Beaufort, North Carolina

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Beaufort (pronounced "BO-furt" / IPA: ˈbo.fɚt) is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,771 at the 2000 census and it is the county seat of Carteret County^GR6. It is sometimes confused with a city of the same name in South Carolina; the two are distinguished by different pronunciations. Beaufort is the third oldest town in North Carolina, after Bath and New Bern and was surveyed in 1713. Beaufort is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. The town is home to the North Carolina Maritime Museum. It is also home to the Duke University Marine Laboratory (Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences), where scientists study the marine environment and develop solutions to conservation problems in coastal and oceanic ecosystems.

A horse drawn carriage in front of the North Carolina Maritime Museum.

1 Trivia
2 Notable residents
3 Geography
4 Demographics
5 Education
6 Sister Cities
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Trivia

The book and movie by author Nicholas Sparks, A Walk to Remember takes place in this town.

The Beaufort High School "Seadogs" hold the North Carolina Boys High School basketball record. From 1959-1961, they won 91 straight games over three seasons, including three consecutive state basketball championships-NCHSAA (North Carolina High School Athletic Association). The seniors on the first state championship team of 1959 were Allen Autry, Sr., Larry Dudley (team manager) Sammy Merrill, Frank Potter and Leon Thomas.

In 1996, the town became famous when it was reported that the famed pirate Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge had been found. The ship had run aground in Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina. The discovery has made Beaufort a fairly large tourist attraction for Carteret County.

One of about 50 wild horses that live on Beaufort’s Carrot Island.

[edit] Notable residents

Samuel Ashe, (1725-1813), born in Beaufort, Anti-Federalist Governor of North Carolina^[1]
Brian "Butch" Hassell, Outstanding athlete. ACC All Conference Basketball player and captain of Wake Forest team in 1963. Led Beaufort football and basketball teams to state championships in 1959 and 1960.
Michael J. Smith, astronaut (deceased) Decorated fighter pilot. Captain of the ill-fated NASA Space Shuttle Challenger.
Gerhman Holland, (deceased) High School All American Basketball player and UNC basketball player.
H. Allen Autry, Sr., Lawyer/Lobbyist; CEO of The TRIAM Group; Co-founder of Autry Music Institute; author of the book and play, "Miracle in a Small Mountain Town", Ref-"Marquis Who's Who in America"
E. Linwood Parker, Founder and President of Parker Boats, which is located in Beaufort and employes 150 local residents. Distinguished alumnus of Chowan University
Coach Tom McQuaid, (deceased) 2005 NCHSAA inductee into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. His 1959-1961 Beaufort Boys High School Basketball Team (Beaufort Seadogs) holds the NCHSAA record for most consecutive wins at 93 and three consecutive state championships.
Ronald Earl Mason, Member NC House of Representatives, Carteret County Commissioner, City Manager of Newport, NC
Sammy Merrill, Distinguished professor of German emeritus at Mary Washington College, Received doctorate in German literature from Cornell University. Set Virginia 12k race record in 1996, senior division, age 55-59
Brien Taylor, Selected first in the Major League Baseball draft of 1991 by the New York Yankees but never played in the major leagues.

[edit] Geography

Beaufort is located at 34°43′15″N, 76°39′9″W (34.720729, -76.652569)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 9.2 km² (3.5 mi²). 7.1 km² (2.7 mi²) of it is land and 2.1 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (22.82%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 3,771 people, 1,780 households, and 1,048 families residing in the town. The population density was 531.4/km² (1,374.4/mi²). There were 2,187 housing units at an average density of 308.2/km² (797.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 75.87% White, 19.99% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 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.