[5] Established in 1713 and incorporated in 1723, Beaufort is the fourth oldest town in North Carolina (after Bath, New Bern and Edenton).

[6][7] On February 1, 2012, Beaufort was ranked as "America's Coolest Small Town" by readers of Budget Travel Magazine.

The town is home to the North Carolina Maritime Museum, the Duke University Marine Laboratory (Nicholas School of the Environment), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research.

[11] In June 1718 Blackbeard the pirate ran his flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge and his sloop Adventure, aground near present-day Beaufort Inlet, NC.

[12] The Queen Anne's Revenge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 with the reference number 04000148.

Thirty two years later, in August 1750, at least three Spanish merchantmen ran aground in North Carolina during a hurricane.

U.S. Route 70 passes through Beaufort, leading west across the Newport River to Morehead City and northeast 31 miles (50 km) to its end in the town of Atlantic.

[9] Beaufort has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), which is characterized by long, hot summers, and short, cool winters.