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to assist your research ~
more remarkable towns
on the coast |
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Books About The Carolinas |
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| Beaufort, SC |
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| Bluffton |
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| Brunswick Islands |
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| Charleston and its Resort Islands |
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| Conway |
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| Edisto Island |
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| Georgetown |
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| Hilton Head Island |
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| Mount Pleasant |
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| North Myrtle Beach |
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| Myrtle Beach |
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| Northeast North Carolina: Edenton, New Bern, Elizabeth City, Hertford |
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| Outer Banks |
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| Pawleys Island/Litchfield |
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| Savannah, Georgia |
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| Southport |
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| Washington |
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| Whiteville |
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| Wilmington |
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The very air is gracious
in Beaufort, South Carolina. The state’s second-oldest city is
marked by historic architecture and hospitality, with horse-drawn
carriages and fine B&Bs. The Rhett House Inn, shown here, is an
1820s plantation home restored into a four-star, four-diamond
property downtown.
Photo by Jane Faircloth/
Transparencies Inc. |
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| Beaufort |
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ust three days before they were scheduled to retire, Paul and Diana Ernst, of Rochester, New York, were involved in a head-on collision that threatened to take the wind out of their sails. They’d meant to live on their sailboat, often at sea, but found the need for periodic medical treatment after the crash would require a home port. They’d be disappointed if they hadn’t found Beaufort.
“It’s our favorite place on the East Coast,” says Mrs. Ernst. “The town is unique, the people are friendly, and the water and marshes are incredibly beautiful, always changing.” The couple bought a waterfront lot on the Coosaw River and they’ve built a home.
Beaufort is a perfect place for people who love water. Fresh waters from inland rivers meet the ocean at Beaufort, creating tidal creeks and marshes where birds and other wildlife abound.
Beaufort County has 587 square miles of islands, 64 sizable ones and 2,000 small ones. Port Royal Sound is the
second-deepest natural port on the Eastern Seaboard.
It’s only natural that Beaufort would celebrate water, which allows boating, sailing, kayaking, swimming and fishing most of the year. And these folks love any excuse for a celebration, including their annual fall Shrimp Festival, a Gullah Festival (celebrating the mingling of the West African and American cultures in this area), and Penn Center Heritage Days on nearby St. Helena Island, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., found spiritual sustenance amid live oaks and palmetto trees.
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t was recently recognized for the fifth consecutive year as the “Best Small Town” according to Southern Living.
Hollywood has found that look picture-perfect. The Big Chill and Forrest Gump were filmed in Beaufort. Several movies based on Pat Conroy’s novels were shot here, too.
Beaufort’s natural beauty frames its architecture. Union occupation during the Civil War saved the city’s gracious old homes from destruction. Mrs. Ernst is fascinated by the stately houses, not simply that they have been preserved, but also that “people actually live in them.” Mr. Ernst has learned that his great-grandfather, wounded in the Civil War, was cared for in Beaufort in one of the 18 houses that was used as a hospital.
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It is South Carolina’s second-oldest city, and Beaufort’s historic area is one of the state’s three national landmark districts. |
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The city’s resolve to maintain its character in the face of daunting growth prompted the National Trust for Historic Preservation to name Beaufort one of 12 “Distinctive Destinations” in the country, where past and present sit comfortably side by side.
Beaufort has its share of galleries and boutiques. Cuisine at an array of restaurants, casual to chic, includes fresh local seafood that proves local schoolchildren and artists knew what they were doing when they chose the shrimp as Beaufort’s mascot and theme for another annual festival.
Beaufort County has a thriving Arts Council that fosters chamber music, theater, bluegrass, jazz, Shakespeare, dance and visual arts. Beaufort has a symphony and ballet company, and there’s a performing arts center at USC-Beaufort.
Larry Brown named Beaufort one of America’s Most Charming Towns & Villages in his 2003 book of the same name, and the town was named in the top 10 towns for second home investment by EscapeHomes.com. Habersham, a Beaufort community, received the prestigious 2004 and 2005 platinum award for best neighborhood in America by the National Association of Home Builders.
Beaufort County residents have the highest incomes and lowest unemployment in the state. Taxes are below the national average, too. Airports are easily accessible, as are military and civilian hospitals. Beaufort Memorial Hospital has nearly doubled in size in the past few years with new heart and cancer centers.
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The U.S. military is the county’s largest employer, with troops at Parris Island Marine Recruit
Training Base, the U.S. Naval Hospital and the Marine Corps Air Station. |
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Many officers who spent time here come back to retire. Some activities at Parris Island are open to civilians, including the swim team, which active retirees like the Ernsts enjoy. They also can take community courses ranging from literature to ceramics as well as wine tasting at the Technical College of the Lowcountry, which also offers high-tech training. Or, they can enjoy liberal arts courses at USC-Beaufort.
For younger families, the community puts a premium on public schools, where teachers and students both excel. In the past several years, about $300 million has been appropriated for new schools, and a private foundation helps provide laptop computers to students.
Longtime residents say Beaufort is not just a good place to retire, but a good soil for lifelong roots. They’re accustomed to gently correcting folks who don’t yet know the memory jogger: Beautiful Beaufort.
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Margaret N. O'Shea
is a retired journalist who now investigates legal cases for lawyers. She was a
newspaper reporter for 37 years, nominated four times for a Pulitzer Prize and
three times named South Carolina Journalist of the Year by the Society of Professional
Journalists. She lives in Columbia and continues to write.
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