Fripp Island (South Carolina)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fripp Island is a 6.546 sq mi (16.954 km²) island just off the coast of the U.S. state of South Carolina, located along the Atlantic Ocean about halfway between Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. The most seaward of the South Carolina Sea Islands, Fripp Island is renowned for its scenic beauty and island resort amenities.

The island is named after Captain Johannes Fripp, a British sailor charged with protecting the Carolina crown colony from Spanish pirates. Once a private hunting range, a bridge built in 1961 connected Fripp with Hunting Island State Park, U.S. Highway 21, and nearby Beaufort and began to stimulate residential development. Within 10 years, the island had built a golf course, tennis courts, a marina, and a variety of homes and condominium units that would serve as the benchmark for development for the next thirty years. In 1994, the island underwent its final major development phase on its southern end, with development more or less completed by 2000. An additional golf course designed by Davis Love III was built, as well as a new community center and an expansion of the marina.

Fripp has a year-round population of 887 residents (2000 census), but in summer months the island's population can rise to about 2,000 to 3,000 visitors. It is not a municipality, though operates a security force, fire brigade, and has a property owners association (FIPOA). The Fripp Island Resort is the leading rental provider on the island, though it is possible to rent independently or through an off-island company. Often seen as an alternative, affordable, and less "touristy" destination compared with its large neighbor Hilton Head Island, Fripp has garnered national attention as a leading beach destination in South Carolina. It still remains relatively uncrowded in comparison to Hilton Head and commercial activity is heavily restricted.

Fripp has also been featured in several Hollywood films, including Forrest Gump, The Prince of Tides, and Disney's live-action The Jungle Book.

The island is a major loggerhead turtle hatchery and an active group of residents works to make the beaches safe for the laying turtles by observing ouside lighting precautions during nesting seasons and protecting nests from predation by humans, raccoons and other animals.

Author Pat Conroy is a full-time resident of the island.