotel at the tip of the peninsula and its promotion by the railroad as the "Summer Capital by the Sea," that the area began to experience a resurgence. The popularity of this particular hotel, with its train depot entrance, grand ballroom, piers, sailing, and ferries to the beaches of

, helped to establish Morehead City as a summer destination. It was also during the 1880s and 1890s that fishermen who had lived on the island of Shackleford Banks moved on to the mainland (often transporting their houses by boat from the

outer banks The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separatin ...

), settling in the areas between 10th and 15th streets and calling it the Promised Land. These fishermen became the nucleus of the

fishing industry The fishing industry includes any industry or activity that takes, cultures, processes, preserves, stores, transports, markets or sells fish or fish products. It is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization as including recreational, sub ...

that has remained an important part of the town's economy. The

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

markedly altered the character of the town. The traditional downtown area had deteriorated and, as newer stores opened further west, the decay in the old center of town accelerated. Finally, in the 1980s, a renewal began when the town obtained a

Community Development Block Grant The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), one of the longest-running programs of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, funds local community development activities with the stated goal of providing affordable housing, anti- ...

to replace an aging infrastructure and improve the appearance of the waterfront area. Subsequent grants, private investment, and town monies have maintained the forward momentum, so that the town now has a new

sea wall Sea Wall or The Sea Wall may refer to: * Seawall, a constructed coastal defence * Sea Wall, Guyana * ''The Sea Wall'' (novel), 1950 French novel by Marguerite Duras * ''The Sea Wall'' (film), 2008 film based on Duras' novel See also *'' This Ang ...

, underground utilities, brick paved walkways with planters along the waterfront, all in the downtown area, and tree-lined streets, renovated houses, new docks and new businesses. The Morehead City Historic District and Morehead City Municipal Building 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 ...

Today's community

Morehead City's economy is based predominantly on a variety of

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...

activities, a growing retirement community, and the Port of Morehead City. The local economy is based further on the Port of Morehead City, light industry and manufacturing, land development, light commercial fishing, sport fishing, and other service-oriented businesses. The town is within easy access of

, Havelock and

Jacksonville, North Carolina Jacksonville is a city in Onslow County, North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 72,723, which makes Jacksonville the List of municipalities in North Carolina, 14th-most populous city in North Caroli ...

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point or MCAS Cherry Point (*) is a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina, United States, in the eastern part of the state. It was built in 1941, and was commissioned in 1942 an ...

is northwest of Morehead City in Havelock, and

Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune ( or ) is a United States Armed Forces, United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for Amphibious warfare, amphibious assault training, an ...

is west of Morehead City near Jacksonville. Morehead City is one of two existing ports in North Carolina which primarily export

phosphate Phosphates are the naturally occurring form of the element phosphorus. In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthop ...

. The Port of Morehead City features a dry-bulk facility with a 225,000-ton capacity warehouse and extended open storage facilities.

SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an America, American space technology company headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase, Starbase development site in Starbase, Texas. Since its founding in 2002, the compa ...

fairing recovery vessels Ms. Tree and Ms. Chief utilize the port during launch and fairing recovery operations as a safe harbor in the event of inclement weather at sea or if there is an extended launch delay. Carteret General Hospital in Morehead City is the second largest employer in Carteret County, behind the

Carteret County Public Schools Carteret County Public Schools (CCPS) is a Pre-kindergarten, PK–Twelfth grade, 12 school district serving Carteret County, North Carolina. Its 18 schools serve approximately 8,000 students as of the 2024-2025 school year. Student demographics ...

Higher education and marine research

Carteret Community College serves the undergraduate community with two-year

associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

programs focused primarily on trades and service sector occupations. There are several world-class postgraduate programs and research organizations in the area, including the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

's Institute of Marine Sciences,

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...

's Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, and 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 Lab in nearby Beaufort. Morehead City also is home to the Research and Compliance Branch North Carolina Marine Fisheries Division, a governmental organization.

