The mean tide on the Beaufort River is 7.39 feet. A dock that looks full at the high can stand over mud at the low. That swing is a normal day.
Daily life in Beaufort, SC is a city of 15,775 people, a downtown park on pylons over that river, and a July afternoon that averages 91.8°F at the air station. Mean travel time to work is 18.3 minutes.
What does a normal day in Beaufort look like?
Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park is at 103 Charles Street. The National Park Service says the City of Beaufort manages it, lists an amphitheater, and notes that much of the park is a pier on pylons over the Beaufort River. Bay Street runs along that edge (NPS place page last updated September 4, 2025; Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, read November 3, 2026).
The City of Beaufort says the 304-acre original town, the blocks behind the park, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973 (City of Beaufort, Historic District, read November 3, 2026).
The Census Bureau's July 1, 2025 estimate for Beaufort city is 15,775 (Vintage 2025), up 15.0% from the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 13,721. The April 1, 2020 Census counted 13,607. The 15.0% change uses the estimates base, not the census count (Census QuickFacts: Beaufort city, South Carolina, read November 3, 2026).
Listings are on the Beaufort area page.
What is there to do outdoors?
Friends of the Spanish Moss Trail say nearly 10 miles are open between the City of Beaufort and the Town of Port Royal, on the old Magnolia Line. Rail operations stopped in 2003. A January 2011 easement from Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority lets the county develop 14 miles of the corridor, which is longer than the miles open now (About the Spanish Moss Trail, read November 3, 2026).
Hunting Island State Park, 2555 Sea Island Parkway, is the ocean beach: 5 miles, open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and to 9 p.m. during Daylight Saving Time. Admission is $8 for an adult, $5 for a South Carolina senior, $4 for ages 6 to 15, and free at age 5 and under. On November 3, 2026 the park had closed the bridge to Boneyard Beach for high tides until the park reopens it (Hunting Island, read November 3, 2026).
What is the weather like through the year?
NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for station USW00093831 name it BEAUFORT MCAS, SC, at 37 feet, 32.4833° N, 80.7167° W. That is the air station, not a gauge on Bay Street.
| Month | Average high (°F) | Average low (°F) |
|---|
| January | 60.3 | 40.1 |
| April | 77.0 | 56.0 |
| July | 91.8 | 74.5 |
| October | 78.1 | 59.0 |
The annual normal high is 76.8°F and the annual normal low is 57.6°F. Annual normal precipitation is 45.02 inches. August averages 6.50 inches. May averages 2.50 inches (NCEI monthly normals, USW00093831; annual normals, read November 3, 2026).
How do tides and storm season change the week?
NOAA station 8667999 is BEAUFORT, SC, at 32.43° N, 80.675° W. The tide is mixed, so the two highs and two lows in a day are not equal (station metadata, read November 3, 2026). On the station datum, epoch 1983–2001, accepted April 17, 2003, mean high water is 10.66 feet, mean low water is 3.27 feet, and the mean range is 7.39 feet (datums API; datums for 8667999, read November 3, 2026).
The day's highs and lows are on NOAA's tide predictions for 8667999. They are not a flood map.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30. The National Hurricane Center says storms sometimes form outside those dates, and that September 10 is the peak day (Tropical Cyclone Climatology, read November 3, 2026).
If an evacuation is ordered, SCEMD puts Beaufort on the two northbound lanes of US 21 to US 17. The right lane goes to US 17 north, then SC 303, toward Walterboro. The left lane goes to US 17 south, then US 17 Alternate and US 21, toward Yemassee and North Augusta. Under certain conditions a third lane reverses the inside southbound lane of US 21 and runs toward I-95 northbound at exit 33, Point South (SCEMD, Evacuate, read November 3, 2026).
The zone is an address, not a town-wide label. SCEMD's Know Your Zone map takes a street address and returns the evacuation zone (Know Your Zone, read November 3, 2026).
