The Crystal Coast is all of Carteret County, North Carolina. It is North Carolina’s central coast and the southern region of the barrier island system called the Outer Banks. The Crystal Coast includes Atlantic Beach, Beaufort, Emerald Isle, Morehead City, Down East villages and the Cape Lookout National Seashore.

The Crystal Coast’s 1064 square miles is nearly half land and half water. It is composed of 531 square miles of land and 533 square miles of water. Crystal Coast beaches face south from the southern point of Core Banks at Cape Lookout to the west end of Bogue Banks. Therefore, the sun rises, sets and tracks along the ocean beaches for the length of each day. The day-long sparkle on the ocean water gives the Crystal Coast its moniker.