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Every year, hundreds of loggerhead sea turtles build nests to lay eggs on our beaches. On average, these sea turtles lay 120 eggs in a nest two to eight times during a nesting season. The thousands of hatchlings that are born then attempt the trek from the beach to their ocean home.Plan and Navigate your getaway on Hilton Head Island with our Island Compass app. Search for activities, restaurants, and attractions, get travel deals, view trip ideas, and create your own personalized itinerary. When we say bring the whole family, we mean it! There are plenty of Island accommodations, attractions, restaurants with patio seating and more that welcome pets. Perhaps you’re a first-time visitor to Hilton Head Island. Or, maybe you’ve spent so much time in the Lowcountry it feels like your second home. Either way, Hilton Head Island is a magical place. With one of the top 10 family beaches in the U.S., an array of world-class golf courses, abundant natural beauty and a spirit you won’t find anywhere else, Hilton Head Island offers a relaxing, laid-back and welcoming vibe that makes it a perfect vacation destination. There’s something marvelously different about the relaxed, warm and welcoming vibe found on Hilton Head Island. It’s the Lowcountry way of life – and it’s what makes Hilton Head Island one of the best family destinations for your next vacation.Hilton Head Island’s weather is ideal for those wanting to explore the outdoors and soak up the sunshine. The Lowcountry region features a mild, subtropical climate all year round.

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Beaufort is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

There are many members of the armed forces living in Beaufort. You will notice when you visit or live here that some of the people you meet or see around town are employed by the armed services – even if they are not always in uniform.Beaufort real estate is some of the most expensive in South Carolina, although Beaufort house values don’t compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.

The per capita income in Beaufort in 2018 was $36,534, which is wealthy relative to South Carolina, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $146,136 for a family of four. However, Beaufort contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.Beaufort is a somewhat small coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of South Carolina. With a population of 12,960 people and ten constituent neighborhoods, Beaufort is the 36th largest community in South Carolina.

Beaufort is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Beaufort home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Beaufort residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Beaufort include German, English, Irish, Italian, and African.

The citizens of Beaufort are very well educated compared to the average community in the nation: 34.67% of adults in Beaufort have a bachelor’s degree or even advanced degree.

All data on this site is obtained directly from law enforcement agencies in their respective states and counties, and is public domain. This site does not charge for viewing any of our published data, and we do not accept payments of any kind. This is a passive informational site providing organization of public data, obtainable by anyone.Local public transportation and dial-a-ride service is provided by Palmetto Breeze, a regional transportation authority run by the Lowcountry Regional Transit Authority. Other transportation facilities include: Lady’s Island, the slave trade and the American Revolutionary War are the topics of an award-winning novel by the Canadian writer Lawrence Hill, The Book of Negroes (2007) (published in the US as Someone Knows My Name). It portrays the evacuation of Black Americans from Manhattan by the British after the Revolutionary War, as they had promised freedom to those enslaved by Patriots who joined their forces. The British transported more than 3,000 freedmen for resettlement to Nova Scotia, where they became known as Black Loyalists; others were taken to England and the Caribbean. The Book of Negroes is the record of names and origins of freedmen taken to Canada. Beaufort has been named by some sources as one of “America’s Best Art Towns”, including being ranked the No. 14 Small City Arts Destination by American Style Magazine in 2008 and one of America’s top 100 art towns by author John Villani in his 2005 book The 100 Best Art Towns in America: A Guide to Galleries, Museums, Festivals, Lodging and Dining. Close to 20 galleries operate within the city, with hundreds of local residents contributing to the arts scene.Remnants of the original English colonial settlement of Beaufort can be found in the downtown or historic district area. 304 acres (1.23 km) of the town have been designated a National Historic Landmark. With approximate dimensions, downtown is defined as anything upon the peninsula jutting into the Beaufort River that is located east of Ribaut Road (US 21). Further defined, downtown is broken into five distinct historic neighborhoods: Downtown (the commercial core), The Point (also known as the Old Point), The Bluff, The Old Commons, and the Northwest Quadrant.

