Beaufort NC (North Carolina)

Beaufort NC is a port town located in Carteret County (North Carolina USA). The town was founded in 1709 and is currently the 3rd-oldest in North Carolina - following Bath and Edenton. In 2012, Beaufort NC was ranked "America's Coolest Small Town" by Budget Travel Magazine. It could be sometimes confused with the city of the same name located in South Carolina - Beaufort SC.

This small town has population around 4,000 and covers a total area of around 15 km2 (6 mi2). Beaufort NC lies in the "Inner Banks" region of the state. It is home to North Carolina Maritime Museum, Nicholas School of the Environment (Duke University Marine Laboratory) and NOAA's (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research. Beaufort NC is also the home of Rachel Carson Coastal Reserve.

USA's National Register of Historic Places includes Beaufort Historic District, Jacob Henry House, Gibbs House, Carteret County Home, Old Burying Ground. In June 1718, the pirate Blackbeard ran aground his flagship (Queen Anne's Revenge) and the sloop Adventure close to present-day Beaufort Inlet. In 2004, Queen Anne's Revenge vessel was added to the National Register. In August 1750, at least 3 Spanish merchant ships ran aground during a hurricane in North Carolina. One of them (El Salvador) sank close to Cape Lookout.