Beaufort

Also known as Beaufort, South Carolina, Beaufort, SC

city in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States

Key facts

Country: United States
State: South Carolina
County: Beaufort
Named after: Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort
City: 25.32 sq mi (65.58 km )
Land: 24.43 sq mi (63.28 km )
Water: 0.88 sq mi (2.29 km )
Elevation: 20 ft (6.1 m)
Density: 556.9/sq mi (215.01/km )
Urban: 52,515 ( US: 487th )
Urban density: 1,200/sq mi (463.3/km )
Time zone: UTC−5 ( Eastern (EST) )
Summer dst

Article

Beaufort (/ˈbjuːfərt/ BEW-fərt) is a city in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. The city's population was 13,607 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hilton Head Island metropolitan area.

Beaufort is located on Port Royal Island, in the heart of the Sea Islands and South Carolina Lowcountry. The city is renowned for its scenic location and for maintaining a historic character by preservation of its antebellum architecture. The prominent role of Beaufort and the surrounding Sea Islands during the Reconstruction era after the U.S. Civil War is memorialized by the Reconstruction Era National Monument, established in 2017. The city is also known for its military establishments, being located in proximity to Parris Island, a U.S. naval hospital, and the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.