Map of Carteret County, North Carolina

Carteret County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,686. Its county seat is Beaufort. The county was created in 1722 as Carteret Precinct and gained county status in 1739. It was named for Sir George Carteret, one of the 17th century English Lords Proprietor, or for his descendant and heir John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville.

Carteret County comprises the Morehead City, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the New Bern-Morehead City, NC Combined Statistical Area. Most of the county is part of the Crystal Coast.

Carteret County overview:
Name:	Carteret County
FIPS code:	37-031
State:	North Carolina
Founded:	1722
Named for:	Sir George Carteret
Seat:	Beaufort
Largest town:	Morehead City
Total Area:	1,341 sq mi (3,470 km²)
Land Area:	506 sq mi (1,310 km²)
Total Population:	68,541
Population Density:	135.5/sq mi (52.3/km²)
Time zone:	UTC−5 (Eastern)
Summer Time Zone (DST):	UTC−4 (EDT)
Website:	www.carteretcountync.gov

Carteret County location map. Where is Carteret County?

Carteret County location on the U.S. Map. Where is Carteret County. — Location of Carteret County in the the United States.

Carteret County location on the North Carolina map. Where is Carteret County. — Location of Carteret County in North Carolina.

History

The first male of English parents born in the current area of North Carolina was John Fulford. He was born in 1629 in what is now Carteret County. He settled in this area and died in 1729. An article dated Sept. 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. It was described as “bricked up with English brick.” In 1971 a survey by the Carteret County Historical Society found such a grave in the Fulford Cemetery off Piper Lane in Gloucester. The unmarked, bricked-up grave matching this description survives today.

One of the more prominent families from Carteret County was the Dennis family. William Dennis Sr. (b.1720 – d.1800) was an extremely colorful landowner, Revolutionary War officer, and defender of the county. In 1747, he assisted with the successful defense of the county during the War of Jenkins’ Ear (fighting against Spanish pirates). During the Revolutionary War he served as a 2nd Major in the Carteret County Regiment of the North Carolina militia. In 1782, he fought alongside Lieutenant Colonel John Easton to drive the British from Carteret County. Dennis once owned the Hammock House, which became well known as the house owned by the pirate Blackbeard. His son, William Dennis Junior was a Captain in the 8th North Carolina Regiment (1777-1778), was present at Valley Forge and also fought in the Carteret County Regiment (1781-1782). In the 1790 US Census, Dennis was one of the largest land owners in the county. 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.

Carteret County Road Map

Carteret CountyStreet Map. — Street map of Carteret County, North Carolina. Source: OpenStreetMap (OSM)

Carteret CountyMap — Carteret Countypolitical map.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,341 square miles (3,470 km), of which 506 square miles (1,310 km) is land and 834 square miles (2,160 km) (62%) is water. It is the third-largest county in North Carolina by total area.

National protected areas/sites

Cape Lookout Lighthouse
Cape Lookout National Seashore
Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge
Croatan National Forest (part)

State and local protected areas

Croatan Game Land (part)
Fort Macon State Park
Rachel Carson Reserve
Theodore Roosevelt State Natural Area

Outstanding water sources and protected areas:

Back Bay Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area
Back Sound Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area
Back Sound Outstanding Resource Water
Bardens Inlet Crab Spawning Sanctuary
Bear Island Area Outstanding Resource Water (part)
Bogue Sound Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area
Bogue Sound Outstanding Resource Water
Core Sound, Neuse River Basin Outstanding Resource Water
Core Sound, White Oak River Basin Outstanding Resource Water
Drum Inlet Crab Spawning Sanctuary
Neuse-Southeast Pamlico Sound Area Outstanding Resource Water (part)
Newport River Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area
North Bay Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area
North River Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area
Ocracoke Inlet Crab Spawning Sanctuary (part)
Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve Dedicated Nature Preserve
The Straits Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area
White Oak River Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area (part)

Major water bodies

Adams Creek
Atlantic Ocean
Back Sound
Barden Inlet
Barry Bay
Bogue Sound
Calico Bay
Cedar Island Bay
Core Sound
Drum Inlet
Harlowe Creek
Intracoastal Waterway
Jarrett Bay
Long Bay
Nelson Bay
Newport River
Neuse River
North River
Ocracoke Inlet
Onslow Bay
Pamlico Sound
Raleigh Bay
South River
Thorofare Bay
Turnagain Bay
West Bay
West Thorofare Bay
White Oak River

Adjacent counties

Pamlico County – north
Craven County – north
Jones County – north
Onslow County – west
Hyde County – northeast

Major highways

Future I-42 (Concurrency with US 70)
US 70
NC 12
NC 24
NC 58
NC 101

Major infrastructure

Amtrak Thruway (Morehead City)
Cedar Island – Ocracoke Ferry (To Hyde County)
Michael J. Smith Field
Local ferries to the uninhabited Cape Lookout National Seashore
Port of Morehead City