For the flood zone and the insurance policy, use how flood zones and insurance work.
How long do everyday drives take?
Census puts mean travel time to work at 18.3 minutes for workers age 16 and over (ACS 2020–2024, QuickFacts, read November 3, 2026).
Drives from the waterfront park to MCAS Beaufort, MCRD Parris Island, and Naval Hospital Beaufort are already routed, with run dates, in the guide linked under cost. This page does not repeat that table.
What is it like near the bases?
Beaufort County's AICUZ page says the county adopted the MCAS Airport Overlay District in 2004, based on F-18 sound, to set land use around MCAS Beaufort. The page says the station is moving to the F-35B, with three squadrons and a Pilot Training Center, and that the county proposes new overlay boundaries from Department of Defense sound modeling. The county page is undated (read November 3, 2026). Check an address on the interactive map or the PDF linked there (Beaufort County AICUZ).
On graduation weeks the depot's visitor page puts the Thursday ceremony at 9:30 a.m. and the Friday graduation at 9:00 a.m., both at the Peatross Parade Deck, and says to plan for more traffic at the front gate. All times and locations are subject to change. Confirm the date on that page (Morning Colors and Graduation, MCRD Parris Island, read November 3, 2026).
What happens in Beaufort through the year?
Check the organizer's site for dates.
The Port Royal Farmers Market is the weekly one. The South Carolina Department of Agriculture lists it as year-round, Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to noon, at 1615 Ribaut Road, Port Royal, which is outside the city limits (SCDA market listing, read November 3, 2026).
The Beaufort Water Festival site calls the event annual. Check bftwaterfestival.com for dates (homepage read November 3, 2026).
The Beaufort Shrimp Festival site places the event at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park and lists City of Beaufort Downtown Operations as the contact. Check beaufortshrimpfestival.com for dates (read November 3, 2026).
The Town of Port Royal calendar has listed a Soft Shell Crab Festival. Check the town calendar for the next date (read November 3, 2026).
What does a home cost?
Redfin put the city of Beaufort's median sale price at $465,778 for the three months ending September 2026, down 0.37% from a year earlier (page read November 3, 2026). That is one sale-price median for the city. The tax rate, the flood-insurance discount by community, and the routed base drives are in the guide to moving to Beaufort.
FAQ
What is it like to live in Beaufort, SC?
A small city on a tidal river. Census estimated 15,775 people on July 1, 2025. At Beaufort MCAS the 1991–2020 normal July high is 91.8°F and the normal January low is 40.1°F. Mean travel time to work is 18.3 minutes.
Is Beaufort, SC a small town?
It is a small city. QuickFacts, read November 3, 2026, shows 15,775 people on July 1, 2025, and 13,607 in the April 1, 2020 Census.
What are the downsides of living in Beaufort?
July's normal high at the air station is 91.8°F. Hurricane season is June 1 through November 30, on the SCEMD lanes above. The county maps an airport overlay around MCAS Beaufort and proposes new boundaries for the F-35B. The mean tide range is 7.39 feet, so check the flood zone with any offer, using the flood guide linked above.
Does Beaufort have an ocean beach?
The city is on the Beaufort River. Hunting Island State Park, 2555 Sea Island Parkway, lists 5 miles of beach. Hours, admission, and a high-tide bridge closure posted November 3, 2026 are above. Read the park advisory before you go.
How do I check flood, noise, and evacuation for one address?
Flood zone: the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, then the flood guide above. Noise overlay: the county AICUZ map. Evacuation zone: SCEMD Know Your Zone, by address.
When is the Port Royal Farmers Market?
Year-round, Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to noon, at 1615 Ribaut Road in Port Royal. South Carolina Department of Agriculture, read November 3, 2026.
Picturing a week on a particular street? Set up a listing alert. Each alert email's View Home button opens the listing. Schedule a Tour on that page requests a showing with Hamza Faris and The Faris Group.
