Awendaw ( ) is a small fishing town in Charleston County,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, 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 statis ...

History

Awendaw was named by the Sewee tribe. Awendaw is thought to mean "Red Clay". It is also home to an oyster

shell mound A midden is an old dump for domestic waste. It may consist of animal bones, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occup ...

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 Province of Massachusetts Bay, colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Not everyone wh ...

. 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 Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1970.

Geography

Awendaw is located in northeastern Charleston County, along U.S. Route 17 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, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, 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, there were 1,399 people, 514 households, and 328 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 1,195 people, 400 households, and 312 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 443 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 64.60%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 34.39%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.08% Asian, 0.59% from other races, and 0.33% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino 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 average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

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 ...

, 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 system. Mayor * Miriam C. Green Council members * Erman Frank Frazier * Wendy Helms * Bryan McNeal, Jr. * Darrell Ketchens * Kent Prause * Paul Brown Administrator * Gregory Saxton Town Clerk * Donna Steed

Landmarks

The WCSC-Tower 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.

Education

Charleston County School District 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 Festival. Started by the town’s first mayor William H Alston and his wife Minnie E Alston.

Notable people

* Danielle Howle, singer-songwriter * Charlton Singleton, 2-time Grammy award winner

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