Beaufort County, South Carolina

Beaufort County, founded in 1769, is one of 46 of the  of South Carolina. As of the it had a population of 120,937 with a population density of 206 PD/sqmi. The is Beaufort.

The two parts of the province are physically connected through the. Despite the connectivity, often "North Broad" and "South Broad", the populations of the shire find themselves at odds on county-wide issues.

Beaufort County is part of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC.

Beaufort County is one of the South's fastest-growing counties, primarily because of development south of the Broad River clustered along the U.S. Highway 278 corridor. The county's northern portions have also grown steadily, due in part to the strong federal military presence around the city of Beaufort. The county's two portions are connected by the Broad River Bridge, which carries South Carolina Highway 170.

Beaufort County has been identified as the most at-risk county in the United States for combined damage from climate change in the medium term.

History
From the early days of plantations, African slaves outnumbered the European minority in the colony. The plantations on the Sea Islands had large concentrations of slaves, and frequently limited interaction with whites. The islands were sites of the development of the Gullah culture, which preserved elements from a variety of West African roots; the people also developed the Gullah language, a creole language. The county was majority black nearly to the mid-20th century.

Union troops took control of Beaufort County and occupied the area beginning in 1861. Many slaves escaped and went to Union lines. In some cases, planters had moved inland for refuge, leaving their slaves on the Sea Islands. Slaves began to organize schools and other parts of their communities early in the war in this county, especially on the islands. The Army founded Mitchellville on Hilton Head by March 1863 as a village where blacks could practice self-governance, and in 1865 it had 1500 residents. After the war, the family reclaimed this land for their use. In some cases the Union Army allocated plots for blacks for housing and cultivating crops.

When were granted citizenship and the franchise after the American Civil War by constitutional amendments, most joined the. Although not the only black majority state, South Carolina was the only southern state during Reconstruction to elect a black majority of representatives to the state legislature. Beaufort County had many prominent black leaders, such as, , , Julius I. Washington, and.

Increasing violence during election campaigns in the state from 1868 on was used by white insurgents and paramilitary groups to suppress black voting; results were also dependent on fraud. In 1876, the Democrats regained control of the state legislature and governor's office, although results were disputed. While black Republicans continued to be elected to local office in Beaufort County and other areas through the next decades, in 1895 the Democrat-dominated state legislature passed a new constitution that effectively disfranchised most blacks through making voter registration and voting more difficult. They were excluded from the political system and kept in second-class status for decades. In 1903 the county "was reported to have 3,434 literate black males to 927 whites," but due to the discriminatory practices, nearly all blacks were barred from voting.

From 1900 through 1950, Beaufort County's economy suffered from the decline in agriculture, which together with oppressive social conditions of contributed to the blacks making a  out of the South. African Americans went to northern and midwestern industrial cities for jobs and became an urbanized population. The total county population of 35,495 in 1900 dropped by more than one third to 1930, and did not reach the 1900 population level again until well after 1950, when the population was 26,933. Southern Democrats in Congress helped gain the establishment of military installations in the county and state, which added more population and stimulated area jobs in the second half of the 20th century.

In addition, vacation and resort areas were developed that attracted increasing numbers of tourists through the winter season, and then others all year-round as retirees.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 923 sqmi, of which 578 sqmi is land and 347 sqmi is water.

Adjacent counties

 * Camden County - north
 * Jasper County - west
 * Hampton County, South Carolina - northwest

National protected areas

 * (part)

2000 census
In the the county median per capita income was $46,992, and the median income for a family was $52,704. The for the county was $25,377, There were 60,509 housing units at an average density of 103 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 70.66%, 23.98% or , 0.27% , 0.79% , 0.05% , 2.84% from other races, and 1.41% from. 6.79% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 45,532 households, out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.20% were living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 21.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.30% under the age of 18, 12.00% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 22.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.00 males.

In 2000, men had a per capita income of $30,541 against $25,284 for women. About 10.70% of the population was below the national.

2010 census
As of the, there were 162,233 people, 64,945 households, and 45,322 families living in the county. The was 281.5 PD/sqmi  There were 93,023 housing units at an average density of 161.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 71.9% white, 19.3% black or African American, 1.2% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 5.2% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 12.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 15.5% were, 13.4% were , 13.1% were , 5.4% were , and 5.0% were American.

Of the 64,945 households, 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.2% were non-families, and 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 40.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $55,286 and the median income for a family was $65,071. Males had a median income of $41,059 versus $33,959 for females. The {{w|per capita income for the county was $32,731. About 7.4% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the {{w|poverty line}}, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

Places
Beaufort County is included within the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort. The 2014 estimated population for the MSA was 203,022.

Cities and towns

 * Beaufort
 * Bluffton
 * Burton
 * Hardeeville, South Carolina, Hardeeville
 * Laurel Bay
 * Shell Point
 * Yemasee

Islands

 * Dataw Island
 * Daufuskie Island
 * Fripp Island
 * Harbor Island
 * Hilton Head Island, South CarolinaHilton Head Island
 * Lady's Island
 * Parris Island
 * Port Royal
 * Saint Helena
 * Pritchard Island (uninhabited research station)
 * Pritchard Island (uninhabited research station)


 * Little Capers Island (uninhabited)
 * Callawassie Island
 * Spring Island
 * Bull Island
 * Lemon Island
 * Barataria Island
 * Cane Island
 * Coosaw Island
 * Morgan Island
 * St. Philips Island
 * Warsaw Island
 * Grays Hill
 * Poppy Hill



In popular culture

 * The Big Chill
 * Platoon
 * The Prince of Tides
 * Full Metal Jacket
 * The Great Santini
 * The Rise and Fall of the Confederacy
 * The Tara Rumor
 * Commandment Keeper Church
 * To Live as a Free Man
 * Les Marines
 * Daughters of the Dust
 * The War
 * Chasers
 * Something to Talk About
 * White Squall
 * Gone Fishin'
 * G.I. Jane
 * Animal
 * Forces of Nature
 * Rules of Engagement
 * In For a Penny
 * And Not a Penny More
 * Perdition House
 * Judas Island
 * Resurrection Road
 * Bishop's Reach
 * Sanctuary Hill
 * The Mercy Oak
 * Resurrection Road
 * Bishop's Reach
 * Sanctuary Hill
 * The Mercy Oak

Colleges and universities
University of South Carolina Beaufort

Community, junior, and technical colleges
Technical College of the Lowcountry

High schools

 * Battery Creek High School
 * Beaufort High School
 * Beaufort Jasper Academy for Career Excellence
 * Bluffton High School
 * Hilton Head Island High School
 * John Paul II Catholic School
 * May River High School
 * Whale Branch Early College High School
 * Bridges Preparatory School

Notable people

 * Pat Conroy, author
 * Joe Frazier, boxer
 * Candice Glover, Season 12 winner
 * Bob Inglis, politician
 * Greg Jones, football player
 * , educator, lawyer, politician, son of Declaration signor Thomas E. Heyward, Jr.
 * James Saxon, football player
 * Duncan Sheik, musician
 * Wayne Simmons, football player
 * , politician
 * Stan Smith, tennis player
 * Devin Taylor, football player
 * D.J. Trahan, golfer
 * Kathryn R. Wall, author