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Carteret County, North Carolina facts for kids

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Carteret County
U.S. county
Carteret County Courthouse
Carteret County Courthouse
Flag of Carteret County
Flag
 Official seal of Carteret County
Seal
Map of North Carolina highlighting Carteret County
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
Map of the United States highlighting North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  North Carolina
Founded 1722
Named for Sir George Carteret
Seat Beaufort
Largest community Morehead City
Area
 • Total 1,330.41 sq mi (3,445.7 km2)
 • Land 507.60 sq mi (1,314.7 km2)
 • Water 822.81 sq mi (2,131.1 km2)  61.85%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 67,686
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 69,615
 • Density 133.35/sq mi (51.49/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 3rd

Carteret County (/ˌkɑːr.təˈrɛt/ kar-TUH-reht or /ˌkɑːr.tɜːrˈɛt/ kar-TUR-et) is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,686. Its county seat is Beaufort. The county was created in 1722 as Carteret Precinct and gained county status in 1739. It was named for Sir George Carteret, one of the 17th century English Lords Proprietor, or for his descendant and heir John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville.

Carteret County comprises the Morehead City, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the New Bern-Morehead City, NC Combined Statistical Area. Most of the county is part of the Crystal Coast.

History

The first male of English parents born in the current area of North Carolina was John Fulford. He was born in 1629 in what is now Carteret County. He settled in this area and died in 1729. An article dated September 18, 1893, in The New Bern Daily Journal, identified Fulford's grave in a cemetery outside the county seat of Beaufort, in an area called the Straits. It was described as "bricked up with English brick." In 1971 a survey by the Carteret County Historical Society found such a grave in the Fulford Cemetery off Piper Lane in Gloucester. The unmarked, bricked-up grave matching this description survives today.

One of the more prominent families from Carteret County was the Dennis family. William Dennis Sr. (b.1720 - d.1800) was an extremely colorful landowner, Revolutionary War officer, and defender of the county. In 1747, he assisted with the successful defense of the county during the War of Jenkins' Ear (fighting against Spanish pirates). During the Revolutionary War he served as a 2nd Major in the Carteret County Regiment of the North Carolina militia. In 1782, he fought alongside Lieutenant Colonel John Easton to drive the British from Carteret County. Dennis once owned the Hammock House, which became well known as the house owned by the pirate Blackbeard. His son, William Dennis Junior was a captain in the 8th North Carolina Regiment (1777-1778), was present at Valley Forge and also fought in the Carteret County Regiment (1781-1782). In the 1790 U.S. census, Dennis was one of the largest land owners in the county. Branches of the Dennis family include the Bells, Watsons and Pelletiers, many of whom continued to live in the area for many years. In a typical pattern of following the availability of new lands in the Deep South, some branches of this family later migrated to Mississippi and Texas in the 19th century.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,330.41 square miles (3,445.7 km2), of which 507.60 square miles (1,314.7 km2) is land and 822.81 square miles (2,131.1 km2) (61.85%) is water. It is the third-largest county in North Carolina by total area.

National protected areas/sites

State and local protected areas/sites

Outstanding water sources and protected areas:

  • Back Bay Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area
  • Back Sound Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area
  • Back Sound Outstanding Resource Water
  • Bardens Inlet Crab Spawning Sanctuary
  • Bear Island Area Outstanding Resource Water (part)
  • Bogue Sound Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area
  • Bogue Sound Outstanding Resource Water
  • Core Sound, Neuse River Basin Outstanding Resource Water
  • Core Sound, White Oak River Basin Outstanding Resource Water
  • Drum Inlet Crab Spawning Sanctuary
  • Neuse-Southeast Pamlico Sound Area Outstanding Resource Water (part)
  • Newport River Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area
  • North Bay Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area
  • North River Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area
  • Ocracoke Inlet Crab Spawning Sanctuary (part)
  • Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve Dedicated Nature Preserve
  • The Straits Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area
  • White Oak River Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area (part)

Major water bodies

Adjacent counties

Major highways


  • Future I-42
  • US 70
  • NC 12
  • NC 24
  • NC 58
  • NC 101

Major infrastructure

  • Amtrak Thruway (Morehead City)
  • Carteret County Speedway
  • Cedar Island–Ocracoke Ferry (to Hyde County)
  • Michael J. Smith Field
  • Ferries to the uninhabited islands in Cape Lookout National Seashore
  • Port of Morehead City

