Historic Downtown Beaufort, South Carolina Real Estate

Beaufort Real Estate in Historic Downtown Elegant, Charming, Peaceful

Beaufort, South Carolina, is one of the few Southern coastal towns with surviving antebellum real estate, and is designated a National Historic Landmark District. Beaufort real estate buyers can choose elegant-historic or charming-historic living in a peaceful small town waterfront setting. The post office, library and pre-revolutionary churches are always a short walk away, and every other street ends in a breathtaking waterfront vista. Beaufort’s Historic Downtown is essentially a small town with a strong history and a pulsating arts and cultural community.

Back when Lowcountry planters and merchants were the wealthiest men in the U.S., they built magnificent and hospitable summer mansions along Beaufort’s waterfront. Designed to catch every breeze, these Beaufort homes incorporated high ceilings, gracious wrap-around porches, pillars, pitched tin roofs and double staircases. One by one occupants or investors of Beaufort real estate have lovingly restored them. Meanwhile, the sturdy and breezy cottages, originally the homes of “the working class,” have also been carefully modernized, creating charming walking neighborhoods within Beaufort SC.

Forest Gump, The Big Chill, The Prince of Tides and Full Metal Jacket were among many movies filmed here. Ancient Live oaks and Angel Oaks shadow southern gardens and the waters and marshes of the Beaufort salt-water river are the backdrop where shorebirds and raptors share their hunting grounds with kayaks and sailboats. The Intracoastal Waterway, a protected water highway running north and south, runs right by Beaufort’s Waterfront Park and provides access to the ocean.

Bay Street, the main street of Beaufort, is a collection of Beaufort art galleries, specialty shops and a growing number of excellent Beaufort restaurants. Culturally, Beaufort is an arts town, creating, supporting and enjoying an expansive repertoire of music, theater, dance and art exhibits and is regularly named one of the best small towns for arts in the country.

Special events for Beaufort real estate owners are often staged at Waterfront Park. A series of festivals such as Beaufort’s 10-day Water Festival and the equally famous Gullah Festival, plus all kinds of musical events, bring families and friends of Beaufort real estate owners to meet, mingle and picnic while enjoying an outdoor performance. Continued education is offered at the University of South Carolina Beaufort campus, at the Technical College of the Lowcountry and by Clemson University Extension.

Community activism is a way of life for owners of downtown Beaufort real estate, particularly in the areas of conservation and the environment. On the more practical side, Beaufort SC has an excellent hospital associated with Duke University, new cardiac and cancer centers, and a highly respected medical community. Bridges and highways have recently been widened on both sides of Beaufort. Beaches are 30 minutes away, the Savannah/Hilton Head Airport an hour’s drive, and I-95 is about 30-40 minutes. Private aircraft can use a small airport across the river.

Some of the best communities in or near the downtown Beaufort area are Old Point, Habersham, Battery Point and the Islands of Beaufort.

Listings in the Old Point neighborhood among Historic Downtown Beaufort real estate may include a mid 1800’s Villa or a 1920’s Victorian; prices for Beaufort homes for sale in Old Point range from the $650s into the millions. Porches, picket fences and sidewalks are the palette for this scenic trek through time. The charming Old Point is the site of the 5k “Walk Through History” event held during the annual Beaufort Shrimp Festival. Old Point is within walking distance to Historic Downtown Beaufort, where quaint shops and eateries abound to the delight of Beaufort real estate owners.

Habersham is a waterfront Beaufort community located just minutes from Historic Downtown. The community of Habersham was recently awarded the “Best Neighborhood Design in America” by the National Association of Home Builders. Habersham real estate was developed with environmental preservation in mind, utilizing wetland preservation and marsh buffers. With a town center designed to blend in with the historic architecture of Beaufort, Habersham real estate owners have the benefit of retail shops, post office and even a fire department. Beaufort homes for sale in Habersham are available as village flats that start at $287,000, townhomes from $369,000, live/work market lofts that begin at $530,000, and traditional houses priced from $400,000.

Battery Point is located about 3.5 miles from downtown Beaufort. The community of Battery Point features nature trails, a waterfront park, lighted sidewalks, a community store, pool, tennis courts and boat ramp. The Neo-traditional neighborhood design mean service alleys, green spaces and pedestrian scaled avenues. Prices for Beaufort homes for sale in Battery Point start in the low $300’s.

If you are looking for the 2008 Country Living House of the Year, look no further than The Islands of Beaufort. Located just minutes from downtown on Battery Creek, Spanish moss drip from tall oaks and marsh grass frames this gated community. Homesites are offered with marsh view, deepwater or wooded vistas. A community dock is available for Beaufort real estate owners and private docks for deepwater lots are allowed. The clubhouse property features a fitness center, billiards room, outdoor pools and tennis courts. Lots begin in the $100s, but if it is the Country Living House of the Year you’re after, the price is $1,500,000. //