Harbor Island, South Carolina

Harbor Island, South Carolina
Harbor Island, South Carolina
Census-designated place
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
County	Beaufort
Area
• Total	1.52 sq mi (3.93 km2)
• Land	1.03 sq mi (2.66 km2)
• Water	0.49 sq mi (1.27 km2)
Elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	209
• Density	203.51/sq mi (78.58/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	29920
Area code(s)	843 and 854
FIPS code	45-32172
GNIS feature ID	2812934

Harbor Island is a small residential 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 residential portion of the island was listed as a census-designated place in the 2020 census with a population of 209.^[1]

History

The island was uninhabited and used primarily as hunting grounds until the 1930s, when U.S. Highway 21 was constructed to connect Saint Helena Island with Hunting Island.

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.

In November 2018, the South Carolina Environmental Law Project filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Harbor Island Owners Association asking the Beaufort County Circuit Court to order the State to remove seven houses that through rapid erosion have ended up in the water on the beach below the mean high water mark.^[2] The state was released from the action in 2018 leaving the homeowners and the Association as parties to the suit.^[3]

Harbor River Bridge

The Harbor River Bridge is a two-lane automobile bridge spanning the Harbor River between St. Helena Island and Harbor Island. The original bridge, built in 1939, was a swing drawbridge.^[4] In 2019, the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) began construction of a new fixed high-level bridge to replace the old swing bridge. The new bridge opened to traffic on April 26, 2021.^[5]^[6]

Nature

Harbor Island is a certified Community Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.

Birds

Harbor Island is part of the Beaufort Barrier Islands Important Bird Area. ^[7]

Sea Turtles

Harbor Island has a Sea Turtle Nest Protection Program that is permitted by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and is run by volunteers.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2020	209		—
U.S. Decennial Census^[12] 2020^[13]^[10]

The residential portion of the island was listed as a census-designated place in 2020.^[9] Per the 2020 census, the population was 209.^[1]

2020 census

**Harbor Island CDP, South Carolina – Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
*Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2020^[13]	% 2020
White alone (NH)	183	87.56%
Black or African American alone (NH)	6	2.87%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	0	0.00%
Asian alone (NH)	0	0.00%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	2	0.96%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	4	1.91%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	10	4.78%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	4	1.91%
Total	209	100.00%