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1790 3,734 —
1800 4,399 17.8%
1810 4,823 9.6%
1820 5,609 16.3%
1830 6,597 17.6%
1840 6,591 −0.1%
1850 6,939 5.3%
1860 8,186 18.0%
1870 9,010 10.1%
1880 9,784 8.6%
1890 10,825 10.6%
1900 11,811 9.1%
1910 13,776 16.6%
1920 15,384 11.7%
1930 16,900 9.9%
1940 18,284 8.2%
1950 23,059 26.1%
1960 30,940 34.2%
1970 31,603 2.1%
1980 41,092 30.0%
1990 52,556 27.9%
2000 59,383 13.0%
2010 66,469 11.9%
2020 67,686 1.8%
2023 (est.) 69,615 4.7%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010 2020

2020 census

Carteret County racial composition
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 57,538 85.01%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 3,208 4.74%
Native American 252 0.37%
Asian 584 0.86%
Pacific Islander 63 0.09%
Other/Mixed 2,922 4.32%
Hispanic or Latino 3,119 4.61%

As of the 2020 census, there were 67,686 people, 28,962 households, and 18,292 families residing in the county.

Education

Primary and secondary education

The county is served by the Carteret County Public Schools. Carteret County Public Schools has 16 schools ranging from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. Those 16 schools are separated into three high schools, four middle schools, and nine elementary schools.

In addition the county is home to a public charter school and three private schools:

  • Tiller School is a grade K-5 public charter school in Beaufort
  • Saint Egbert School is a grade K-5 Catholic school in Morehead City
  • Grace Christian School is a grade K-8 school in Newport
  • Gramercy Christian School is a grade K-12 school in Newport

Higher learning

  • Carteret Community College (CCC)
  • UNC-Chapel Hill Institute of Marine Sciences (UNC-IMS)
  • NCSU Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST)
  • Duke University Marine Laboratory

Media

The Carteret County News-Times is a community newspaper based in Morehead City that serves Carteret County and nearby areas. Its predecessors were The Beaufort News, a newspaper founded in 1912, and the Twin City Daily Times, a newspaper founded in 1936. The Phillips family purchased and merged the two newspapers together to form Carteret County News-Times. The Carteret County News-Times's earliest printing was on May 18, 1948. Beginning in 1981, the newspaper has published three editions a week: Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. According to the 2010 book North Carolina's Central Coast and New Bern, the newspaper is "a good source of information for vacationers who want to know the schedules of tours, festivals, kids' programs, seminars, exhibits and events of all types within the county and the surrounding area".

Military

Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue is located in the western section of Carteret County along Bogue Sound. It comprises an 875 acres (3.54 km2) landing field located on Bogue Sound that serves as the Marine Corps’ only East Coast site for Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP).

Marine Corps Outlying Field Atlantic is a training field in Atlantic. The USMC manages the Navy's Dumpling Creek Transmission Station in Merrimon. BT-11 Piney Island in Davis and Cat Island in Bogue Sound are former Marine Corps bombing ranges.

The Marine Corps also has a facility in Beaufort, at the southern tip of Radio Island (between the NC State Port in Morehead City, and the marine science laboratories on Pivers Island in Beaufort). It is military property, but is only manned during military port operations.

The US Navy has a Port Control Office and the US Army has a Reserve Center, both in the eastern part of Morehead City. The NC National Guard has an Armory in Morehead City.

The US Coast Guard operates a Sector Office at Fort Macon, as well as a USCG Station at Emerald Isle and Morehead City.

Communities

Map of Carteret County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels
Map of Carteret County with municipal and township labels

Towns

Townships

  • Atlantic
  • Beaufort
  • Cedar Island
  • Davis
  • Harkers Island
  • Harlowe
  • Marshallberg
  • Merrimon
  • Morehead
  • Newport
  • Portsmouth
  • Sea Level
  • Smyrna
  • Stacy
  • Straits
  • White Oak

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Carteret para niños

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