Home of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and the U.S. Navy’s NAVAIR Depot Cherry Point, the town of Havelock is proud of the roar of aircraft often heard here.

Havelock is the largest town in Craven County with a population of 22,500 people. The town recently celebrated its 50th birthday. Like the town, the population is young: 30% are under 20 years of age and 35% are between the ages of 20 and 30. There are four elementary schools in Havelock, two middle schools and a high school. Craven Community College has an auxiliary campus in the town. There’s an active branch of the county library.

There’s always something happening in Havelock, it seems. The best way to prove this is to refer you to www.mcscherrypoint.com where you’ll find a long list of events, organizations and information. The most important event of the year is the annual air show which draws many thousands of people from all over eastern North Carolina. Another popular (though much smaller) event is the annual ChiliFest cook-off.

The beach is nearby with the miles of beautiful “Southern Outer Banks” beaches that are free and easily accessed. Croatan National Forest provides another kind of outdoor adventure in its 160,000 acres, with hiking trains and campgrounds open to all. In recent years a large visitor center/event center opened in Havelock; it houses a small museum called the Marine Corps Aviation Exhibit. Between Havelock and the beach a number of “big box” stores have opened in recent years. Camp Lejeune lies on the other side of the forest, in the town of Jacksonville.

Havelock is an affordable community for home-buyers. There are a few homes on the market priced under $100,000. Of all the homes currently listed for sale, 75% are priced between $100,000 and $200,000.

The town of Havelock and the state of North Carolina value those who are serve in our nation’s military forces. A joint federal/local project called the Military Growth Task Force is working to make sure that the local infrastructure is ready to receive incoming service members and their families. Havelock is proud of the roar of jet engines that can frequently be heard. The town’s motto is “Pardon our noise! That’s the sound of freedom!”