Elizabeth city is a beautiful little hamlet on the Atlantic coast that has all but been frozen in time for nearly a century. Sure there are plenty of modern things to do there, but really the city is just as humble and honest as it has always been.

Located where the narrows of the Pasquotank River open up and the river begins widening out on its course to the Albemarle Sound, Elizabeth City is the economic and commercial hub of the northeastern North Carolina mainland. The city still pays tribute to the tall ships that once graced the horizon of this small town.

Although it was founded in 1793, it did not take on economic importance until the Dismal Swamp Canal was completed in 1805. The Canal linked the sounds and rivers of northeastern North Carolina with the port of Norfolk, allowing area planters and lumber companies a safe and quick method of transporting their goods to market.

Elizabeth now has somewhere around 20,000 people and it doesn’t appear to be growing any more than it has. This is good for housing prices. You can find a great deal on a home that looks out onto the ocean for a peaceful view of the briny blue.

So take a cloer look at Elizabeth North Carolina.