Pawleys Island, South Carolina

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Area
Pawleys Island, South Carolina
Location of Pawleys Island in South Carolina
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
County	Georgetown
- City	2.6 km²
- Land	1.8 km²
- Water	0.8 km²
Population
- City (2000)	138
- Density	76.1/km²
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
Website: www.townofpawleysisland.com

An "arrogantly shabby" surviving home from pre-Hurricane Hugo (1989) days.

Pawleys Island is both an Atlantic coast barrier island and an incorporated town in Georgetown County, South Carolina. The population was 138 at the 2000 census.The post office address also includes an unincorporated area on the mainland adjacent to the island, which includes a commercial district along the Ocean Highway (US Route 17) and a residential area between the highway and the Waccamaw River. The island is on the southern end of The Grand Strand and is one of the oldest resort areas of the US East Coast. The community of Pawleys Island is part of Waccamaw Neck, a long, narrow peninsula between the ocean and the river.

1 History
2 Today
3 Geography
4 Demographics
5 External links

[edit] History

The earliest known inhabitants of the area were Waccamaw and Winyah Indians. They called the area "Chicora," meaning "the land," and the term is frequently used by local businesses.

With European colonization, George Pawley was an early settler, giving his name to the community. The breezy island quickly became a refuge from the mosquitoes that were notable during the summer. With African slaves that were brought to the area came malaria, so those of means would move to summer cottages on the island to avoid the mosquito-vectored malaria and other sicknesses.

In 1791, two years after he was elected president, George Washington toured the Grand Strand. He passed right down The King's Highway in the unincorporated portion of Pawleys Island to visit the Alstons, who were wealthy plantation owners just to the south. Rice plantations occupied the Waccamaw River side of the neck.

The Grand Strand began to develop into a major tourist area during the early 20th century, but Pawleys was among the last areas to be heavily developed. Cypress sided cottages on the island gave the community one of its monikers: arrogantly shabby. With the coming of Hurricane Hugo in 1989, some of these cottages were swept away and have since been replaced by more upscale homes, but the island's codes prohibit large high rise condos.

The town government was incorporated in 1986 (some sources say 1984 or 1985). The inland areas are developing very rapidly; in general the locals dislike the new development very much. In fact, they recently ran a successful campaign to refuse Lowe's the right to build in Pawleys.

[edit] Today

Pawleys Island, South Carolina Town Hall

A local legend on the island has grown about The Gray Man, a friendly ghost who warns of impending hurricanes. Serious hurricanes have struck in 1724, twice in 1752, 1822, 1911, 1954, and 1989. Former South Carolina Governor Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. was buried in the cemetery at All Saints Church on Pawleys Island following his death in December 2005.

The island is connected to the mainland by two bridges, the Northern Causeway and the Southern Causeway. At the southern tip of the island is a public beach access area.

There is no industry or trade on the island. There is a town hall/sheriff's office, a chapel and there are two inns.

The Coastal Observer, a weekly newspaper covers Pawleys Island, Litchfield and Murrells Inlet.

Although less secluded and more up-scale than it was only a decade ago, Pawleys Island still retains a quaintness and a relaxed pace which makes it a rare island along the U.S. east coast. The water temperature is comfortable from May to October, and there is abundant fishing, crabbing, shrimping, and birdwatching most months of the year.

[edit] Geography

Some of the island homes are notable for their flower gardens

Pawleys Island is located at 33°25′45″N, 79°7′30″W (33.429169, -79.124880)^GR1. The island proper is only about seven miles long and about a quarter of a mile wide. To the east-southeast lies the Atlantic Ocean. The island is a sandy barrier, with some dunes on the northern end up to about 15 feet (5 meters) high. The southern end is very low. Behind the island is a tidal creek/marsh. Farther inland is a sandy neck of land extending to the Waccamaw River and originally forested mostly by longleaf pine which supported an important naval stores industry in the late 19th century and timbering later.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.6 km² (1.0 mi²). 1.8 km² (0.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (29.29%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 138 people, 81 households, and 43 families residing in the town. The population density was 76.1/km² (196.9/mi²). There were 521 housing units at an average density of 287.4/km² (743.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.03% White, 7.25% African American, and 0.72% from two or more races.

There were 81 households out of which 9.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 1.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.9% were non-families. 45.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.70 and the average family size was 2.30.

In the town the population was spread out with 8.0% under the age of 18, 15.9% from 25 to 44, 50.7% from 45 to 64, and 25.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 55 years. For every 100 females there were 76.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $51,964, and the median income for a family was $97,125. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $27,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $48,183. There were none of the families and 1.5% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.