21.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 19.5% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 117.6 males.Written history began 500 years ago with the exploration of the area by Spanish Captain Pedro de Salazar between 1514 and 1516. Thus, Beaufort County was the site of the second landing on the North American continent by Europeans.The Beaufort area has close to 70 sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in addition to the downtown area being listed as a historic district. The John Mark Verdier House at 901 Bay Street is the only home in the city open year-round to the public that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Beaufort is the center of an urban cluster with an estimated population of nearly 70,000, comprising the city and its surrounding towns and unincorporated areas including Port Royal, Burton, Lady’s Island, St. Helena Island, Dataw Island, Distant Island, Fripp Island, Harbor Island, Shell Point, Laurel Bay, Parris Island, Grays Hill, Sheldon, Seabrook, Dale, Lobeco, Gardens Corner, and portion of Yemassee. Several months after hostilities began between the states, Beaufort was occupied by Union forces following the Battle of Port Royal. Due in part to its early occupation, the city attracted escaping slaves. The Union declared the slaves emancipated and initiated efforts at education and preparation for full independence. The Freedmen’s Bureau worked with local blacks during Reconstruction. US 17 runs along the northern portion of Beaufort County as Trask Parkway between Interstate 95 exit 33 and U.S. Highway 21. This is also the primary route used between Beaufort and Charleston, as well as Walterboro and Yemassee.At the 2000 census, there were 4,598 households, of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.90.In addition to the Beaufort Historic District, The Anchorage, William Barnwell House, Barnwell-Gough House, Beaufort National Cemetery, John A. Cuthbert House, Fort Lyttelton Site, Hunting Island State Park Lighthouse, Laurel Bay Plantation, Marshlands, Seacoast Packing Company, Seaside Plantation, Robert Smalls House, Tabby Manse, and John Mark Verdier House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The median household income was $36,532 and the median family income was $42,894. Males had a median income of $22,465 versus $23,474 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,501. About 11.5% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.3% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.The Arts Council of Beaufort, Port Royal and the Sea Island supports the arts via ARTworks, its 12,000-square-foot (1,100 m) community arts center, theater, and gallery in Beaufort Town Center (2127 Boundary Street) that also includes the studios of working artists, Strings ‘n Things music shop, and spaces for workshops, classes, and conferences, as well as an after-school program. The arts council promotes the arts with original theater productions, community arts grants, and arts events county-wide.The largest economic sector in Beaufort is the military presence in and around the community. Having supplanted agriculture and aquaculture in the last decades of the 20th century, Beaufort’s military bases employ thousands of jobs directly and indirectly related to base operations and pump millions of dollars into the local economy. As a result, economic downturns do not hit the community as hard as in other similarly sized communities.

Beaufort is located on Port Royal Island, in the heart of the Sea Islands and South Carolina Lowcountry. The city is renowned for its scenic location and for maintaining a historic character by preservation of its antebellum architecture. The prominent role of Beaufort and the surrounding Sea Islands during the Reconstruction era after the U.S. Civil War is memorialized by the Reconstruction Era National Monument, established in 2017. The city is also known for its military establishments, being located in close proximity to Parris Island and a U.S. naval hospital, in addition to being home of the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.Once the outer edge of town, the areas along Boundary Street (US Highway 21), the Robert Smalls Parkway (SC Highway 170), and Ribaut Road now serve as Beaufort’s major commercial corridors. Several major shopping centers and dining establishments are prevalent in all three areas. Beyond shopping and dining, Ribaut Road has numerous medical offices clustered near Beaufort Memorial Hospital. Boundary Street and Robert Smalls Parkway have several lodging facilities and auto dealerships as prevailing business types. Boundary Street is expected to change its appearance over the coming years due in part to a major redevelopment plan approved by the city in 2008 and supported via tax increment financing. Portions of Lady’s Island have been annexed by Beaufort, but the city does not have complete jurisdiction of the entire island. Most of the incorporated areas are upscale residential communities. Both Beaufort High School and the Beaufort County Airport are located on the island. At the 2010 census, there were 12,361 people living in the city. The population density was 447.9 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 67.1% White, 25.7% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.98% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.7% of the population. The proximity of the city to other fast-growing areas including Hilton Head Island and Bluffton as well as good access to Savannah, Georgia, the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, and a container port on the Savannah River make the city a desirable choice for residential and business development opportunity. The Beaufort area has several printed publications. The daily newspaper The Beaufort Gazette is the oldest and most circulated newspaper of record in South Carolina and is the sister publication to the Bluffton-based Island Packet. There are two weekly print newspapers: The Island News and an alternative Lowcountry Weekly.Beaufort (/ˈbjuːfərt/ BEW-fert, different from that of Beaufort, North Carolina) is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston, which was established in 1670. A city rich in history, culture, southern hospitality, and a seaside charm, Beaufort is affectionally known as the “Queen of the Carolina Sea Islands”. The city’s population was 13,607 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hilton Head Island–Bluffton metropolitan area.

