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There are 78 rural counties in North Carolina. A rural county is a county with an average population density of 250 people per square mile or less. Beaufort County has a density of 53.62 people per square mile based on a population of 44,652 in the 2020 census. The 2023 estimate is 44,481.

Beaufort County is a rural county but it is also a unique county. It’s large, 962.85 square miles, and is divided by the river. Two bridges connect the north and southside of the county. Both the bridges cross the river in Washington. Before the bypass, there was only one. To go from the south side of the river from Aurora to Bath, a boat is needed. Most of Beaufort county’s population is in the western part of the county.

There’s nothing wrong with being rural. I prefer it over urban any day. Washington serves most of my needs and Greenville is close by. Greenville is growing rapidly and the growth of heavy traffic and traffic jams is a good indicator.

Being rural, Beaufort County and the municipalities have received a lot of assistance and help from The Rural Economic Development Division of the N.C. Department of Commerce over the years. This includes financial in the form of grants, services, and technical assistance.

Their assistance and help are key to the future in Beaufort County.

The Rural Economic Development Division of the N.C. Department of Commerce provides services, expertise and grants to rural counties like Beaufort. Their programs include Strategic Economic Development Planning, Public Infrastructure Support, Building Renovation/Demolition, Building and Site Development and Disaster Recovery. Specific grant programs include the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), The Industrial Development Fund (IDF) and Rural Grant Programs (RGP).

The Rural Economic Development Division ties in with all the other divisions and functions of the N.C. Department of Commerce.  In other words, they are part of a bigger picture.

The North Carolina Main Street Program is part of the Rural Economic Development Division. It has had a major impact on Beaufort County municipalities.

Not part of the Department of Commerce, The NC Rural Center is a private nonprofit organization which develops economic strategies to improve the quality of life in rural North Carolina counties.

The mission of the NC Rural Center is to develop, promote and implement sound economic strategies to improve the quality of life of Rural North Carolinians.  The center has a special focus on individuals with low to moderate incomes and communities with limited resources (that’s us).

In 2016, they launched the center’s first ever advocacy agenda with the release of “Rural Counts: 10 Strategies for North Carolina’s Future.” The first 5 strategies build the foundation for success.  The next three build on the foundation of the first five strategies by focusing on the best opportunities for new job creation. The last two are organizational strategies that focus on how we accomplish the work we need to do.

It’s an old document but it’s important. Plans, particularly strategic plans, are important. Without a plan, how do you know where you are going? Without goals, how do you know what you are trying to accomplish?

In closing, I like Beaufort County’s rural small-town environment.

Al Klemm is a Washington resident and a former Beaufort County Commissioner.