BELHAVEN — It’s been a good year for Belhaven and there’s a positive vibe in the air in the waterfront community. It’s a common feeling shared by many in the town, and it’s expressed in many ways, from increased boat traffic and more visitors by car to new businesses opening and bumps in sales for existing shops and restaurants.

At the Belhaven Community Chamber of Commerce, executive director Diana Lambeth says Belhaven residents have made great efforts to welcome visitors, both seafaring and motorists, with open arms.

“On a Friday or Saturday night, you can’t find a parking place in Belhaven,” Lambeth said. “… In the last six months, we have had visitors from 19 cities in North Carolina, 23 different states and three foreign countries.”

On the waterfront, Belhaven Town Docks Harbor Master Greg Baker says the town has been on an upward trend for the past three years. For back-to-back years, 2017 and 2018, the marina received Boaters’ Choice awards from Marina.com and has seen a marked uptick in traffic.

“We definitely turned some kind of corner,” Baker said. “… Three years ago, you looked out in the harbor, and you might have seen one boat out there on anchor. This fall, you looked out there and there were 10 boats a night anchored out in the harbor. They’re coming and they’re talking and changing plans to make it to Belhaven.”

Restaurants and shops also have seen the benefits of the increased traffic. For Jimmie Southerland, who owns the Tavern at Jack’s Neck, more boaters and visitors mean more people though the doors to enjoy a meal or drink at her business. Southerland says she’s also seen more people looking at settling down roots in the town.

“It’s been a steady flow,” Southerland said. “There’s been more boaters this season than we’ve noticed before, and they seem to come in and stay a little longer. Whether that’s due to weather or because we have more to offer, I don’t know.”

Belhaven Town Manager Lynn Davis, who came into that role last August, says she has heard from multiple residents about the shifting energy in the town. While Hurricane Florence was a devastating event for the community, in many ways, Davis says recovering from the storm brought the community together.

“As unfortunate as it was, I think people started realizing that we are too small of a community to be divided,” Davis said. “You saw neighbors helping neighbors to rebuild the community, and I think that energy that followed Hurricane Florence has continued and really grown some momentum. … We recovered stronger than we went into the storm. I just think that resilience is really showing. ”