Hilton Head Island is located on the Atlantic Coast at the southeastern end of Beaufort County, South Carolina. As part of an area referred to as the Lowcountry (the low-lying area or the coastal plains of Georgia and South Carolina), Hilton Head Island is 45 miles north of Savannah, GA and about 100 miles south of Charleston, SC.  Hilton Head Island is also part of the Sea Islands area, which consists of 64 larger islands and more than 2000 smaller ones, along with a portion of the mainland. At 12 miles long and five miles wide, Hilton Head is the second largest (after Long Island, NY) of the Atlantic Barrier Islands. It gained prominence during the 1950’s when the first bridge was constructed to connect the island with the mainland. Along with Bluffton and Beaufort, it is part of the Treasured Coast of South Carolina.

Development of the island has kept nature in the forefront, with great attention paid to minimizing its impact on the ecology. The pristine natural environment boasts a web of lagoons, marshes, and miles of public beach, all enhanced by sea pines and oaks decorated naturally with moss. There is a wide diversity of animals, fish, reptiles, and fowl, including deer, ducks, egrets, herons, and sea turtles. The best way to enjoy nature on the island is by walking or bicycling – the pleasant climate makes these activities attractive year round. Importantly, there is minimal intrusion of signs and advertisements, yet nestled within this receptive environment are more than 300 tennis courts and around two dozen golf courses.

The population is small by most standards, with over 30,000 citizens calling the island home. However, its rich geographic, social, and intellectual environment attracts two million visitors annually to enjoy its championship golf and tennis facilities, outstanding culinary and shopping venues, and to consider making a home in one of its spectacular gated plantation communities. The weather is an asset as well, with average temperatures ranging from the low 50’s in December and January to the upper 80’s in July and August. The water temperature is generally a few degrees cooler than the air temperature.

What can one do on Hilton Head Island? Practically anything you can imagine, from just relaxing on the beach to a more active lifestyle involving tennis and golf at its many championship facilities. In between you can enjoy walking or biking, windsurfing, touring the island, horseback riding, boating, fishing, and, of course, shopping, among many other things. Boredom is not a threat to inhabitants or to visitors.

Aside from all of the possible outdoor activities, there is ample opportunity to enjoy the indoors as well. There is a large variety of cultural activities to attend or visit, ranging from theater productions, museums, and musical performances to seasonal events. A mainstay of the cultural venues is the Self Family Arts Center, offering a wide spectrum of visual and performing arts and conveniently located in the middle of the island.

Are you hungry? You can choose from among more than 200 restaurants and, yes, fast-food chains. Not surprisingly, the area has attracted some of the world’s top chefs, so be prepared for a culinary delight. And be sure to try out some of the Lowcountry-style seafood prepared according to recipes handed down from generation to generation.

Given the quality of life on the island, it’s understandable why tourism is such a major part of the scene. While over 30,000 people call Hilton Head home, more than 2 million visitors arrive annually to enjoy its hospitality. The major east coast north-south Interstate highway, I-95, is less than an hour away. The island has its own airport for general aviation, charter and US Airways Express service while the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, approximately 45 minutes away, offers over 50 daily departures to 16 major destinations.

Hilton Head Island has a very long and colorful history, dating back several millennia to when Paleo-Indians roamed the area during the Pleistocene period. Subsequently, in the early to mid 16th century, Hilton Head Island was home to explorers from Spain, France, and England, with the latter gaining control until after the Revolutionary War. Still offering evidence of the early Indian presence is the Indian Shell Ring in the Sea Pines Forest Preserve.

The island derives its name from Sir William Hilton, who arrived from Barbados in 1663 aboard the Adventure on a quest to enter Port Royal Sound. His mission was to explore the land granted by King Charles II to eight Lords Proprietors, who had named their possession Carolina.

The Revolutionary War exacted a heavy toll on the island as it was raided frequently by Tories who occupied Daufuskie Island, just a mile south. The British burned plantations and captured slaves who were then sold in the West Indies. After the war, the economy slowly recovered as indigo and cotton became much in demand.

The presidential election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 added fuel to a raging fire concerning states rights versus the federal government in the Deep South. South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union, doing so in December, immediately following the election. Within a short time, seven states had seceded and in February 1861 the Confederate States of America was born in Montgomery, Alabama. The opening of the Civil War occurred at Fort Sumter just to the north of Hilton Head Island, in Charleston Harbor. Due to a tragic misunderstanding over movement of troops by the Union garrison commander Major Robert Anderson, on April 12, 1861 Brig. General P. G. T. Beauregard ordered the Confederate batteries to fire on the fort, leading to Anderson’s surrender of the fort.

Subsequent battles did not go as well for the South, however, and by November 7, 1861, Hilton Head Island was lost to Union troops. The North used the island as headquarters of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, which proved successful preventing the Confederacy from exporting cotton and importing supplies from Europe. The Union would control Hilton Head and the surrounding seas through defeat of the Confederacy and the reunification of the Nation in May 1865.

With the conclusion of the Civil War, some plantation owners were able to pay back taxes on their lands and reclaim their antebellum homes. The military gradually withdrew entirely and life returned to normal for Hilton Head Island.

Over the next fifty years or so, the island again became attractive to some Northerners fishing and hunting. Extensive logging was carried out as well, and in the middle of the twentieth century, Hilton Head Island began to evolve into its present state. Electricity was brought to the island in 1951 and the telephone arrived a few years later. The first bridge connecting the mainland to the island, the James F. Byrnes Bridge, was constructed in 1956. That same year saw the arrival of Charles E. Fraser who came for timber but soon envisioned a different future for the area, one that offered development of resort and retirement communities that was sensitive to the environment and nature. This resulted in Sea Pines Plantation where lots could be purchased beginning in 1958. It became the home of the island’s first golf course, Ocean Course, in 1959 and is now world-famous as the Sea Pines Resort. Other communities arose in its image and the island currently ranks among the top ten golfing resorts. Homes fill the spectrum from cottages to beachfront mansions, and the Intracoastal Waterway provides access by boat from the north and south.