Beaufort, South Carolina, is America's happiest seaside town, according to Coastal Living.
The magazine cited "Lowcountry friendliness and urban refinement...antebellum architecture, exquisite local cuisine, and rich African-American heritage."
The magazine's considered qualities including towns rankings in the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, as well as the weather, such as the number of sunny days, beach health, walkability and other intangibles, including such subjective aspects as "coastal vibe."
Beaufort was found to possess those attributes, though the town isn't technically a seaside town. The town is located on Port Royal Sound along the banks of the Beaufort River. Water is located 16 miles east of the town, which includes Hunting Island State Park, which contains three miles of beachfront area, including acres of woodland as well as a historic lighthouse.
The town also includes a downtown district that is walkable and contains art galleries, bookstores and antique shops. It also has restaurants that serve fresh seafood. The waterfront park also has a stage used for concerts.
The downtown area is a designated National Historic Landmark.
"Down here there's only one war," Collin Davidson, a college student and native of Beaufort, said. "My granddad is still sorta bitter about it."
The area was first successfully established by the British in 1711, but the Civil War is the historical period that most resonates with people.
"I've heard stories of people finding [Civil War-era] arm bones in their yards and bullets with teeth marks on them," Davidson said.
Beaufort was both the first and last Confederate town to be occupied by the Union troops in 1861, causing 1,400 residents to flee the town.
Ironically, the town is also the location where Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote part of his "I Have a Dream" speech.
More recently, the area has been popular in films, with movies including "The Great Santini," "The Big Chill," and "Forrest Gump" all being filmed in part in the town.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
