Magazine ranks Beaufort a top outdoors town

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Local hunters and anglers got a dose of good news on Monday, while perhaps the same couldn't be said for the animals and fish that serve as their prey in this part of the Lowcountry.
Beaufort was named the 108th best town for sportsmen by Outdoor Life magazine in its June/July edition, joining the publication's second annual list of 200 towns across the country.
Numerous variables were used to determine these rankings, including affordable housing, unemployment rates and the number of huntable and fishable species. Ultimately, Lewistown in Indiana topped the list while Seneca (48th) served as the only other city from South Carolina.
For an avid local fisherman like Nick Russell, Beaufort's appearance on this list is no surprise. In fact, in Russell's mind, Beaufort deserves a much higher ranking than 108th.
"As far as I'm concerned, Beaufort's number one," said Russell, who works part time at the Beaufort Boat Dock and Supply store. "We've got just as many species of fish as anybody else, and it's the beautiful water environment and many landings that make Beaufort County such an appealing place, as far as boating is concerned.
"It's southern hospitality at its greatest."
It is just the latest attention Beaufort has received for being an outdoors destination. In 2008, Field & Stream magazine listed Beaufort No. 2 on its list of best fishing towns in America with a population under 100,000 residents.
The magazine called Beaufort "a saltwater paradise," and went on to say "fishing-wise, you couldn't expect to cover all the flats and inshore options for redfish, seatrout, and even tarpon at certain times of the year, in one lifetime."
Outdoor Life's 2009 "Best Places to Live"
1. Lewiston, Idaho
2. Marquette, Michigan
3. Idaho Falls, Idaho
4. Rawlins, N.Y.
5. Pocatello, Idaho
6. Bismarck, N.D.
7. Sheriday, Wyo.
8. Pierre, S.D.
9. Rochester, Minn.
10. Carbondale, Colo.
11. Kodiak, Alaska
12. Kanab, Utah
13. Cody, Wyo.
14. Granby, Colo.
15. Page, Ariz.
16. Sioux Falls, S.D.
17. Saratoga, Wyo.
18. Colorado Springs, Colo.
19. Mountain Home, Ark.
20. Roseau, Minn.

Magazine ranks Beaufort a top outdoors town

Magazine ranks Beaufort a top outdoors town [1]