Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort is a city in
Beaufort County,
South Carolina,
United States, situated on the Beaufort River. 304 acres of the town have been designated a National Historic Landmark. The city-limit population was 12,950 in the 2000 census (46,227 total pop. of Beaufort Urban Cluster). It is the
county seat of
Beaufort County and part of the Hilton Head Island-Beaufort Micropolitan Statistical Area. The current Mayor, Bill Rauch, was at one time the advance press man for New York Mayor,
Ed Koch.
Beaufort (pronounced "BYU-furt" [
IPA: ] unlike its
counterpart in
North Carolina) is located on
Port Royal Island, in the heart of the
Sea Islands and
Low Country.
Beaufort and the surrounding area is rich in history. Parris Island was the location of France's first colony in the New World, founded by
Jean Ribaut in 1562 shortly after the Spanish colonized
St. Augustine, Florida The colony was abandoned in 1564. The first Scottish settlement in what is now the United States, known as Stuart Town, was founded on Port Royal Island in 1682, only to be destroyed by Spanish forces in 1684.
Beaufort was chartered in 1711 and is known as the second-oldest city in South Carolina, after
Charleston. It was part of the Carolina colony and was governed by Lords Proprietors.
Today, Beaufort has a substantial
Marine Corps presence, with
MCRD Parris Island and
MCAS Beaufort.
Beaufort has one local television station, WJWJ-TV (PBS).
Beaufort has been the setting for several novels by native son
Pat Conroy, and a popular
filming location for major motion pictures, including
The Big Chill, The Prince of Tides, The Great Santini, Forrest Gump, and GI Jane.
 |
Location of Beaufort, South Carolina |
Beaufort is located at (32.431853, -80.689515).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a large amount of dykes and a total area of 60.7
km² (23.4
mi²). 48.2 km² (18.6 mi²) of it is land and 12.5 km² (4.8 mi²) of it (20.57%) is water.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 12,950 people (12,289 in 2004 estimate), 4,598 households, and 3,034 families residing in the city. The
population density was 268.7/km² (695.7/mi²). There were 5,080 housing units at an average density of 105.4/km² (272.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.41%
White, 25.14%
African American, 0.32%
Native American, 1.07%
Asian, 0.12%
Pacific Islander, 1.98% from
other races, and 1.96% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 4.39% of the population.
There were 4,598 households out 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 the city the population was spread out with 21.6% 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.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,532, and the median income for a family 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.
Beaufort is the center of an urban cluster with a total population of 46,227 (2000 census), comprised of the city and its surrounding towns and unincorporated areas including Port Royal, Burton, Lady's Island, Shell Point, Laurel Bay, and Parris Island, among others.
Beaufort is also part of the larger Hilton Head Island-Beaufort Micropolitan Statistical Area which includes Beaufort and Jasper counties and had a total population of 159,247 in 2005 (U.S. Census Bureau estimate). According to the more detailed data available in the 2000 census, the population included in this micropolitan area (which actually was designated after the census itself) was 64% urban and 36% rural. It included the urban clusters of Beaufort (2000 pop.: 46,227), Hilton Head Island (34,400), Bluffton (6,136), and Ridgeland (3,585).
* Mossy Oaks Elementary School - grades PK-5,
website* Shell Point Elementary School
* Beaufort Elementary School
* Robert Smalls Middle School
* Broad River Elementary School
* Battery Creek High School
* Beaufort High School
* Beaufort Academy
* St. Peter's Catholic School
* Beaufort-Jasper Academy for Career Excellence
