Harbor Island is a small residential island located 14 miles (22 km) east of

Beaufort Beaufort may refer to: People and titles * Beaufort (surname) * House of Beaufort, English nobility * Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England * Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility Places Polar regions * ...

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 = ...

. It is one of the Carolina

Sea Islands The Sea Islands are a chain of tidal and barrier islands on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the Southeastern United States. Numbering over 100, they are located between the mouths of the Santee and St. Johns Rivers along the coast of South Caroli ...

. The swing drawbridge has been replaced by a fixed high level bridge. , Harbor River Bridge, that connects the island to Saint Helena Island towards the west. A small causeway crossing Johnson Creek connects Harbor Island with Hunting Island towards the south. The majority of the island is

tidal marsh A tidal marsh (also known as a type of "tidal wetland") is a marsh found along rivers, coasts and estuaries which floods and drains by the tidal movement of the adjacent estuary, sea or ocean. Tidal marshes are commonly zoned into lower marshes ( ...

, though approximately of upland acreage exist on the northeastern portions of the island. The residential portion of the island was listed as a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

in the 2020 census with a population of 209.

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."Beached Houses Is What You Get"
"South Carolina Environmental Law Project" - Accessed February 28, 2019 The state was released from the action in 2018 leaving the homeowners and the Association as parties to the suit. In 2019, the

South Carolina Department of Transportation The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is a government agency in the US state of South Carolina. Its mission is to build and maintain roads and bridges and administer mass transit services. By state law, the SCDOT's function and ...

(SCDOT) started a project to replace the Harbor River Bridge with completion expected by 2022."Harbor River Bridge"
"South Carolina Department of Transportation" - Accessed March 28, 2021

Nature

Harbor Island is a certified Community Wildlife Habitat by the

National Wildlife Federation The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is the United States' largest private, nonprofit conservation education and advocacy organization, with over six million members and supporters, and 51 state and territorial affiliated organizations (includin ...

Birds

Harbor Island is part of the Beaufort Barrier Islands

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Inte ...

Sea Turtles

Harbor Island has a Sea Turtle Nest Protection Program that is permitted by the

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is a South Carolina state agency charged with regulating hunting, fishing, boating, duck stamp orders, and the conservation efforts of the state government. It is directed by seven-memb ...

and is run by volunteers.

Demographics

The residential portion of the island was listed as a

in 2020. Per the 2020 census, the population was 209.

2020 census

References

External links

Harbor Island Owners Association

Harbor Island's Sea Turtle Nesting Program

Beaufort Barrier Islands Important Bird Area

Community Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation
{{authority control Islands of Beaufort County, South Carolina Islands of South Carolina Hilton Head Island–Beaufort micropolitan area South Carolina Sea Islands