Beaufort has several geographic areas of economic activity. The downtown area is the historical center of commerce and is now primarily focused towards visitors, tourists. Much of the day-to-day service businesses for locals has moved along the Boundary Street corridor, the Robert Smalls Parkway corridor, or towards Lady’s Island. There are several areas with limited industrial uses that exist primarily in the northwestern sections of the city, close to the intersection of Boundary Street with Robert Smalls Parkway.Although not located within Beaufort’s city limits, the following routes provide vital access to the city and are major evacuation routes in the event of a hurricane.

Due in part to its attractive location and deep connections with history and culture, the tourism and hospitality industry is also a major economic sector. Nearly 2 million visitors a year come to Beaufort and the Sea Islands of northern Beaufort County, with spring and fall seasons being peak times. The primary attractions of these visitors include golf and beach vacations, history, water sports, and local arts and crafts. As a result, Beaufort is home to many accommodation options ranging from upscale bed-and-breakfasts in the downtown area to standard motels and inns along Boundary Street. There are several dozen dining establishments in the city that cater to locals and tourists alike.The Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort was annexed into the city in the 1990s, expanding the city limits northward near the unincorporated Seabrook community. Previous attempts at bringing large-scale residential development north of the air station were defeated after protests from long-time citizens and environmental advocacy groups.

The Spanish Point neighborhood is located between Downtown and Mossy Oaks, generally considered to be clustered around the Technical College of the Lowcountry campus and the Beaufort Memorial Hospital. Several upscale residential streets are found in this area.

The local area provides excellent opportunities for watersports and boating. In February 2008, Field and Stream Magazine rated Beaufort as one of the top 20 fishing towns in the United States in an article that factored in cost, attractions, distractions, seasons, and fishing action. Beaufort was named as a “Top 50 Adventure Town” and the No. 7 Waterfront Adventure Town by National Geographic Adventure.Beaufort is also part of the larger Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Beaufort and Jasper counties. As of 2012, the MSA had an estimated year-round population of 193,882.

Several radio stations have transmission feeds originating or duplicating in Beaufort. One such station is WAGP, 88.7 FM, “The Light”. There are other locations just outside the city, such as Parris Island. Beaufort has one local television station, WJWJ-TV (PBS). Beaufort is part of the Savannah, Georgia Designated Market Area, and additionally receives Charleston television stations.The city is home to many Christian denominations, with several churches located downtown and throughout the area. The Parish Church of St. Helena, founded in downtown Beaufort in 1712 as the established church, is the oldest church in the city. Other churches of note include the Baptist Church of Beaufort, Tabernacle Baptist Church, Carteret Street United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church, First Scots Presbyterian Church of Beaufort, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, First African Baptist Church, and St. Peter’s Catholic Church, all with extensive histories and renowned architecture. Beaufort’s Jewish community dates back to the 18th century, and Beth Israel Congregation is a historic Conservative synagogue in the downtown area. Additional places of worship include the St. James Orthodox Church (a mission church of the Orthodox Church in America) and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Beaufort.As the city expanded in the 20th century, additional growth focused on previously undeveloped areas north and west of the historic district. Much of the growth can be attributed to the increased military influence during the 1940s and 1950s, in which Beaufort’s population doubled as a result of new military personnel and families moving to the area. These areas have become integral parts of the city and today are home to the majority of the residents in the city.

