"Dr. Beach," also known as Stephen Leatherman (the name his mama gave him), recently released his Top 10 U.S. beaches list. At the top? Ocracoke Island's Lifeguard Beach tops the list this year, with Buxton's Lighthouse Beach ranking No. 6.
Leatherman -- an NC State grad -- uses 50 criteria in evaluating 650 public beaches. He examines sand softness, water temperature and clarity, beach width, and even wildlife.
Leatherman has been compiling his annual list of top 10 beaches every
year since 1991.
Leatherman's list has its origins in a class he taught at the University of Maryland. A student was writing an article for a travel magazine and asked him to come up with a list of the 10 best beaches based on his expertise as a coastal scientist. He began producing his official annual list in 1991 using his 50 criteria and his vast knowledge of U.S. ocean beaches. "I had visited every (ocean) beach in the U.S. for a Department of Interior study ... so that gave me the background data set to work from," he said.
As this article states, a few "beaches in the Carolinas, including this year’s top pick, check off a lot of boxes."
Congrats to Ocracoke and Buxton!
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