What It Is Like to Retire in Edisto Island |
| Edisto Island, a beautiful and relaxing Sea Island of South Carolina, is located within two counties with a population of about 2,200 residents, swelling to many more during the summer months. The larger part of the island is in Charleston county, but the southern tip, which includes popular Edisto Beach, is in Colleton County, and lies about 40 miles southwest of Charleston. The beach is uncommercialized with building restrictions and limitations to keep the island’s marsh’s, beaches and forest untouched, and to prevent overdevelopment. There are resorts, rental homes and condos, a few restaurants, and grocery stores, but there are no frills here. Edisto Island offers a laid back way of life, and has a history that includes Native Americans, Civil War clashes, wealthy cotton plantation owners and the enslaved African-Americans who worked on them. Some private plantation homes still remain and are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Because of its natural beauty, many movie scenes have been filmed here, including The Notebook, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, and The Patriot. Picture of Edisto Island Baptist Church courtesy of Wikipedia and Ammodramus (public domain), photo of William Seabrook house on the National Register of Historic places courtesy of Wikipedia and Charles N. Bayless (public domain); Picture of Sunrise at Edisto Beach State Park courtesy of Wikipedia and Sara Dean, Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0/ |
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Where to Retire in Edisto Island and Home Prices |
| You will find single family homes (many on stilts), condos, and resort timeshares here. Zillow reports the median home value to be in the high $400's. |
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What Is Special about Edisto Island |
| Edisto Island is quaint and where residents get around by walking, biking or golf cart. They take pride in keeping it underdeveloped, and the Edisto Island Open Land Trust helps to conserve properties. There are beautiful beaches, a marina, a golf course, an oceanfront State Park, a museum, and a few local restaurants and bars, but there is no urban sprawl. |
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What Is Not Special about Edisto Island |
| Although most everything you could want for a quiet lifestyle is here, the nearest hospital is in Charleston, about 40 miles away. The nearest large city is Jacksonville, Florida, 175 miles away. |
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Who Will Like Retirement in Edisto Island |
| Retirement here would be relaxing in a naturally beautiful environment. Those who enjoy the water, fishing, seafood, and a laid back lifestyle where everybody knows your name, would be happy here. There is a small library, a beautiful State Park, and a popular farm market that gets high ratings from Tripadvisor.com |
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Local Economy Is Driven by |
| The economy is driven by construction and real estate. |
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Climate and Physical Environment |
| The average January temperature is 49 degrees and July's average is a warm 82 degrees. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, storm surges surrounded Edisto Island. |
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Restaurants & Cultural Scene |
| The small town has seafood markets and locally owned restaurants. Culturally, there is not a lot to do here, but there is a museum through which the Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society exhibits the Island's history; there are also several historic plantation homes listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve and Wildlife Management Area, the Edisto Island Serpentarium, and The Edisto Island State Park are all points of interest for both visitors and residents; the town also hosts events throughout the year. |
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