Inshore and offshore recreational fishing

Morehead City and the surrounding area is an excellent venue for fishermen of all varieties. There are many opportunities for

recreational fishing Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing or game fishing, is fishing for leisure, exercise or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is occupational fishing activities done for profit; or subsistence fishing, ...

when in Morehead City because of its pristine

estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

and close proximity to the

Continental Shelf A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an islan ...

and

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the United States, then veers east near 36°N latitude (North Carolin ...

. The Gulf Stream is a powerful, warm and swift Atlantic Ocean current that originates at the tip of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and follows the coastline of the eastern United States to

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

before crossing the Atlantic Ocean, bringing large sport fish species such as the

Atlantic blue marlin The Atlantic blue marlin (''Makaira nigricans'') is a species of marlin endemic to the Atlantic Ocean. It is closely related to, and usually considered conspecific with, the Indo-Pacific blue marlin, then simply called blue marlin. Some author ...

and other

billfish The billfish are a group (Xiphioidea) of saltwater fish, saltwater predatory fish characterised by prominent pointed beak, bills (rostrum (anatomy), rostra), and by their large size; some are longer than . Extant billfish include sailfish and m ...

close to the North Carolina coastline. Established in 1957, the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament draws large crowds of sporting enthusiasts of all types to Morehead City each year to witness some of the largest Atlantic blue marlin catches in North America.

Scuba diving

Morehead City and surrounding areas are a popular

scuba diving Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...

destination, particularly for the many shipwrecks that have led the waters off North Carolina to be nicknamed the "

Graveyard of the Atlantic Graveyard of the Atlantic is a nickname for the treacherous waters and area of numerous shipwrecks off the Outer Banks of North Carolina, United States, which are due to the coast's shifting sands and inlets. To a lesser degree, this nickname has a ...

". Morehead City sits between a number of famous wrecks, including the German submarine U-352, discovered in part by the late Morehead resident George Purifoy.

Traditional sports

Morehead City is home to the Morehead City Marlins of the

Coastal Plain League The Coastal Plain League (CPL) is a wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league, featuring college players recruited from throughout the nation. The league takes its name from the Class D level Coastal Plain League which operated in the area f ...

, a collegiate summer baseball league. The Marlins play at O'Neal Field at Big Rock Stadium in Morehead City, and began playing in the 2010 season. Youth sports in Morehead City include Little League Baseball, soccer leagues, and basketball leagues.

Geography

Morehead City is located southwest of the center of Carteret County. It occupies a

bordered to the south by Bogue Sound and to the north and east by the tidal Newport River. Across the river to the east is the town of Beaufort, while to the south across Bogue Sound is Atlantic Beach. 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 ...

, Morehead City has a total area of , of which is land and , or 19.55%, is water.

Climate

Morehead City 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) with long, hot summers and short, cool winters.

''Note''

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,556 people, 4,428 households, and 2,276 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,691 people, 3,597 households, and 1,985 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 4,296 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 81.71%

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 ...

, 13.98% Black (U.S. Census), 0.66% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.04%

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 ...

, 1.13% from other races, and 1.72% 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 2.34% of the population. There were 3,597 households, out of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.9% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.8% were non-families. 39.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.73. In the town the age distribution of the population shows 20.2% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,737, and the median income for a family was $39,290. Males had a median income of $26,852 versus $21,995 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $19,138. About 12.1% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Highways

* (often used to transport U.S. Marines to and from Camp Lejeune) *

Future Interstate

Train

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

provides a Thruway Bus to Wilson that connects with the daily ''Palmetto'' train to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

, as well as the daily ''Carolinian'' train to

and Charlotte. Into the early 1950s, the Atlantic and East Carolina Railway ran a daily passenger train to Goldsboro' s

Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...

. The connections at Goldsboro were timed to accommodate a local Southern Railway overnight train (#111/#112, in final years, #11/#112) to parts in central and western North Carolina, comparable to the North Carolina section of the '' Carolina Special.'' The

North Carolina Department of Transportation The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is responsible for building, repairing, and operating highways, bridges, and other modes of transportation, including ferries in the U.S. state of North Carolina. History The North Carolina ...

as of 2007 was studying the resumption of intercity passenger train service from Raleigh through Goldsboro to Morehead City.

