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In North Carolina, Down East historically refers to the group of communities east of Beaufort in Carteret County in the coastal plain region of the state. The residents of Down East Carteret County have referred to their group of communities by this name for many decades, but recently, the media has broadened this term to encompass the central Coastal Plains region of the state.
These communities are Bettie, Otway, Straits, Harkers Island, Gloucester, Marshallberg, Tusk, Smyrna, Williston, Davis, Stacy, Masontown, Sea Level, Atlantic and Cedar Island. Many residents of these communities feature a High Tider ("Hoi Toider") accent, a dialect remnant of Elizabethan English that was once spoken in colonial Carolina. This dialect is indigenous to the lowland areas of North Carolina, in combination with the general southern accent of the Southeastern region.
The area is a major fishing area, including shrimping and blue crabs.