Harbor Island, South Carolina
Encyclopedia
Harbor Island is a small resort island located 14 miles (22 km) east of Beaufort
, South Carolina
. It is one of the Carolina Sea Islands
. The majority of the island is tidal marsh
, though approximately 800 acres (3.2 km²) of upland acreage exist on the northeastern portions of the island.
The island was uninhabited and used primarily as hunting grounds until the 1930s, when U.S. Highway 21
was constructed to connect St. Helena Island with Hunting Island State Park. A swing drawbridge carry crossing the Harbor River connects the island to St. Helena Island towards the west. A small causeway crossing Johnson Creek connects Harbor Island with Hunting Island towards the south.
Development on Harbor Island remained scarce until The Fripp Company (developers of nearby Fripp Island) purchased the majority of land on the island and developed a gated residential and resort community. Small scale commercial development exists along U.S. 21.
Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. The city's population was 12,361 in the 2010 census. It is located in the Hilton Head Island-Beaufort Micropolitan...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. It is one of the Carolina Sea Islands
Sea Islands
The Sea Islands are a chain of tidal and barrier islands on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the United States. They number over 100, and are located between the mouths of the Santee and St. Johns Rivers along the coast of the U.S...
. The majority of the island is tidal marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
, though approximately 800 acres (3.2 km²) of upland acreage exist on the northeastern portions of the island.
The island was uninhabited and used primarily as hunting grounds until the 1930s, when U.S. Highway 21
U.S. Route 21
U.S. Route 21 is a north–south United States highway of , from Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina to Wytheville, Virginia.-South Carolina:...
was constructed to connect St. Helena Island with Hunting Island State Park. A swing drawbridge carry crossing the Harbor River connects the island to St. Helena Island towards the west. A small causeway crossing Johnson Creek connects Harbor Island with Hunting Island towards the south.
Development on Harbor Island remained scarce until The Fripp Company (developers of nearby Fripp Island) purchased the majority of land on the island and developed a gated residential and resort community. Small scale commercial development exists along U.S. 21.