Beaufort, North Carolina Explained

Official Name:Beaufort, North Carolina
Settlement Type:Town
Named For:Henry Somerset, Duke of Beaufort
Mapsize:250x200px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:North Carolina
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Carteret
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Total Km2:20.31
Area Land Km2:13.17
Area Water Km2:7.13
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:4464
Population Density Km2:338.82
Population Density Sq Mi:877.53
Timezone:Eastern (EST)
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Elevation Ft:3
Coordinates:34.7225°N -76.6503°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:28516
Area Code:252
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:37-04260[1]
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:2405222
Area Footnotes:[2]
Area Total Sq Mi:7.84
Area Land Sq Mi:5.09
Area Water Sq Mi:2.75

Beaufort (different than that of Beaufort, South Carolina)[3] is a town in and the county seat of Carteret County, North Carolina, United States.[4] Established in 1713 and incorporated in 1723, Beaufort is the fourth oldest town in North Carolina (after Bath, New Bern and Edenton).[5] [6] On February 1, 2012, Beaufort was ranked as "America's Coolest Small Town" by readers of Budget Travel Magazine.[7]

The population was 4,464 at the 2020 census.[8] It is sometimes confused with a city of the same name in South Carolina; the two are distinguished by different pronunciations.[3]

Beaufort is located in North Carolina's "Outer banks" region. (which ends at the roundabout on Front Street) Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (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.[9]

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. 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.[10] The Queen Anne's Revenge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 with the reference number 04000148. Thirty two years later, in August 1750, at least three Spanish merchantmen ran aground in North Carolina during a hurricane. One of the three, the El Salvador, sank near Cape Lookout.[11]

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.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Beaufort has a total area of 14.5km2, of which 12km2 is land and 2.6km2, or 17.75%, is water.[8]

Climate

Beaufort has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), which is characterized by long, hot summers, and short, cool winters.

Demographics

2020 census

Race!scope="col"
NumberPercentage
White (non-Hispanic)3,60880.82%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)49911.18%
Native American70.16%
Asian440.99%
Pacific Islander40.09%
Other/Mixed1814.05%
Hispanic or Latino1212.71%
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 1374.4sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 2,187 housing units at an average density of 797.1sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the town was 75.87% White, 19.99% African American, 0.37% Asian, 0.11% Native American, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.39% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic 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:

Charter schools include:

Middle school
High school

Higher education

Transportation

Highways

Airport

Culture

Beaufort hosts several annual events, including:

Beaufort is also home to the Carteret County main public library.[19]

Honors and designations

Sister cities

According to Beaufort Sister Cities, Inc., the city of Beaufort has 19 sister cities:[21]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: U.S. Census website . . January 31, 2008 . mdy .
  2. Web site: ArcGIS REST Services Directory. United States Census Bureau. September 20, 2022.
  3. Web site: Without Pierre . Ted . Landphair . . July 16, 2012 . Ted Landphair's America. July 23, 2012. There are two decent-sized port cities of the same name — Beaufort — on the U.S. Atlantic Coast. One, in North Carolina, is BOH-furt. The other, in South Carolina, is BYEW-furt. Yet they're both named after the same English duke. He was a BOH-furt..
  4. Web site: Find a County . June 7, 2011 . National Association of Counties . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120704084002/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx . July 4, 2012 .
  5. Web site: Town of Beaufort . August 18, 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090804192609/http://www.beaufortnc.org/default.aspx . August 4, 2009 .
  6. Web site: A Brief History of Beaufort, North Carolina . August 18, 2009 . Beaufort Business Association . https://web.archive.org/web/20080801032002/http://www.beaufortseaport.com/history.html . August 1, 2008.
  7. Web site: America's Coolest Small Towns. Budget Travel Magazine. February 2012. March 27, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120202022718/http://www.budgettravel.com/contest/americas-coolest-small-towns-2012,11/. February 2, 2012. mdy-all.
  8. Web site: Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Beaufort town, North Carolina. https://archive.today/20200212192147/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US3704260. dead. February 12, 2020. U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. December 22, 2014.
  9. http://www.nccoastalreserve.net/About-The-Reserve/Reserve-Sites/Rachel-Carson/58.aspx Rachel Carson
  10. Web site: Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge. Nautilus Productions.
  11. Web site: North Carolina Shipwrecks: The Spanish Galleons ~ 18 August 1750. Heit. Judi. April 7, 2012. North Carolina Shipwrecks. May 12, 2016.
  12. http://www.carteretcountyschools.org/bes/ Welcome To Beaufort Elementary School! Home of the Seadogs!
  13. Web site: Google Maps .
  14. http://www.carteretcountyschools.org/bms/ Beaufort Middle School
  15. Web site: District Map & Boundaries. Carteret County Schools. October 8, 2022. - Explains that the Beaufort Elementary and Middle Schools have the same zone, and that East Carteret High includes students in the Beaufort Middle zone.
  16. Web site: East Carteret High School: Home Page. echs-ccs-nc.schoolloop.com. April 3, 2018. March 15, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180315131124/http://echs-ccs-nc.schoolloop.com/. dead.
  17. Web site: A Carteret County North Carolina Elementary Charter School . Tiller School . May 23, 2012.
  18. Web site: Marine Lab Homepage - Nicholas School. nicholas.duke.edu. April 3, 2018.
  19. http://carteret.cpclib.org/cart/index.htm Cartert County Library
  20. News: Beaufort earns 'Tree City USA' designation. islandpacket. October 19, 2017. en.
  21. Web site: Beaufort Sister Cities in Beaufort, North Carolina . Beaufort Sister Cities, Inc . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070928170906/http://www.beaufortsistercities.org/ . September 28, 2007 .