Beaufort

Formed December 3, 1705 (5^th county)

Beaufort County (44,658), Washington (9,875)

The 1971 red brick courthouse replaced a 1786 facility in Washington.  The courthouse is on 2^nd, Market, 3^rd, and Union streets.  North Carolina State Highway 32 is Third Street.  J. Guy Wilson, Jr., and Associates are the architects.  The structure features columns and an Annex is across the street.  The county was organized on December 3, 1705 as the 5^th county.  Bath was the first county seat until 1785 when Washington assumed the county seat.  The county is named for the Duke of Beaufort.  He is also the namesake of the county seat of Carteret County.  Washington is named for United States President George Washington.  He is also the namesake of Washington County.  Beaufort County was the birthplace for 1 North Carolina Governor, Daniel G. Fowle. 

Beaufort County government consists of a manager, a register, a sheriff, an attorney, and a clerk (executive).  It has 7 Commissioners (legislative.)  Sixteen Superior Court Judges serve Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Gates, Granville, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Person, Pitt, Tyrrell, Vance, Warren, Washington, and Wilson counties, Five District Court Judges serve Beaufort, Hyde, Martin, Tyrrell, and Washington counties and a court clerk serves Beaufort County (judicial.)  Beaufort County is in eastern North Carolina.  Raleigh, North Carolina is west and Fayetteville, North Carolina is southwest of the county.  The county center is 12.3 miles Southeast of Washington nearer Core Point.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Washington, Hyde, Pamlico, Craven, Pitt, and Martin counties. 

The area of the county is 963 square miles.  It is 5 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 55 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 46.4 persons per square mile making it 83 out of 100 in the state.  Beaufort County has 29.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 17 passes north to south through the county from Martin County to Craven County.  United States Highway 264 goes east to west from Hyde County, east, to Pitt County, west.  The county looks like a lobster.  Washington is located on the northwest border of the county.  Washington is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 22.1% of the county population.  The county is pronounced BOE-FORT.  This county is in the Washington Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Washington Park