Beaufort, North Carolina

History

The Beaufort Historic District, Carteret County Home, Duncan House, 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. 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. In the colonial period, Port Beaufort exported tar, pitch, turpentine, crafts of wood, and corn, especially to the West Indies.

Geography

Beaufort is located south of the center of Carteret County. It is located near 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 31 mi to its end in the town of Atlantic.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Beaufort has a total area of 14.5 km2, of which 12.0 km2 is land and 2.6 km2, or 17.75%, is water.

Climate

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

|Jan record high F = |Feb record high F = |Mar record high F = |Apr record high F = |May record high F = |Jun record high F = |Jul record high F = |Aug record high F = |Sep record high F = |Oct record high F = |Nov record high F = |Dec record high F = |year record high F = |Jan record low F = |Feb record low F = |Mar record low F = |Apr record low F = |May record low F = |Jun record low F = |Jul record low F = |Aug record low F = |Sep record low F = |Oct record low F = |Nov record low F = |Dec record low F = |year record low F = |Jan avg record high F = 70.4 |Feb avg record high F = 70.0 |Mar avg record high F = 74.9 |Apr avg record high F = 79.4 |May avg record high F = 85.4 |Jun avg record high F = 89.8 |Jul avg record high F = 91.4 |Aug avg record high F = 89.9 |Sep avg record high F = 88.1 |Oct avg record high F = 83.3 |Nov avg record high F = 77.8 |Dec avg record high F = 72 |year avg record high F = 92.8 |Jan avg record low F = 20.4 |Feb avg record low F = 24.8 |Mar avg record low F = 29.4 |Apr avg record low F = 39.8 |May avg record low F = 49.7 |Jun avg record low F = 60.2 |Jul avg record low F = 66 |Aug avg record low F = 65 |Sep avg record low F = 57.5 |Oct avg record low F = 42.2 |Nov avg record low F = 31.4 |Dec avg record low F = 26.5 |year avg record low F = 18.9

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 1,374.4 PD/sqmi. There were 2,187 housing units at an average density of 797.1 /sqmi. 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:

• 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:

• Australia Beaufort, Victoria, Australia
• France Beaufort, Haute-Garonne, France
• France Beaufort, Hérault, France
• France Beaufort, Isère, France
• France Beaufort, Jura, France
• France Beaufort, Nord, France
• France Beaufort-Blavincourt, France
• France Beaufort-en-Argonne, France
• France Beaufort-en-Santerre, France
• France Beaufort-en-Vallée, France
• France Beaufort-sur-Doron, France
• France Beaufort-sur-Gervanne, France
• France Chapdes-Beaufort, France
• France Montmorency-Beaufort, France
• Ireland Beaufort, County Kerry, Ireland
• Luxembourg Beaufort, Luxembourg
• Malaysia Beaufort, Sabah, Malaysia
• South Africa Beaufort West, Western Cape, South Africa
• UK Beaufort, Wales, United Kingdom

References

References

1. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
2. {{GNIS. 2405222
3. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau.
4. Landphair, Ted. (July 16, 2012). "Without Pierre". [[Voice of America]].
5. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
6. "Town of Beaufort".
7. "A Brief History of Beaufort, North Carolina". Beaufort Business Association.
8. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Beaufort town, North Carolina". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder.
9. [http://www.nccoastalreserve.net/About-The-Reserve/Reserve-Sites/Rachel-Carson/58.aspx Rachel Carson] {{webarchive. link. (November 27, 2013 from North Carolina Coastal Reserve)
10. {{NRISref
11. "Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge".
12. Heit, Judi. (April 7, 2012). "North Carolina Shipwrecks: The Spanish Galleons ~ 18 August 1750".
13. Angley, Wilson. (1982-06-21). "Historical overview of Beaufort Inlet, Cape Lookout area of North Carolina". [[North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources]].
14. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
15. "Explore Census Data".
16. [http://www.carteretcountyschools.org/bes/ Welcome To Beaufort Elementary School! Home of the Seadogs!] {{webarchive. link. (April 26, 2012)
17. "Google Maps".
18. [http://www.carteretcountyschools.org/bms/ Beaufort Middle School] {{webarchive. link. (March 31, 2012)
19. "District Map & Boundaries". [[Carteret County Schools]].
20. "East Carteret High School: Home Page".
21. "A Carteret County North Carolina Elementary Charter School". Tiller School.
22. "Marine Lab Homepage - Nicholas School".
23. [http://carteret.cpclib.org/cart/index.htm Cartert County Library] {{webarchive. link. (March 22, 2016)
24. (February 2012). "America's Coolest Small Towns". Budget Travel Magazine.
25. Fastenau. "Beaufort earns 'Tree City USA' designation". islandpacket.