Riverfront North Carolina city with culture and strong economic growth
Situated at the confluence of the Neuse and Trent Rivers, New Bern is known for its history and natural beauty, particularly for those who love life on the water. “I’d describe it as the perfect, small waterfront town,” says Colleen Roberts, the city’s public information officer. Founded in 1710 by Swiss and Palatine Germans, the city is the former capital of and second-oldest colonial town in North Carolina. The colonists named the settlement after the Swiss city of Bern, which derived from an old German word for bears, which have become an emblem of the community and even adorn city hall. Historically a center of culture and commerce, the city earned the nickname “the Athens of the South” and is beginning to experience another economic boom. “For generations, New Bern was considered a sleepy retirement town,” says Roberts. “But since revitalization started in the 1980s and ‘90s, more young professionals and families moved here. Those demographics have certainly invited business investment.” Whether it’s by land or by water, the people of New Bern regularly indulge in local art, dining and special community events.
New Bern Historic District is right along the Neuse River.
You can find the iconic bear sculptures throughout New Bern Historic District.
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The acclaimed Neuse River and local museums
The city manages 27 public parks, with Union Point Park being one of the most popular. This 6-acre green space sits at the tip of New Bern’s peninsula where the Neuse and Trent Rivers intersect, featuring a riverfront walking path and gazebo. Boating and fishing are popular activities, with residents docking their vessels at the New Bern Grand Marina or launching them from Lawson Creek Park’s boat ramp. Drake Bratton, broker-in-charge at Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage and lifelong New Bern resident, highlights the Neuse River for its brackish water, which enables anglers to both freshwater and saltwater fish. Bratton further notes that nonprofit American Rivers named the estuary “2022 River of the Year” for the city’s restoration efforts.
Tryon Palace is a reconstruction of the Georgian-style historic residence of North Carolina’s governor. Open for tours, the mansion has become one of the city’s most popular attractions and includes 16 acres of manicured gardens. The Birthplace of Pepsi Cola is a few blocks away, a museum located on site of where pharmacist Caleb Bradham invented the fizzy beverage.
New Bern Historic District is home to Tyron's Palace.
The original Pepsi-Cola was invented a short walk away from Riverside Historic District.
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Homes downtown and near the Neuse River
With more people moving to the area, New Bern’s housing market has become more competitive. The median home price hovers around $320,000. Neighborhoods like Ghent and the New Bern Historic District offer a mixture of newly renovated early 20th- century homes such as American Craftsman bungalows, American Foursquares and Victorians, with prices reaching $1 million. Fairfield Harbour is a gated community on the other side of the Neuse River with marinas and social clubs. Farther south, neighborhoods like Neuse Forest afford more privacy, enclosed within the greenery of Croatan National Forest. These suburbs offer ranch-style and New Traditional builds priced between $200,000 and $500,000. To combat low housing inventory, the city is continuing to build new developments such as Bluewater Rise.
New Bern Historic District has many unique historic homes.
New Bern Historic District is right along the Neuse River.
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Shopping and eating locally the New Bern Historic District
The New Bern Historic District has a thriving shopping and dining scene, with pubs, cafes and diners serving various styles of food from Southern comfort dishes to Indian and Italian. “We have been told that we are now a culinary destination,” Roberts says. Additionally, the neighborhood is home to boutiques, antique shops, bookstores and other local businesses. Strip malls and shopping plazas are west down U.S. Route 17 Business, locally known as Dr. M.L.K. Jr. Boulevard. The New Bern Mall is one such destination, anchored by Belk and T.J. Maxx.
Five Points residents enjoy going for dinners in downtown New Bern.
Many residents of the New Bern Historic District enjoy lively dinners at restaurants like MJ's Raw Bar & Grille.
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Chrysanthemums and concerts at MumFest
MumFest is arguably New Bern’s premier celebration, taking place downtown over a weekend in the middle of October when the chrysanthemums bloom. Beyond offering a fleet of vendors and carnival rides, MumFest features special programming such as an auto show, 5K run and concerts. Concertgoers bring lawn chairs and blankets to Union Point Park to listen to local bands play on Friday nights as part of the Footloose on the Neuse summer concert series.
A James City couple dances at the Footloose on the Neuse concert, enjoying the music.
James City locals enjoyed a stunning sunset during the Footloose on the Neuse concert summer concert event.
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Craven County Schools
New Bern is in the Craven County Schools district, which earns an overall B-plus from Niche. Out of 26 district schools, B-rated New Bern High is the largest, with over 1,500 students. The New Bern Bears football team has won several state championships since 2007. The Epiphany School of Global Studies is a private, kindergarten through 12th grade institution. The A-minus-rated school has a student-teacher ratio of 7:1 and offers a curriculum with faith-based elements. Craven County Community College sits on the edge of town.
The Epiphany School of Global Studies has an average GPA of 3.66.
New Bern High School is home to the New Bern Bears football team, which has won several state championships since 2007.
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Buses and bike lanes serve New Bern residents, plus a regional airport
Roberts notes residents drive, cycle and walk to get around, with bike lanes along the eastern portion of Broad Street. In 2022, the city established a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee which meets quarterly to discuss walking and cycling improvement projects. Craven Area Rural Transit System (CARTS) buses follow fixed routes and are available by reservation.
U.S. Route 70 runs south from the New Bern Historic Center to the city’s suburbs and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. Coastal Carolina Regional Airport is across the Trent River from downtown. Presently, the facility offers commercial flights to Charlotte; Hartford, Connecticut; and Orlando, Florida. In summer 2024, the airport unveiled a new terminal.
The LeapFrog Group, a nonprofit advocating for quality healthcare, awarded the CarolinaEast Medical Center on the west side of New Bern an “A” in 2023. The hospital is one of the city’s largest employers, along with the BSH Home Appliances and Hatteras Yachts.
Crime and hurricane preparedness
In 2018, Hurricane Florence struck New Bern as a Category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, dumping a historic 16 inches of rainfall on the town. Through the “Know Your Zone” website managed by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, locals can familiarize themselves with evacuation areas and instructions on hurricane preparedness, though Roberts notes that most storms only result in a day of yard cleanup. New Bern experiences four seasons with hot, humid summers and mild winters.
The New Bern Police Department reported a 38.9% decrease in rates of violent crime from 2023 to 2022. During the same period, the property crime rate increased by 3.3%. The department has launched several outreach programs such as the New Bern Noble Knights Chess Club, where youth aged six and up play chess matches with officers.
Written By
Alexander Breuhan
Photography Contributed By
Debbie Giesbrecht
Video By
Matthew Link
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