Welcome to Washington, NC

Recent renovations to the waterfront provide a stronger connection between Washington's unique features, its scenic water venue and its quaint Historic District, as the city and the community chart the course for a prosperous and vital future.

The "Original" Washington offers many services of a larger city with abundant small town charm! Washington is located at the point where the winding, freshwater Tar River empties into the brackish Pamlico River. Their waters bisect Beaufort County, one of the largest protected inland bodies of water on the East Coast.   Washington, NC was the first city in America named in honor of General George Washington, who would later  become the first President of The United States. Today the city is rightfully known as The "Original" Washington, est. since 1776.   Washington, NC is rich in history. The Albemarle Trail and other historic landmarks will guide and inform the  history buff or casual tourist. The city has approximately 10,000 residents within the city limits of Washington, NC and thousands more in the bordering town of Washington Park and adjoining areas such as River Road, Country Club Estates, and other developments & sub-divisions. The Washington Yacht & Country Club with a marina and 18 hole golf course is located next to Country Club Estates.   Washington, NC and the surrounding area has something to offer everyone including a Historic District which has its’ own building codes.

History of Washington, North Carolina

Washington's rich history adds to the character of the community. The settlement of Washington was laid out in 1775 on the northern bank of the Pamlico/Tar River by Colonel James Bonner and named in honor of General George Washington, his commander-in-chief. The City was incorporated by an act of the North Carolina General Assembly in 1782. It became the county seat of Beaufort County in 1785, an honor previously held by the Town of Bath, North Carolina's oldest town, located 15 miles east.

There are numerous towns named Washington in the United States, but Washington, NC, is the first to have been named for General Washington (prior to his being named our nation's first president). Therefore, Washington, NC, is "The Original Washington."

Because of Washington's strategic location at the junction of coastal and inland rivers, the town developed as a regional shipping center and was recognized as a port in 1784. Washington also was a federal supply outpost during the Revolutionary War.

Washington has rebuilt after devastating fires destroyed all but a few of the City's antebellum structures. The construction that followed the second major fire in 1900 (the first burning was during the War Between the States) produced a concentration of Victorian era homes and commercial buildings in the area now designated as the Washington Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the largest commercial and residential historic districts in North Carolina.

Today, Washington maintains an important position in Eastern North Carolina. As a City of approximately 10,000 people and a greater community of approximately 26,000 residents, Washington remains the economic, cultural, recreational, and medical center of Beaufort County and of several other counties as well. The rivers, although no longer vital to the shipping trade, supply a valuable recreational, ecological, and aesthetic resource. With the renewed interest in historic preservation and downtown revitalization, Washington is a city that truly lives up to its motto: "Pride in the past, faith in the future."

Maria Wilson
Broker, SRES
Washington, NC/Beaufort County Real Estate
1550 W. 5th St. * Washington, NC 27889
(252) 945-3367 or (800) 709-5056
Email WashingtonRealtor@msn.com