Morehead City, North Carolina

==Today's community==
[[File:Morehead City, NC.jpg|thumb|Morehead City, seen from [[Atlantic Beach, North Carolina|Atlantic Beach]]]]
Morehead City's economy is based predominantly on a variety of [[ecotourism]] activities, a growing retirement community, and the Port of Morehead City. The local economy is based further on the Port of Morehead City, light industry and manufacturing, land development, light commercial fishing, sport fishing, and other service-oriented businesses. The town is within easy access of [[New Bern, North Carolina|New Bern]], [[Havelock, North Carolina|Havelock]] and [[Jacksonville, North Carolina]]. [[Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point]] is {{convert|17|mi}} northwest of Morehead City in Havelock, and [[Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune]] is {{convert|30|mi}} west of Morehead City near Jacksonville.
{{Further|Shearline Boatworks}}

Morehead City is one of two existing ports in North Carolina which primarily export [[phosphate]]. The Port of Morehead City features a dry-bulk facility with a 225,000-ton capacity warehouse and extended open storage facilities. [[SpaceX]] fairing recovery vessels [[Ms. Tree (ship)|Ms. Tree]] and Ms. Chief utilize the port during launch and fairing recovery operations as a safe harbor in the event of inclement weather at sea or if there is an extended launch delay.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stephens |first1=Dean-Paul |title=SpaceX vessel makes pit stop at Morehead City |url=https://www.carolinacoastonline.com/news_times/article_e8034c4c-3339-11ea-bda6-6fcebafac389.html |access-date=17 May 2020 |agency=Carteret County News-Times |date=1 Jan 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rice |first1=Tony |title=See SpaceX hardware in the sky and a North Carolina port |url=https://www.wral.com/see-spacex-hardware-in-the-sky-and-a-north-carolina-port/18762063/ |access-date=17 May 2020 |publisher=Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. |date=12 Nov 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Cornwell |first1=Gavin |title=The recovery fleet is sheltering from Tropical Storm Arthur. |url=https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet/status/1262045213750628352 |website=Twitter |access-date=17 May 2020}}</ref>

[[Carteret General Hospital]] in Morehead City is the second largest employer in Carteret County, behind the [[Carteret County Public Schools]].

===Higher education and marine research===
[[Carteret Community College]] serves the undergraduate community with two-year [[associate degree]] programs focused primarily on trades and service sector occupations. There are several world-class postgraduate programs and research organizations in the area, including the [[UNC Chapel Hill|University of North Carolina]]'s Institute of Marine Sciences,<ref>ims.unc.edu/</ref> [[North Carolina State University]]'s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cmast.ncsu.edu|title=Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST)|website=www.cmast.ncsu.edu|access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref> and the [[Duke University]] Marine Lab in nearby Beaufort.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/|title=Marine Lab Homepage - Nicholas School|website=www.nicholas.duke.edu|access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref>

Morehead City also is home to the Research and Compliance Branch North Carolina Marine Fisheries Division, a governmental organization.<ref>portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/</ref>

===Inshore and offshore recreational fishing===
Morehead City and the surrounding area is an excellent venue for fishermen of all varieties. There are many opportunities for [[recreational fishing]] when in Morehead City because of its pristine [[estuary|estuaries]] and close proximity to the [[Continental Shelf]] and [[Gulf Stream]]. The Gulf Stream is a powerful, warm and swift Atlantic Ocean current that originates at the tip of [[Florida]] and follows the coastline of the eastern United States to [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] before crossing the Atlantic Ocean, bringing large sport fish species such as the [[Atlantic blue marlin]] and other [[billfish]] close to the North Carolina coastline.

Established in 1957, the [[Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament]] draws large crowds of sporting enthusiasts of all types to Morehead City each year to witness some of the largest Atlantic blue marlin catches in North America.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebigrock.com|title=Big Rock - Blue Marlin Tournament|website=www.thebigrock.com|access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref>

===Scuba diving===
Morehead City and surrounding areas are a popular [[scuba diving]] destination, particularly for the many shipwrecks that have led the waters off North Carolina to be nicknamed the "[[Graveyard of the Atlantic]]". Morehead City sits between a number of famous wrecks, including the [[German submarine U-352]], discovered in part by the late Morehead resident George Purifoy.<ref>{{cite web| title=U-352| url=http://www.olympusdiving.com/DiveCharters/Shipwrecks/U352/tabid/123/Default.aspx| access-date=1 August 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130405014729/http://www.olympusdiving.com/DiveCharters/Shipwrecks/U352/tabid/123/Default.aspx| archive-date=5 April 2013| url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Image:Morehead City Container yard.jpg|right|thumb|[[Container terminal]]]]