Beaufort, North Carolina | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Beaufort | |
 Flag  Seal | |
  Beaufort  Beaufort | |
| Coordinates:34°43′21″N76°39′01″W / 34.72250°N 76.65028°W /34.72250; -76.65028 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  North Carolina |
| County | Carteret |
| Named after | Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort |
| Area | |
• Total | 7.84 sq mi (20.31 km2) |
| • Land | 5.08 sq mi (13.17 km2) |
| • Water | 2.75 sq mi (7.13 km2) |
| Elevation | 3 ft (0.91 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 4,464 |
| • Density | 877.5/sq mi (338.82/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 28516 |
| Area code | 252 |
| FIPS code | 37-04260[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2405222[2] |
| Website | www |
Beaufort (/ˈboʊfərt/BOH-fərt)[4] is a town inCarteret County, North Carolina, United States, and itscounty seat.[5] Established in 1713 and incorporated in 1723, Beaufort is the fourth oldest town in North Carolina (afterBath,New Bern andEdenton).[6][7] The population was 4,464 at the2020 census.[8]
Beaufort is located in North Carolina's "Inner Banks" region. The town is home to theNorth Carolina Maritime Museum, theDuke University Marine Laboratory (Nicholas School of the Environment), and theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research. It is also the location of theRachel Carson Reserve, part of the N.C. Coastal Reserve andNational Estuarine Research Reserve system.[9] It is sometimes confused witha city of the same name inSouth Carolina; the two are distinguished by differentpronunciations.[4]
TheBeaufort Historic District,Carteret County Home,Gibbs House,Jacob Henry House, andOld Burying Ground are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[10] In June 1718Blackbeard the pirate ran his flagship, theQueen Anne's Revenge and his sloopAdventure, aground near present-day Beaufort Inlet, NC.[11] TheQueen Anne's Revenge was added to theNational 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 inNorth Carolina during a hurricane. One of the three, theEl Salvador, sank nearCape Lookout.[12]
Beaufort is located south of the center of Carteret County. It is located nearBeaufort Inlet, a channel leading south to the Atlantic Ocean. To the west is the tidalNewport River, separating the town fromMorehead 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 miles (50 km) to its end in the town ofAtlantic.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, Beaufort has a total area of 5.6 square miles (14.5 km2), of which 4.6 square miles (12.0 km2) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2), or 17.75%, is water.[8]
Beaufort has ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa), which is characterized by long, hot summers, and short, cool winters.
| Climate data for BEAUFORT MICHAEL J SMITH FLD, NC, 1991-2020 normals | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 70.4 (21.3) | 70.0 (21.1) | 74.9 (23.8) | 79.4 (26.3) | 85.4 (29.7) | 89.8 (32.1) | 91.4 (33.0) | 89.9 (32.2) | 88.1 (31.2) | 83.3 (28.5) | 77.8 (25.4) | 72 (22) | 92.8 (33.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 54.9 (12.7) | 57.1 (13.9) | 62.9 (17.2) | 70.4 (21.3) | 77.5 (25.3) | 83.6 (28.7) | 86.7 (30.4) | 85.9 (29.9) | 82.4 (28.0) | 74.5 (23.6) | 65.9 (18.8) | 58.9 (14.9) | 71.7 (22.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 46.2 (7.9) | 48.2 (9.0) | 54.0 (12.2) | 62.1 (16.7) | 70.1 (21.2) | 77.3 (25.2) | 80.6 (27.0) | 79.5 (26.4) | 75.4 (24.1) | 66.0 (18.9) | 56.5 (13.6) | 50.0 (10.0) | 63.8 (17.