One thing most can agree on is how beautiful our Crystal Coast is. Otherwise known as The South Outer Banks, from our warm water and gorgeous beaches to the friendly people and variety of places to live, Carteret County has something for most and one thing is for sure - it’s not light in history! We have museums, pre-civil war fort tours, The Beaufort Ghost Walk just to name a few.
If you are wondering about moving here, we’d like to share some things that can make building a home here a great decision. We have some short and informative podcasts we would welcome you to listen to: Sun Coast Podcasts or if you prefer to read, we have more blog posts on our website.
Coastal areas, while beautiful, have challenges other areas of our country don’t. We have protected wetlands and beaches as well as flood zones and areas more prone to hurricane damage. There are areas in our county that are more rural while others are more populated and offer more shopping and restaurants. Knowing what you prefer seems obvious but we have encountered numerous people who have moved from one end of the county to another simply due to not really understanding all of their options. That seems fair, right? It is really tough to move to a new area and know for sure what places you will like the most. Let’s talk about areas in our county so you can get a better idea of our wonderland.
The Island
The entire island has areas of public access to both the warm Atlantic Ocean and Bogue Sound. There are bridges from Cape Carteret on the mainland to Emerald Isle as well as from Morehead City to Atlantic Beach. When looking at a map of the island moving from West to East, it moves in this order. Emerald Isle, Indian Beach, Salter Path, Pine Knoll Shores and Atlantic Beach.
Emerald Isle and Atlantic Beach both have easy access to shopping both on the island as well as the mainland. Pine Knoll Shores is a peaceful tree-filled community of mostly full-time residents and is home to The Aquarium, a super fun place to take your kiddos! Salter Path is in the middle of the island. Indian Beach is a very narrow area of the island between Emerald Isle and Salter Path boasting high-end homes. Atlantic Beach hosts Fort Macon which has many things to do from hiking to touring the pre-civil war fort.
The Mainland
On the far West end of Carteret County, we have Cedar Point, Cape Carteret, Peletier, Stella, Bogue, and parts of Newport. Newport has the largest ETJ so it makes up the largest part of the county so no one area is indicative of another. Generally speaking as a whole, the West end of the county is on higher ground while the East end of the county is on the lowest ground. The East end of the county makes up Beaufort, a cute little town filled with shopping, restaurants, tours, historic homes, and happens to be the former home of Black Beard, a pirate whose ship was found in the Beaufort Inlet in 1996. Moving further East, we have more rural areas including Otway, Straits, Harkers Island, Marshallberg, Smyrna, Williston, Davis, Stacy, Sea Level, Atlantic, and Cedar Island.
Speaking in generalities, the Eastern end of our county is the least expensive with options of property that are both rural and waterfront while the Western end of the county tends to be more expensive with choices between the two but not usually both together. The town of Beaufort is the exception and should be thoroughly researched to see if this would be your understandable favorite of our county.
Sandwiched in the middle is Morehead City, filled with historic homes, our high-end Promised Land, restaurants, shopping and happens to be the host of the world renown Big Rock Fishing Tournament. If you’ve ever wanted to see Michael Jordan in person, this is the place! We also have Newport in the middle of our county. Newport is so large, you have choices of Bogue Sound and Newport River waterfront, rural higher acreage, and homes from all ranges.
We can’t forget Shackleford Banks, home to the wild horses and Cape Lookout, home to The Diamond Lady Lighthouse. Our coast is known as part of The Graveyard of The Atlantic and invites scuba adventurers from around the world.
Being a boat lover's paradise, there are things to know about enjoying our waters. Knowing what areas have deep water if you have a boat that requires that is a must. Many of those deeper areas will have a fair amount of boat traffic. If you are a person who loves privacy, living in the more shallow creeks and inlets may be for you. Those areas will be best for skiffs as they require very little water and are often some of the most peaceful areas to live and enjoy. If you love paddleboarding and kayaking you may really dislike alligators. Staying out of brackish (a mix of freshwater and saltwater) is a really great idea! Brackish water is mostly found in the Newport River.
As you can see, there is a lot to know about our gorgeous, highly sought after county! Having an experienced guide is a must whether that is your builder or your real estate broker. Here at Sun Coast, we are both! If you’d like to talk more about moving to The Crystal Coast, give us a call at the office 252-764-0024 or email us through our website. We’d love to hear from you!