Carteret County, North Carolina

Carteret County
Carteret County Courthouse
Carteret County Courthouse
Flag of Carteret County
Official seal of Carteret County
Map of North Carolina highlighting Carteret County
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
Map of the United States highlighting North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°52′N 76°32′W / 34.86°N 76.54°W / 34.86; -76.54
Country United States
State North Carolina
Founded1722
Named forSir George Carteret
SeatBeaufort
Largest communityMorehead City
Government
 • County ManagerTommy Burns
Area
 • Total1,330.41 sq mi (3,445.7 km2)
 • Land507.60 sq mi (1,314.7 km2)
 • Water822.81 sq mi (2,131.1 km2)  61.85%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total67,686
 • Estimate 
(2023)
69,615
 • Density133.35/sq mi (51.49/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district3rd
Websitewww.carteretcountync.gov

Carteret County (/ˌkɑːr.təˈrɛt/ KAR-tuh-REHT or /ˌkɑːr.tɜːrˈɛt/ KAR-tur-ET)[1][2] is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,686.[3] Its county seat is Beaufort.[4] The county was created in 1722 as Carteret Precinct and gained county status in 1739.[5] 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.

  1. ^ "NC Pronunciation Guide". WRAL. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  2. ^ Talk Like a Tarheel Archived 2013-06-22 at the Wayback Machine, from the North Carolina Collection website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2020CensusQuickFacts was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ^ "North Carolina: Individual County Chronologies". North Carolina Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2009. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2015.