A map (dated 1771) of South Carolina from the Savannah Sound to St. Helena.

Come January 17, 2011, Beaufort will be 300 years old. If you have a phobia to math, know that the mark means Beaufort was charted in 1711 and is one of the nation’s oldest cities.

But the city isn’t planning to mark the occasion with a passing hurrah, for years the community has been working on the Beaufort Three-Century Project as a way to gain perspective on where the town has been and how it can make the most of its future.

The Beaufort Gazette has a short report on the status of the project; you can read it over here.

For those unfamiliar with Beaufort, know that one of the oldest parts of the town is modern-day downtown Beaufort.

If you’re not local and would like to get to know the town more, consider dropping by City Java & News as a headquarters for a day trip (it’s smack dab in the heart of the history — but you can still wire out to the modern world thanks to the free wifi), or stay in town for a couple days, book a night at our boutique hotel City Loft Hotel.

Google has been hard at work finding those select businesses in the U.S. that are “Favorite Places on Google” based on users’ interaction with local business listings. And last week we received a lovely note from Google that the City Loft Hotel is a Favorite Place.

Why? Well our boutique hotel in downtown Beaufort, SC, has been clicked on more than a thousand times and has 17 five-star reviews.

Reviews of the Beaufort hotel, you ask?

Here are just a few:

//Saw this hotel on-line and then had the local visitor center recommend it for our price range. I was absolutely stunned at the elegant design in all areas – exterior, rooms, public spaces. and landscaping.//

//I can’t remember the last time I could say that everything about a hotel was perfect. From the tasteful & interesting decor, to the bedding (which felt like we were sleeping on a cloud), to the rain shower head, our stay was exceptional. We loved that the hotel is just a short walk to the waterfront, restaurants, and shopping. There is even a great gym on the property. This was the best place to recharge – I would recommend this unexpected star without any hesitation.‎//

//We had a great trip. City Loft is a great place in a great location. The staff was helpful at every turn. We were able to walk everywhere and the town is great. “WREN” (the restaurant across the street) was wonderful. //

In tribute to the news, here’s the hotel in a Google Map.

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