Areas
Sourced, factual profiles for the six incorporated towns of Carteret County's Crystal Coast — geography, access, and the practical things worth checking before you buy.
Beaufort
Beaufort is the historic seat of Carteret County and one of the oldest towns in North Carolina, a waterfront community on the Crystal Coast known for its preserved 18th- and 19th-century Historic District, working harbor, and ferry access to the Rachel Carson Reserve and Cape Lookout National Seashore.
Emerald Isle
Emerald Isle is a small town in Carteret County, North Carolina, occupying the western end of Bogue Banks barrier island as part of the Crystal Coast region. It is a family-oriented beach community known for its oceanfront homes, fishing, and nesting sea turtles.
Atlantic Beach
Atlantic Beach is a small town on the eastern end of Bogue Banks barrier island in Carteret County, North Carolina, part of the Crystal Coast, connected to Morehead City by the Atlantic Beach Bridge and causeway. The resort community traces its roots to an 1887 bathing pavilion and was established as a planned resort in 1928.
Cape Carteret
Cape Carteret is a small mainland town of about 2,200 residents in western Carteret County, North Carolina, on the northern shore of Bogue Sound, connected to the barrier-island town of Emerald Isle by the B. Cameron Langston Bridge. It sits on the Crystal Coast but is inland from the beach itself.
Morehead City
Morehead City is a mainland waterfront town on Bogue Sound in Carteret County, North Carolina, serving as the county's commercial hub and home to the North Carolina State Port. It is known for its working waterfront and boardwalk district and the annual Big Rock Blue Marlin fishing tournament.
Pine Knoll Shores
Pine Knoll Shores is a small, wooded residential town on Bogue Banks barrier island in Carteret County, North Carolina, notable for preserving its maritime forest and for hosting the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores and the Theodore Roosevelt State Natural Area.