He named it "Hilton's Head" after himself. In his travels, he identified a headland near the entrance to Port Royal Sound. In 1663, Captain William Hilton sailed on the Adventure from Barbados to explore lands granted by King Charles II of England to the eight Lords Proprietor. Ī Spanish expedition led by Francisco Cordillo explored the area in 1521, initiating European contact with local tribes. Since the beginning of recorded history in the New World, the waters around Hilton Head Island have been known, occupied and fought for in turn by the English, Spanish, French, and Scots. The Green's Shell Enclosure, Sea Pines, and Skull Creek shell rings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and are protected by law. Two other shell rings on Hilton Head were destroyed when the shells were removed and used to make tabby for roads and buildings. Archeologists believe that the ring was a refuse heap, created by Indians who lived in the interior of the ring, which was kept clear and used as a common area. The ring, one of at least 50 known to exist, is 150 feet (46 m) in diameter and is believed to be over 4,000 years old. The Sea Pines shell ring can be seen near the east entrance to the Sea Pines Forest Preserve. History New World discovery įort Walker, Battle of Port Royal, November 7, 1861 It also hosts the RBC Heritage, a PGA Tour tournament played on the Harbour Town Golf Links in Sea Pines Resort. Hilton Head Island offers an unusual number of cultural opportunities for a community its size, including plays at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, the 120-member full chorus of the Hilton Head Choral Society, the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, an annual outdoor, tented wine tasting event on the east coast, and several other annual community festivals. However, the town maintains several public beach access points, including one for the exclusive use of town residents, who have approved several multimillion-dollar land-buying bond referendums to control commercial growth. Approximately 70% of the island, including most of the tourist areas, is located inside gated communities. As a result, Hilton Head Island enjoys an unusual amount of tree cover relative to the amount of development. The town's Natural Resources Division enforces the Land Management Ordinance which minimizes the impact of development and governs the style of buildings and how they are situated amongst existing trees. The Town of Hilton Head Island incorporated as a municipality in 1983 and is well known for its eco-friendly development. They have managed to hold on to much of their ethnic and cultural identity. Once the island fell to Union troops, hundreds of ex-slaves flocked to Hilton Head, which is still home to many of their descendants, who are known as the Gullah (or Geechee). It became an important base of operations for the Union blockade of the Southern ports during the Civil War. The island has a rich history that started with seasonal occupation by Native Americans thousands of years ago and continued with European exploration and the Sea Island Cotton trade. Hilton Head Island is the largest city within the Hilton Head Island–Bluffton metropolitan area, which had an estimated population of 215,908 in 2020. The year-round population was 37,661 at the 2020 census, although during the peak of summer vacation season the population can swell to 150,000. In 2004, an estimated 2.25 million visitors infused more than $1.5 billion into the local economy. The island is named after Captain William Hilton, who in 1663 identified a headland near the entrance to Port Royal Sound, which mapmakers named "Hilton's Headland." The island features 12 miles (19 km) of beachfront on the Atlantic Ocean and is a popular vacation destination. It is 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Savannah, Georgia, and 95 miles (153 km) southwest of Charleston. Hilton Head Island, sometimes referred to as simply Hilton Head, is a Lowcountry resort town and barrier island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States.
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