Belhaven, NC

Belhaven is a Beaufort County town on the north shore of the Pungo River, where Pantego Creek reaches the waterfront. The 2020 census counted 1,410 residents. Water Street, the downtown storefronts, four marinas, Belhaven Public Library, and Beaufort County Schools give the town its everyday map. Boats, fishing, crabs, shrimp, and oysters connect the river to local work, while the Belhaven Memorial Museum and River Forest Manor keep older layers in view.

The settlement began as Jack's Neck in the 1880s, passed briefly through the name Belle Port, and became Belhaven in 1899. Lumber companies once used the Pamlico and Pungo waters and the nearby Norfolk and Southern Railroad to move logs. Flooding is part of present-day life in this low coastal town: homes and public buildings have been raised, and the public library was rebuilt above flood levels after repeated damage. Fourth of July events, the annual trout tournament, and the Machapunga Music Series bring people back to the waterfront and downtown. Belhaven's local conversation keeps circling to water—what it carries, what it damages, and how the town makes room for both work and recreation.