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 37.5 (3.1) | 39.3 (4.1) | 45.0 (7.2) | 53.9 (12.2) | 62.7 (17.1) | 71.1 (21.7) | 74.4 (23.6) | 73.1 (22.8) | 68.4 (20.2) | 57.4 (14.1) | 47.1 (8.4) | 41.0 (5.0) | 55.9 (13.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 20.4 (−6.4) | 24.8 (−4.0) | 29.4 (−1.4) | 39.8 (4.3) | 49.7 (9.8) | 60.2 (15.7) | 66 (19) | 65 (18) | 57.5 (14.2) | 42.2 (5.7) | 31.4 (−0.3) | 26.5 (−3.1) | 18.9 (−7.3) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 4.17 (106) | 3.33 (85) | 3.31 (84) | 3.39 (86) | 3.94 (100) | 4.06 (103) | 5.81 (148) | 7.29 (185) | 8.46 (215) | 4.14 (105) | 3.99 (101) | 3.79 (96) | 55.68 (1,414) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 9.6 | 10.8 | 9.8 | 9.4 | 11.0 | 11.4 | 12.7 | 13.2 | 13.0 | 9.7 | 10.0 | 10.6 | 131.2 |
| Source: NOAA[13][14] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 437 | — | |
| 1850 | 1,661 | — | |
| 1860 | 1,610 | −3.1% | |
| 1870 | 2,430 | 50.9% | |
| 1880 | 2,009 | −17.3% | |
| 1890 | 2,007 | −0.1% | |
| 1900 | 2,195 | 9.4% | |
| 1910 | 2,483 | 13.1% | |
| 1920 | 2,968 | 19.5% | |
| 1930 | 2,957 | −0.4% | |
| 1940 | 3,272 | 10.7% | |
| 1950 | 3,212 | −1.8% | |
| 1960 | 2,922 | −9.0% | |
| 1970 | 3,368 | 15.3% | |
| 1980 | 3,826 | 13.6% | |
| 1990 | 3,808 | −0.5% | |
| 2000 | 3,771 | −1.0% | |
| 2010 | 4,391 | 16.4% | |
| 2020 | 4,464 | 1.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[15] | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 3,608 | 80.82% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 499 | 11.18% |
| Native American | 7 | 0.16% |
| Asian | 44 | 0.99% |
| Pacific Islander | 4 | 0.09% |
| Other/Mixed | 181 | 4.05% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 121 | 2.71% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 4,464 people, 2,156 households, and 1,071 families residing in the town.
As of the census[3] of 2008,[needs update] there were 4,189 people, 1,780 households, and 1,048 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,374.4 inhabitants per square mile (530.7/km2). There were 2,187 housing units at an average density of 797.1 per square mile (307.8/km2). 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% fromother races, and 1.22% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino 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.
Beaufort uses acouncil-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.
Carteret County Public Schools is the county school district.
Zoned schools include:
Charter schools include:
Beaufort hosts several annual events, including:
Beaufort is also home to the Carteret County main public library.[24]
According to Beaufort Sister Cities, Inc., the city of Beaufort has 19 sister cities:[27]
Beaufort,Victoria, Australia
Beaufort, Haute-Garonne, FranceBeaufort, Hérault, FranceBeaufort, Isère, FranceBeaufort, Jura, FranceBeaufort, Nord, FranceBeaufort-Blavincourt, FranceBeaufort-en-Argonne, FranceBeaufort-en-Santerre, FranceBeaufort-en-Vallée, France Beaufort-sur-Doron, FranceBeaufort-sur-Gervanne, FranceChapdes-Beaufort, FranceMontmorency-Beaufort, France
Beaufort,County Kerry, Ireland
Beaufort, Luxembourg
Beaufort, Sabah, Malaysia
Beaufort West, Western Cape, South Africa
Beaufort, Wales, United KingdomThere are two decent-sized port cities of the same name — Beaufort — on the U.S. Atlantic Coast. One, in North Carolina, is BOH-furt. Theother, in South Carolina, is BYEW-furt. Yet they're both named after thesame English duke. He was a BOH-furt.
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Beaufort, North Carolina travel guide from WikivoyageMunicipalities and communities ofCarteret County, North Carolina,United States | ||
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