Beaufort

Formed January 1, 1769 (1^st county)

Beaufort County (187,108), Beaufort (13,602), Hilton Head Island (37,663)

The Modern tan brick and concrete courthouse built in 1991 replaced the 1883 version.  It is on Ribaut Road at Marsh Road.  United States Highway 21 Business is one block to the east of the site.  The architect is Glick Boehm Architects.  The building was remodeled in 2014.  An Administration Building was built 1991.  A lake sits on the grounds.  Beaufort County was organized on January 1, 1769 as an original county with Beaufort as the only county seat.  The county and county seat are named for the Duke of Beaufort. 

Abbeville County government consists of a sheriff and 11 Council Members.  Two Circuit Court Judges and Five Family Court Judges serve Beaufort, Allendale, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper counties.  The county is on the southern tip of the state.  The Atlantic Ocean is its eastern and southern borders.  Charleston, South Carolina is northeast and Columbia, South Carolina is north of the county.  The county center is 8 miles Southwest of Beaufort nearer Shell Point.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Colleton County and the Atlantic Ocean, and Jasper and Hampton counties. 

The area of the county is 923 square miles.  It is 9 out of 46 in the state.  It ranks 10 out of 46 in population in the state.  It has a density of 202.7 persons per square mile making it 11 out of 46 in the state.  Beaufort County has 49.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 17 enters the county from Colleton County, northeast, and exits into Jasper County, northwest.  United States Highway 21 comes from Jasper County and terminates.  United States Highway 278 enters from Jasper County and terminates.  The county looks like a woman’s wig.  The City of Beaufort is located in the northeast quarter of the county.  Hilton Head Island is at the southern tip of the county.  Beaufort is the county seat and Hilton Head Island is the largest city.  Beaufort is 7.3% of the county population while Hilton Head Island is 20.1% of the county population.  The county and its county seat are pronounced BUE-FURT.  This county is in the Hilton Head Island-Beaufort Micropolitan Statistical Area.