The first male of English parents born in the current area of North Carolina was John Fulford.

An article dated September 18, 1893, in The New Bern Daily Journal, identified Fulford's grave in a cemetery outside the county seat of Beaufort, in an area called the Straits.

In 1971 a survey by the Carteret County Historical Society found such a grave in the Fulford Cemetery off Piper Lane in Gloucester.

During the Revolutionary War he served as a 2nd Major in the Carteret County Regiment of the North Carolina militia.

Branches of the Dennis family include the Bells, Watsons and Pelletiers, many of whom continued to live in the area for many years.

In a typical pattern of following the availability of new lands in the Deep South, some branches of this family later migrated to Mississippi and Texas in the 19th century.

[7][8] In 2024, real estate developers in Cedar Point disturbed the site of an ancient Native American settlement.

The discovery led to controversy over the continuance of the housing development and calls for new regulations to protect historical sites.

Several state lawmakers pushed for construction to resume, with one legislator receiving campaign contributions from the project's developers in 2022.

Outstanding water sources and protected areas:[14][15][16] As of the 2020 census, there were 67,686 people, 28,962 households, and 18,292 families residing in the county.

[38] Since the number of lost ballots exceeded the lead held (by Steve Troxler over Britt Cobb) in the statewide race for agriculture commissioner, the State Board of Elections decided to hold a special election on January 11, 2005, open only to the 18,500 voters in the county who either failed to vote or whose votes were lost.

[49] According to the 2010 book North Carolina's Central Coast and New Bern, the newspaper is "a good source of information for vacationers who want to know the schedules of tours, festivals, kids' programs, seminars, exhibits and events of all types within the county and the surrounding area".

The US Navy has a Port Control Office and the US Army has a Reserve Center, both in the eastern part of Morehead City.

The US Coast Guard operates a Sector Office at Fort Macon, as well as a USCG Station at Emerald Isle and Morehead City.