CARTERET COUNTY – Carteret County, home to popular travel destinations such as Morehead City, Beaufort, Atlantic Beach and Emerald Isle has been ranked as North Carolina’s No.1 place to retire in the entire state and No.10 for retirement nationwide due to its affordability, attractions and other amenities.
Analysis website Stacker studied 2023 figures from review and ranking website, Niche, and determined that Carteret County has made its mark for retirees after receiving high scores on weather, cost of living, access to medical care, population trend, and entertainment and attractions. Carteret County also landed the No. 10 spot in Niche’s nationwide list of “best counties for retirees to call home.”
“This is a great place to live and a great place to visit so it comes as no surprise that it’s the best place in North Carolina to retire,” Tom Kies of the Carteret County Chamber of Commerce said. “It’s affordable, the quality of life is without parallel, we have terrific health care, and there’s just so much to do here on the Crystal Coast. I’m retiring in six months, and I have no desire to live anywhere but here.”
Carteret County is the first of North Carolina’s coastal communities to receive recognition as RetireNC’s Certified Retirement Community designation in 2020 for the county’s ability to create an enriched senior lifestyle through the county’s readily accessible amenities and benefits.
“Among those amenities are plenty of outdoor activities, including boating, fishing, golfing and relaxing on Emerald Isle Beach,” Stacker stated.
Niche’s grade ratings gave A+ as a good spot for retirees, B for cost of living, B+ for weather, A- for outdoor activities, and A’s for Cedar Point, Emerald Isle, and Pine Knoll Shores being the best towns to reside in.
The Crystal Coast Economic Development (CCEC) boasts Carteret County’s other high rankings as well. A few of these include Emerald Isle having been voted as North Carolina’s best beach in 2018, Beaufort having been voted No. 1 as the South’s best small town in 2019, The Backstreet Pub in Beaufort having been voted No. 3 as the South’s best pubs in 2019, the Carteret County Public School System having been recognized as the best performing schools in North Carolina for ranking 2nd in SAT and ACT scores in 2020, Carteret County Health Care having been recognized as a Top 100 Rural and Community Hospital in the United States and the only N.C. hospital a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, and Carteret County having been recognized as having the lowest county property tax in North Carolina in 2020-2021.
“Carteret County attracts people at every stage of life to become permanent residents. To say that the Crystal Coast offers a superlative quality of life is an understatement. The county is composed of many quaint small towns and unincorporated communities, each with its unique personality and cultural amenities,” CCED states.