Isle of Palms, South Carolina
| Isle of Palms, South Carolina | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
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|
 South Carolina |
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| Coordinates: 32°47′47″N 79°45′54″W / 32.79639°N 79.765°WCoordinates: 32°47′47″N 79°45′54″W / 32.79639°N 79.765°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Carolina |
| County | Charleston |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Richard Cronin |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.6 sq mi (14.4 km2) |
| • Land | 4.5 sq mi (11.6 km2) |
| • Water | 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2) |
| Elevation | 3 ft (1 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 4,133 |
| • Density | 744/sq mi (287.1/km2) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 29451 |
| Area code | 843 |
| FIPS code | 45-36115[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1227790[2] |
| Website | www.iop.net |
Isle of Palms is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population on the island was 4,133. Isle of Palms is a barrier island on the South Carolina coast. As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and used by the U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes only, Isle of Palms is included within the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville metropolitan area and the Charleston-North Charleston Urbanized Area. The town lies along a narrow strip of land, hugging the beach, separated from the mainland by the Intercoastal Waterway. It is an affluent community of both vacation home owners and year-round residents, with large beachfront homes, resorts, and local restaurants. Beach volleyball is popular in the summer, and the famed "Windjammer" restaurant features 5 courts, hosting several tournaments throughout the year.
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.6 square miles (15 km2). 4.5 square miles (12 km2) of it is land (80.56%) and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) of it (19.44%) is water.
It is the location of the Wild Dunes Resort.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2010, there were 4,133 people residing in the city. The population density was 743.6 people per square mile (287.1/km²). There were 4,274 housing units at an average density of 868.7 per square mile (296.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.65% White, 1.06% Hispanic or Latino, 0.56% African American, 0.75% Asian, 0.15% Native American, 0.17% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races.
There were 1,828 households, of which 20.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.66.
The city population was spread out with 17.0% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 49, 31.8% from 50 to 64, and 22.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $76,170, and the median income for a family was $88,874. Males had a median income of $60,640 versus $37,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $44,221. About 1.7% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 1.0% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
The city is run by an elected Mayor-council government system.
[edit] Mayor
Richard F. Cronin (began term Jan 27, 2009)
[edit] Council Members
Barbara Bergwerf, J. Martin Bettelli, Ryan L. Buckhannon (Mayor Pro Tem), Jimmy Carroll, Dick Cronin (Mayor), Michael Loftus, Doug Thomas, Sandy Stone, Jimmy Ward.
[edit] History
The island's original inhabitants were the Seewee Native American tribe. Reportedly, they greeted the first English to arrive on the island by swimming out to their ships and escorting them back to the island.
During the American Civil War, the H.L. Hunley departed from Breach Inlet, between Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island.
In the late 19th century, local residents began using the island as a vacation spot. At that time it was only accessible by ferry. It was bought by J.S. Lawrence in 1899, who gave the island its current name; before then it was known as Hunting Island or Long Island. A 50-room hotel was built in 1906. In 1912, James Sottile had a beach pavilion and an amusement park built, and a trolley line was constructed from the mainland for access to Isle of Palms via Sullivan's Island. In 1929, Grace Memorial Bridge was built between Charleston and Mount Pleasant to allow automobile traffic to reach the island.
Large-scale residential development began when J.C. Long bought up most of the island and built low-cost housing for World War II veterans. In 1975, the Sea Pines Company (of Hilton Head Island fame) established the 900-acre (360 ha) development now known as The Wild Dunes Beach and Racquet Club. Isle of Palms was the first stop on Alton Brown's coast-to-coast tour in his program Feasting on Asphalt.
E. Lee Spence, a pioneer underwater archaeologist and prolific author of books and articles about shipwrecks and sunken treasure discovered, with the help of Isle of Palms residents Wally Shaffer and George Campsen Esq., many shipwrecks along the shores of the Isle of Palms in the 1960s. Their discoveries included the Civil War blockade runners Rattlesnake, Stonewall Jackson, Mary Bowers, Constance, Norseman and the Georgiana. The iron hulled steamer Georgiana, which was sunk on her maiden voyage, was described in contemporary documents as pierced for 14 guns and more powerful than the famous Confederate cruiser Alabama. These historic discoveries resulted in the passage of South Carolina's Underwater Antiquities Act allowing the archaeological salvage of shipwrecks.
During Hurricane Hugo, which struck September 21, 1989, much of the island was flooded by the storm surge.
The northeastern end of the Isle of Palms, which is home to the private community of Wild Dunes, endured a severe erosion crisis as a shoal attached to that section of the island and caused sand to be washed away from around the foundation of a large condominium. The City undertook a controversial beach restoration project in the spring and summer of 2008 [1] which replenished the beach with dredged sand and saved the threatened structures.
[edit] County parks
The Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission (CCPRC) [2] operates numerous facilities within Charleston County.
Beach parks:
- Kiawah Beachwalker County Park, Kiawah Island, South Carolina
- Isle of Palms County Park, Isle of Palms, South Carolina
- Folly Beach County Park, Folly Beach, South Carolina
Fishing piers:
- Folly Beach Fishing Pier, Folly Beach, South Carolina
- Mt. Pleasant Pier, Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina
Marinas and boat landings:
- Cooper River Marina
- Multiple county-wide boat landings
Day parks:
- Palmetto Islands County Park, Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina
- Caw Caw Nature and History Interpretive Center, Ravenel, South Carolina
- North Charleston Wannamaker County Park, North Charleston, South Carolina
- Mullet Hall Equestrian Center, Johns Island, South Carolina
- James Island County Park, Charleston, South Carolina
Water parks:
- Splash Island at Palmetto Islands County Park
- Splash Zone at James Island County Park
- Whirlin' Waters at North Charleston Wannamaker County Park
Off-leash dog parks are offered at James Island, Palmetto Islands, and North Charleston Wannamaker County Park.
James Island County Park, features a 50-foot climbing wall and bouldering cave; cabin, RV, and tent camping facilities; rental facilities, fishing dock, challenge course, kayaking programs, summer camps, paved trails, and many special events such as the Lowcountry Cajun Festival (usually the first weekend in April), East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival (3rd weekend in April), Holiday Festival of Lights (mid-November through the first of the year), and the summer outdoor reggae concerts.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Official web site of Isle of Palms
- Island Eye News, bi-weekly newspaper of Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island
- Isle of Palms at the Open Directory Project
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