All About Hilton
Head Island
Just imagine an Island where residents live by choice and in
harmony with nature. Where top-ranked golf, tennis, and marine facilities, shops
and restaurants, and 12 miles of unspoiled beach are practically in your
backyard.
Just image living in a quality conscious
community with government and organizations committed to the betterment of the
island. Imagine the nature preserves, abundant marine and wildlife, miles of
winding bike trails, young and old enthralled with the beauty of their island
paradise.
This is Hilton Head Island. At some point in
our lives, each of us has seen the Island’s quality and were determined to call
this place home. There is a sense of the extraordinary on
Hilton Head Island. It is felt from the first glimpse of the bridge leading
toward it. Seen from those heights are stretches of wild marshlands residing
with wildlife, the glass surfaced waterway sliced by a boat or perhaps a
dolphin’s fin, and then the strands of pines and oaks aligning the shore. Beyond
that first impression and past those shores awaits an island where the opulence
of nature meets the best of luxurious amenities and activities.
Here on Hilton Head Island is a world of
coastal beauty to discover. Efforts have been made to focus attention on
preservation in conjunction with the numerous amenities and attractions
available.
From the Beginning
Named for the English sea captain William
Hilton, who spied the island in 1663, Hilton Head Island boasts a long and
illustrious history. Archeological excavation has unearthed mysterious shell
rings from civilizations that inhabited the Island 4,000 years ago. Pottery
shards have been recovered from French and Spanish explorers and Ewascus and
Yemassee Indian tribes dating from the 1500s. The African-American Gullah
culture, prevalent since the 1800s, is a revered part of Island history. Today’s
Islanders have recognized the need to preserve the esteemed heritage.
Today's Outlook
Since formal incorporation in 1983, Hilton
Head Island has grown and prospered while maintaining an unmatched standard of
living. Once dotted with fertile indigo, rice and cotton plantations, Hilton
Head Island now prospers with an astonishing assortment of outstanding amenities
and world-class communities. The new breed of plantation is the master-planned
resort and residential community, some 10 in all, where you’ll find cozy golf,
lagoon, and marsh front villas and homes, to spectacular seaside villas and
estates.
Careful planning, conservation, and environmental sensitivity
are all goals Hilton Head has set for itself. The Island’s stringent
environmental, architectural and developmental regulations have provided the
delicate balance between man and nature. In this harmonic existence, the
serenity of the natural environment and the luxuries of a world-class resort are
inextricably mixed.