Hospital

* Carteret Health Care

Education

Elementary schools

* Morehead City Primary School * Morehead City Elementary School at Camp Glenn

Middle schools

* Morehead Middle School

High schools

West Carteret High School West Carteret High School is a public secondary school located in Morehead City, North Carolina on Country Club Road, and is part of the Carteret County Public Schools system. The school serves the student populations of Morehead City, Newport, ...

Higher learning

* Carteret Community College * UNC-Chapel Hill Institute of Marine Sciences * NCSU Center for Marine Sciences and Technology

Private schools

* St. Egbert's Catholic School

Media

Newspapers

The '' Carteret County News-Times'' is the local newspaper, published three times a week, and is owned by Carteret Publishing Company.

Television

Morehead City is part of the Greenville–

– Washington

designated market area A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...

, which was the 109th largest in 2007 (according to

Nielsen Media Research Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

). Broadcast Television Stations serving the market include: *

WITN-TV WITN-TV (channel 7) is a television station licensed to Washington, North Carolina, United States, serving Eastern North Carolina as an affiliate of NBC and MyNetworkTV. Owned by Gray Media, the station has primary studio facilities on East ...

, the (7), Washington (

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

affiliate) * WNCT-TV, the (9), Greenville ( CBS affiliate)

the CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

on their digital subchannel * WCTI-TV, the (12), New Bern ( ABC affiliate, independent "ENC-TV" On Digital) * WYDO-TV, the (14), Greenville ( Fox affiliate) * WUNM-TV, the (19), Jacksonville (

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

affiliate of the PBS North Carolina Network) * WPXU-TV, the (35), Jacksonville ( i network/ My Network affiliate)

Radio stations

* 88.3 FM: WXBE AFR (Christian) * 89.3 FM: WTEB Public Radio East (NPR/Classical) * 90.7 FM: WOTJ FBN (Sacred Christian) * 91.5 FM: WBJD Public Radio East (NPR) * 92.3 FM: WQSL * 92.7 FM: WBNK 92.7 The Beacon (Contemporary Christian) * 93.3 FM:

WERO WERO (93.3 FM, "Bob 93-3") is a contemporary hit radio music formatted radio station for Eastern North Carolina licensed to Washington, North Carolina, US, targeting the Greenville, North Carolina, and Eastern North Carolina areas. History T ...

Bob 93.3 (Contemporary Hit Radio) * 94.1 FM: WNBU (Oldies) * 95.1 FM: WRNS-FM 95.1 WRNS (Country) * 96.3 FM: WRHT (Talk Radio) * 97.9 FM: WNBB The Bear (Classic Country) * 98.7 FM: WRMR Modern Rock 98.7 (Modern Rock) * 99.5 FM: WMJV (Hot Adult Contemporary) * 100.3 FM: WLGP GNN (Christian) * 101.9 FM:

WIKS WIKS (101.9 FM) is an mainstream urban-formatted broadcast radio station licensed to New Bern, North Carolina. The station is owned by Curtis Media Group. WIKS is an affiliate of the Steve Harvey Morning Show. History The 101.9 FM frequency i ...

101.9 Kiss FM (Urban) * 103.3 FM: WMGV V 103.3 Soft Rock (AC) * 104.5 FM: WSTK * 105.1 FM: WLGV K-LOVE 105.1 (Contemporary Christian) * 106.5 FM:

WSFL-FM WSFL-FM (106.5 MHz) is a classic rock radio station located in New Bern, North Carolina, that broadcasts to the entire eastern region of North Carolina. It has been around for several decades and is considered a fixture in the local community. H ...

106.5 WSFL (Classic Rock) * 107.1 FM: WTKF The Talk Station 107.1 (News/Talk) * 107.9 FM: WNCT-FM 107.9 WNCT (Classic Hits) * 1120 AM: WSME (Classic Country/Bluegrass)

Notable people

References

External links

*
Morehead City Attractions and Restaurants

Carteret Health Care
{{authority control Towns in North Carolina Populated places established in 1855 Carteret County, North Carolina 1855 establishments in North Carolina Port cities and towns of the United States Atlantic coast