Beaufort, SC Real Estate
Downtown and Historic Beaufort, SC
Beaufort is one of the few Southern coastal towns with surviving antebellum
homes, and is designated a national historic landmark district. Residents can
choose elegant-historic or charming-historic living in a peaceful small-town
waterfront setting. The post office, library and pre-revolutionary churches are
always a short walk away, and every other street ends in a breathtaking
waterfront vista.
Back when Lowcountry planters and merchants were the
wealthiest men in the U.S., they built magnificent and hospitable summer
mansions along Beaufort’s waterfront. Designed to catch every breeze, these
homes incorporated high ceilings, gracious wrap-around porches, pillars, pitched
tin roofs and double staircases. One by one they have been lovingly restored.
Meanwhile, the sturdy and breezy cottages, originally the homes of “the working
class,” have also been carefully modernized creating the charming walking
neighborhoods of Beaufort today.
Setting for much of Forest Gump and all
of The Big Chill, Beaufort truly is beautiful. Ancient live oaks, southern
gardens, and the waters and marshes of the Beaufort salt-water river are the
backdrop where shorebirds and raptors share their hunting grounds with kayaks
and sailboats. The Intracoastal Waterway, a protected water highway running
north and south, runs right by Beaufort’s waterfront park and provides access to
the ocean. The main street, Bay Street, is a collection of art galleries,
specialty shops and a growing number of excellent restaurants.
Culturally, Beaufort is an arts town, creating, supporting and enjoying
an expansive repertoire of music, theater, dance and art exhibits. Beaufort is
regularly named one of the best small towns for arts in the country. Special
events are often staged at Waterfront Park. A series of festivals such as
Beaufort’s 10-day water festival and the equally famous Gullah festival, plus
all kinds of musical events, bring families and friends to meet, mingle and
picnic while enjoying an outdoor performance.
Continued education is
offered at the University of South Carolina Beaufort campus, at the Technical
College of the Lowcountry and by Clemson University Extension. Community
activism is a way of life, particularly in the areas of conservation and the
environment. On the more practical side, Beaufort has an excellent hospital
associated with Duke University, new cardiac and cancer centers, and a highly
respected medical community.
Bridges and highways have recently been
widened on both sides of Beaufort. Beaches are 30 minutes away, the
Savannah/Hilton Head Airport an hour’s drive, and I-95 is about 30-40 minutes. A
small airport across the river is used by private aircraft.
Beaufort is essentially a small town offering a small town way of life. Neighbors are
friendly and residents feel safe and comfortable with one another.