Located in downtown, the Beaufort County Library serves residents of Beaufort and northern Beaufort County. Additional branches are found elsewhere in the county. The University of South Carolina Beaufort also has a campus library, located in the original Beaufort College building.Water and sewer services are provided by the Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority (BJWSA), a regional utility agency. City trash and recycling pickup are coordinated by Waste Pro and are billed through BJWSA. South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G) provides electricity and power services to the city. Charter, Hargray and CenturyLink provide telephone, digital, and cable television services to the city.The West End and Depot neighborhoods are located west of Ribaut Road, south of Boundary Street and north of the Technical College of the Lowcountry campus. These areas have been the focus of recent redevelopment efforts. Formerly concentrated around the Beaufort rail station (the depot), the neighborhoods have similar characteristics to the Pigeon Point area and have a sizable number of military families as residents.

Beaufort has been the setting or the inspirational setting for several novels by long-time resident Pat Conroy and a popular filming location for major motion pictures, including The Big Chill, The Prince of Tides, A Walk to remember , The Great Santini, Forrest Gump, Something To Talk About and G.I. Jane. The “garden” in the title of John Berendt’s non-fiction novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a cemetery in Beaufort. The voodoo practitioner Minerva, based on Beaufort resident Valerie Boles, lives near the cemetery.

The Pigeon Point and Higginsonville neighborhoods are located immediately north of Downtown Beaufort and are built around the Beaufort National Cemetery. They contain two major city parks: Pigeon Point Community Park and the Basil Green Recreation Complex. An area with smaller homes and mostly one-story early 20th century structures, Pigeon Point has experienced a renewal of development interest, with many homes being “flipped” or renovated in recent years. Higginsonville is more similar in character to the Northwest Quadrant neighborhood and has its street names come from famous abolitionists during the Civil War era.

The Battery Creek neighborhoods of Mossy Oaks, Royal Oaks, First Boulevard, and Cottage Farms form the southern residential areas of the city and are generally considered to be south of the Technical College of the Lowcountry campus and the Beaufort Memorial Hospital. There are some commercial establishments in the area in addition to residential subdivisions ranging from self-contained attached housing to residential estate lots of 0.5 acres (2,000 m).

US 21 is a major connector for the city and the principal route to the Sea Islands. It is also known as Trask Parkway, Parris Island Gateway, Ribaut Road (in Port Royal) and Lady’s Island Drive. Originally going through downtown and across the Robert Woods Memorial Bridge, US 21 was rerouted to the south upon the completion of the taller and wider J.E. McTeer Bridge in the 1980s and was re-routed in 2012 to help steer Sea Islands traffic around Beaufort. US 21 is the major hurricane evacuation route for the area.After the war, the city relied on phosphate mining before a devastating hurricane in 1893 and a fire in 1907 brought extensive destruction and economic turmoil. Their effects slowed growth of the city for nearly half a century.

Beaufort is a tourist destination known for its history. Major festivals and arts events include the Home Water Festival, a two-week festival in the middle of July; and the Shrimp Festival, celebrating the local and traditional industry, in the first weekend in October. In 2007, the Beaufort Shrimp Festival was selected as one of the Southeast Tourism Society’s Top 20 Events.

Three local institutions comprise the current extent of higher education in the Beaufort area. Both the University of South Carolina Beaufort North Campus and the Technical College of the Lowcountry Main Campus are located within the city limits. Clemson University also operates a university extension office in the city with ecological and agricultural programs.

Recent trends have shown Beaufort to seek closer inter-governmental cooperation with neighboring jurisdictions, especially in community and regional planning. Beaufort and Port Royal appoint members to a joint planning commission to hear cases in both jurisdictions. Both municipalities have expressed interests in collaborating with Beaufort County on regional planning initiatives.

The Beaufort International Film Festival held in mid-February each year (covers the Presidents’ Day weekend) screens independent films. “A Taste of Beaufort”, presented by Main Street Beaufort, is held on the first Saturday in May and features twenty local restaurants, fine wines, and live music. Historic Beaufort Foundation’s Fall Tour of Homes and St. Helena’s Spring Tour of Homes provide tours of the antebellum homes on the Point and local plantations. The town is also the home of The Kazoo Museum, which opened in October 2010 and is located in the Kazoobie Kazoos Factory. Hunting Island is nearby on the Atlantic Ocean and is the state’s most visited state park.Beaufort County government exists to serve the people of Beaufort County in a cost-effective manner, so all our citizens may enjoy and appreciate a protected quality of life, natural and developed resources in a coastal environment, a diverse heritage, and economic well-being.

