Known as the secret jewel of Northeastern North Carolina, Belhaven is a lovely fishing, farming, tourist, and retirement community along the banks of Pantego Creek, Pungo River and the Intracoastal Waterway. Beaufort County is known as the "Waterfront Capital of North Carolina" with a water area of 88,000 acres. It was selected by the English colonists for the same reasons people choose to move to Beaufort County today: the agreeable climate, the vast expanses of oak and pine forests, and the miles of waterfront property. Originally named Jack's Neck, Belhaven was once a bustling industrial town with a half-dozen lumber companies and a branch of the Norfolk and Southern Railroad. Nearby Pamlico River and Pamlico Sound, along with the railroad, provided the transportation necessary to move wood products produced in northeastern North Carolina. These same waters still provide a living for residents today, as they yield a bounty of crab, fish and shrimp to local fishermen.