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.
Photo by Gene Gallin on Unsplash
Worth Knowing
- Organized in 1709, established in 1713, and formally incorporated in 1723 — the third-oldest town in North Carolina, after Bath and New Bern.
- The Beaufort Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, along with several individually listed properties — expect historic-preservation oversight for buyers within the district.
- Cape Lookout National Seashore, including Shackleford Banks and the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, has no bridge or road access at all — the only way in is passenger or vehicle ferry, or private boat, with ferries running from Beaufort's downtown waterfront and from Harkers Island.
- Beaufort is the Carteret County seat and hosts the county courthouse, along with the North Carolina Maritime Museum, a NOAA coastal fisheries research center, and a Duke University Marine Laboratory site.
- As a working waterfront town, prospective residents should independently verify current flood-zone maps for specific properties rather than assume a blanket flood risk either way.
Official town site: www.beaufortnc.org
Sources
- Town of Beaufort, NC — official site
- Beaufort, North Carolina — Wikipedia
- Cape Lookout National Seashore — Ferry Services (NPS.gov)
Companies Serving Beaufort
Bluewater Real Estate
A real estate and vacation rental management company operating since 1986 as Bluewater Associates of Emerald Isle, with offices in Emerald Isle and Atlantic Beach, offering residential real estate sales alongside vacation and annual rental property management across the Crystal Coast.
Emerald Isle Realty
A real estate brokerage and vacation rental management company operating on North Carolina's Crystal Coast since 1962, managing several hundred vacation rental and resort properties in addition to residential real estate sales.
Mary Cheatham King Real Estate
A real estate agency based in Morehead City, NC, led by Mary Cheatham King, offering buyer and seller representation across Carteret County's Crystal Coast.
Shorewood Real Estate
A family-owned real estate brokerage in Emerald Isle, NC operating since 1987, offering property sales alongside vacation and long-term rental property management on North Carolina's Crystal Coast.
Related Guides
- What Carteret County Records Reveal Before You Offer
- Living Near Cape Lookout as a Beaufort-Area Buyer
- How NC Property Tax Rules Affect Beaufort Waterfront Homes
- Pine Knoll Shores Dock Permits and NOAA Tide Data
- What Newport's Weather Service Covers for Beaufort Buyers
- Why Beaufort Buyers Should Read NOAA's Sea Level Rise