The weekly turnover rate of inmates is approximately 55%, meaning that every week more than half of these inmates are released and then replaced with new offenders being booked into jail.

The charts below break down the men, women, races, ethnicities and the types of crimes that people are arrested and incarcerated for in both Beaufort County and state prisons throughout the country. This information is compiled from local police and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department, as well as the state of South Carolina and the United States Department of Justice and Census Bureau.Every year Beaufort County law enforcement agencies arrest and detain 5,600 offenders, and maintain an average of 280 inmates (county-wide) in their custody on any given day.

Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, Spanish Moss Trail, Beaufort Lands End Paddling, Hunting Island Beach, Sands Beach, and Cypress Wetlands are just a few outdoor spots in and around Beaufort.

Beaufort’s close-knit community, small-town charm, and deep-rooted history have earned it the nickname “Queen of the Sea Islands.” Beaufort is the setting for a number of famous movies, including Forrest Gump, The Great Santini, and the breakout success on Netflix, Outer Banks.

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It’s not uncommon to find structures downtown that predate the United States. It has a long and interesting history that includes the American Revolution and the Civil War. Besides its excellent museums, the city could be considered a historical time capsule of the United States.Downtown has a similar air to Charleston because of the stately historic residences and historical buildings. Attractive as spring already is, the season is enhanced by the blooming of colorful flowers.

The pleasant year-round temperature is a big draw for retirees to Beaufort. Temperatures rarely fall below 40 degrees in the winter, and many days even reach the 50s. It could rain a lot in the fall, but even then, the weather is usually pleasant.

The natural beauty of Beaufort is breathtaking. The beaches in the area are some of the best you’ll ever see. Most of the South Carolina coast is characterized by moss-covered oak trees that are centuries old and have grown moss on their branches for decades. The Gullah people, who had been emancipated from slavery after the Civil War, settled on the barrier islands off the coast and gave rise to the city’s unique culture. There are a lot of outdoor recreational opportunities in Beaufort, and you’re sure to find one you like. There are numerous opportunities for outdoor recreation, including golf and tennis.Beaufort is one of the few coastal towns that hasn’t lost its rustic appeal as it has gotten increasingly affluent. People will greet each other and linger in the company of strangers on the street.There is so much to see and do in Beaufort that you might never get bored. Yet, the city is rather isolated from major urban centers, and no more than 14,000 people are living in the city.

In most cases, an exterminator service is available to help homeowners maintain control. You just have to get used to the fact that insects are always around, whether you’re inside or out.The city has a plethora of interesting facts to share about its history and culture. Beaufort’s amazing history of Gullah culture, which is exclusive to the lowcountry, is, perhaps, the city’s most fascinating asset. Let’s discuss 10 pros and cons of living in Beaufort, SC!

Beaufort has a better average annual temperature than the vast majority of the United States. In the southeast and along the shore, temperatures are higher, but sea breezes keep things comfortable. The city has an average of 216 sunny days per year.

Statewide and locally, property taxes in Beaufort are among the lowest in the country. You might not even have to pay much in state income tax if you qualify for all the deductions.

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Is Beaufort the city for you? This city has many advantages, including the mild weather, friendly people, and low tax rates. However, it is crucial to consider the cons before moving, such as the high crime rate, lack of educational opportunities, and the possible feeling of isolation.The most annoying part of summer is dealing with mosquitoes, and that problem lasts for months. It can dampen the excitement of going outside. There’s also the problem of roaches and palmetto bugs, so you’ll have to get used to fighting them off.

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Located in the center of Beaufort County, South Carolina, Bluffton is known as the “Heart of the Lowcountry.” Bluffton offers a strategic location for residents, businesses and guests. Bluffton is also central to other Lowcountry towns and Southeastern attractions such as Hilton Head Island, Beaufort City, Charleston, Savannah, Georgia and Jacksonville, Florida.