Awendaw is a small fishing town in
Charleston County,
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, United States. The population was 1,294 at the 2010 census.
Awendaw is part of the
Charleston, South Carolina metropolitan area
The Charleston metropolitan area is an urban area centered around Charleston, South Carolina. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget designates the area as the Charleston–North Charleston, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan stati ...
.
History
Awendaw was named by the
Sewee
The Sewee or "Islanders" were a Native American tribe that lived in present-day South Carolina in North America.
In 1670, the English founded the coastal town of Charleston in the Carolina Colony on land belonging to the Sewee. The town flouri ...
tribe. Awendaw is thought to mean "Red Clay". It is also home to an oyster
shell mound
A midden (also kitchen midden or shell heap) is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecof ...
created by the Sewee tribe. It is the northernmost shell ring in a group that stretches south to the tip of Florida. Most of the mound is still intact. The rest of it was destroyed to construct roads and homes for the citizens of Awendaw. Awendaw was settled in 1696 as Wappetaw by settlers from Salem, Massachusetts, who had left after the
Salem Witch Trials
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom w ...
. The town was heavily damaged by
Hurricane Hugo in September 1989, but did not receive as significant damage in 2004 when
Hurricane Gaston made landfall in the region. In 1992, the town of Awendaw was first incorporated and elected Willam H. Alston as the first mayor. Alston served as mayor until 2009.
The
Sewee Mound was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1970.
Geography
Awendaw is located in northeastern Charleston County, along
U.S. Route 17
U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Highway that spans in the southeastern United States. It runs close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its length, wit ...
at (32.986445, -79.643451).
US 17 leads southwest to
Charleston and northeast to
Georgetown.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, Awendaw has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.13%, is water.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 1,399 people, 514 households, and 328 families residing in the town.
2000 census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2000, there were 1,195 people, 400 households, and 312 families residing in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
was 144.3 people per square mile (55.7/km
2). There were 443 housing units at an average density of 53.5 per square mile (20.7/km
2). The racial makeup of the town was 64.60%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 34.39%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 0.08%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.59% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.33% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 0.92% of the population.
There were 400 households, out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 19.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.47.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.5% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,250, and the median income for a family was $42,917. Males had a median income of $31,696 versus $21,422 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town was $15,781. About 13.5% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 12.6% of those under age 18 and 18.1% of those age 65 or over.
Government
The town is run by an elected
council government
A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...
system.
Mayor
* Miriam C. Green
Council members
* Robert A. Causey
* Wilson Dingle
* Bryan McNeal, Jr.
* Gene T. Penninger
* Sheila Powell
* Rodney Porcher
Administrator
* Bill Wallace
Town Clerk
* Gregory Saxton
Landmarks
The
WCSC-Tower
WCSC-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Charleston, South Carolina, United States, affiliated with CBS and owned by Gray Television. The station's studios are located in the West Ashley section of Charleston, and its transmitter is locat ...
is one of the world's tallest constructions. The
Media General Tower is more than high.
In 2001, the town's public library was opened as the Awendaw Community Library. Currently named the William H. Alston Municipal Public Library, it is one of two municipal public libraries in the state.
In 2011,
Tractor Supply Company
Tractor Supply Company (also known as TSCO or TSC), founded in 1938, is an American retail chain of stores that sells products for home improvement, agriculture, lawn and garden maintenance, livestock, equine and pet care for recreational farmers ...
opened a new store. It was the first national chain to open in Awendaw.
Education
Charleston County School District
Charleston County School District is a school district within Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. It educates roughly 50,000 kindergarten to 12th grade students in 80 schools. Charleston County School District’s (CCSD) Board of T ...
operates public schools in Awendaw.
In 2016 school district staff stated that they were considering having a new
Lincoln High School built in Awendaw. The previous Lincoln High School in
McClellanville closed in 2015.
As of January 2017, the school district is moving forward with plans for a new high school in Awendaw. Location to be a 184-acre tract on Doar Rd.
Blue Crab Festival
To many Awendaw citizens, crabbing is a hobby and one of the town's main economic resources. Every year in the summer, the town has the
Blue Crab Blue crab may refer to:
* Blue Crab 11, an American sailboat design
* ''Callinectes sapidus'' – Chesapeake or Atlantic blue crab of the West Atlantic, introduced elsewhere
* '' Cardisoma guanhumi'' – blue land crab of the West Atlantic
* '' Dis ...
Festival. Started by the town’s first mayor William H Alston and his wife Minnie E Alston.
Notable people
![Stores Awendaw, SC](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Stores_Awendaw%2C_SC.png)
*
Danielle Howle
Danielle Howle (born in Columbia, South Carolina) is an American singer-songwriter and music producer.
Biography
After releasing an early song on a Columbia, South Carolina music sampler in the late 1980s, Howle joined the Columbia-based band ...
, singer-songwriter
References
External links
Town of Awendaw official website*
{{authority control
Towns in Charleston County, South Carolina
Towns in South Carolina
Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville metropolitan area
Populated places established in 1696
Populated coastal places in South Carolina
1696 establishments in South Carolina