No other city in the United States can make the claim that Beaufort can.
South Carolina’s second oldest city is home to the only kazoo factory still in operation within the United States – The Kazoobie Kazoo Factory.
And now it has another distinction — one of America’s best small towns to live in, according to Travel + Leisure magazine. The magazine picked 12 and named Beaufort No. 6.
First on the list was Incline Village, Nevada, on the northeast shore of Lake Tahoe.
Travel + Leisure praised the small towns it picked for having a “stronger sense of community, tranquility, less stress, and often a much more scenic setting immersed in nature that encourages an active lifestyle.”
Each selection had fewer than 25,000 residents.
Located on Port Royal Island, Beaufort has about 14,000 residents and is located on the Beaufort River some 15 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.
Travel + Leisure said Beaufort “is rooted in history and Southern culture.”
The area was explored in the 1500s by Spain and France and founded as a city in 1711.
Its antebellum architecture, small town atmosphere and proximity to area beaches, including Hunting and Fripp islands bring 1 million visitors a year. It has also served as a location for movies such as The Big Chill, The Great Santini, and Forrest Gump.
Travel + Leisure quoted Amy Lance Leath, a broker with Daniel Ravenel Sotheby’s International Realty, as saying the number of waterfront and golf communities offer residents resort-style amenities.
“Popular neighborhoods at the higher end of the market include the historic district in downtown Beaufort, Fripp Island, Distant Island, Habersham, Dataw Island Club, Coosaw Point, and Newpoint, with several up-and-coming neighborhoods such as Cat Island, the town of Port Royal, and other nearby areas,” she said.
Zillow reported the median cost of a home as $401,858, compared to the national average of $420,800.
On its website, Visit Beaufort SC says the area is one of the most diverse of any community of its size. It also has one of the largest population of Gullahs, which Visit Beaufort describes as “a culture known for preserving its African linguistic and cultural heritage more than any other African American community within the United States.”
Penn Center is also nearby on Saint Helena Island. Northern missionaries and abolitionists founded the center as a school for formerly enslaved people after the Civil War. It is now a National Historic Landmark District and part of Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, established by President Obama in 2017.
The Marine Corps Recruit Depot for the Eastern Seaboard, the Marine Corps Air Station and Naval Hospital are also in Beaufort.
The other cities on the list are Moab, Utah; North Potomac, Maryland; Carmel-by-the-Sea, California; Taos, New Mexico; Rutland, Vermont; Berry Hill, Tennessee; Williamsburg, Virginia; Branson, Missouri; Davenport, Florida and Whitefish, Montana.
Source Agencies
