Folly Beach is a public city on Folly Island 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 2,617 at the 2010 census, up from 2,116 in 2000. Folly Beach is within the

Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville 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 ...

and the Charleston-North Charleston Urbanized Areas.

History

The Folly North Site (38CH1213) and Secessionville Historic District are 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 ...

Geography

Folly Beach is south of downtown Charleston at (32.666152, -79.939213), along the Atlantic Ocean. Center Street on Folly Beach

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 ...

, the city has an area of , of which is land and , or 33.72%, is water. Known to Charleston locals as "the Edge of America", Folly Beach is home to numerous surf spots, the most popular being the Washout, 10th Street and the Folly Beach Pier. Despite its usually calm conditions, Folly Beach has gained prominence as one of the more popular surf spots along the East Coast. Folly Beach is an eclectic beach community with surf shops, restaurants, gift shops, offices, and bars along Center Street; the main road and gateway to the community. Endangered

North Atlantic right whale The North Atlantic right whale (''Eubalaena glacialis'') is a baleen whale, one of three right whale species belonging to the genus ''Eubalaena'', all of which were formerly classified as a single species. Because of their docile nature, their sl ...

s, the state animal of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and

, migrate along the coast during the

migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

seasons.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,078 people, 1,401 households, and 716 families residing in the city.

2019

As of the census of 2019, there were 2,660 people, 1,060 households, and 489 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,747 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.6%

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 ...

, 0.8%

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 ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.4% 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 1.4% of the population. Folly Beach Pier

There were 1,060 households, out of which 13.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.8% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.51. In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 10.9% under the age of 18, 13.6% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $46,935, and the median income for a family was $66,058. Males had a median income of $76,014 versus $33,450 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 city was $30,493. About 4.6% of families and 12.5% 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 8.7% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The city is run by an elected strong mayor-council government system.

Mayor

Tim Goodwin

Council members

DJ Rich, Katherine Houghton, E.D., William Farley, Billy Grooms, Eddie Ellis, and Chris Bizzell

Voting patterns

In 2006, the city's residents voted against Amendment 1, which sought to ban

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

in South Carolina. Statewide, the measure passed by 78% to 22%, but the voters of Folly Beach rejected it by a vote of 503 (48.8%) to 528 (51.2%).

County parks

The Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission (CCPRC) operates numerous facilities in Charleston County. In Folly Beach, the county operates Folly Beach County Park, Folly Beach Fishing Pier and the Folly River Boat Landing.

Education

There is one school district in the county, Charleston County School District. It is zoned to James Island Elementary School, Camp Road Middle School, and James Island Charter High School.
Generated from here

Landmarks

The Folly Boat, located on Folly Road, is an unofficial symbol of Folly Beach.

References

External links

City of Folly Beach official website

Folly Beach

Photos of Folly Beach

Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission
{{Authority control Cities in South Carolina Cities in Charleston County, South Carolina Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville metropolitan area Populated coastal places in South Carolina 1938 establishments in South Carolina