Beaufort, NC was chosen by Southern Living magazine as the South’s Best Small Town in 2019. Coastal Living magazine named Beaufort one of the “20 Best Places to Live on the Coast in 2018.” The truth is, while the year-round, residential population of Beaufort is only around 4,000 – hundreds of thousands of visitors and the people who live here describe Beaufort as a “lifestyle”.
This small town on the outermost reach of North Carolina’s southern coast combines century-old cottages, oak-shaded streets, and a low-key atmosphere that will win you over. Beaufort (pronounced BOW-furt) combines the perfect blend of sleepy, oak-shaded streets, a thriving community and waterfront lifestyle that welcomes newcomers with exuberant hospitality that the South is famous for.
The 5.6-square-mile town is surrounded by nearly a mile of water. It’s maritime heaven here, whether you boat, want to learn to boat, or just like looking at boats.
The Beaufort historic district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. There are about 285 historic homes in the district; of these, over 150 boasts plaques awarded to homes at least 100 years old, dating back to the late 1700s.