Hilton Head Monthly Connecting the Lowcountry 
TAKE A STROLL THROUGH BLUFFTON’S HISTORY
Bluffton is the last remaining example of a Lowcountry antebellum planters summer colony. And since cultural tourism is a growing trend and studies show those who are interested in history spend more money on their vacations than traditional tourists, local leaders are happy to woo them.
But it wouldn’t hurt locals to learn about where they live, either.
TIME AND TIDE HAVE BURIED CRUCIAL CHAPTERS IN OUR ISLAND’S HISTORY. TODAY, THEY ARE BEING REVEALED ONE SHOVEL OF DIRT AT A TIME.
It was only a matter of time.
When their geophysical instruments started pinging, Matthew Sanger and his team from Binghamton University knew they’d found something at Zion Chapel of Ease Cemetery.
The Magnificent 7
FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE, the sand shore runs 20 miles along the seaside on Hilton Head Island. “The beach,” as we call the flat, surf and tide-washed, pearl-colored, shell-strewn, stream-riddled, shorebird refuge and place of play for people on Hilton Head Island, is not one place. It is a seamless strand of seven beaches stitched together on the outskirts of this foot-shaped isle. Each shoreline is sculpted by distinct natural forces, and significantly altered by human history. Every beach holds its own secrets, including buried treasures of sorts. You can unearth these secrets — but you need to know where to look.
HILTON HEAD VOTERS HAVE A DIVERSE CHOICE OF CANDIDATES FOR NEXT MAYOR
Hilton Head Island residents will choose among some familiar names — and some new ones, including a self-described Holocaust revisionist — when they head to the polls Nov. 6 to select the town’s next mayor. And all the candidates are touting positions that in one way or another focus on the island’s future.
HILTON HEAD MAYOR DAVID BENNETT REFLECTS ON TERM
Hilton Head Mayor David Bennett recently announced that he is not running for a second term, citing among other things the need “to fulfill my highest responsibilities — being a good husband and father.”
VOTERS TO DETERMINE FATE OF RURAL AND CRITICAL LANDS PROGRAM FUNDING
The pace of development in the Lowcountry can be measured in days, as wild wooded areas become construction sites practically overnight. The Beaufort County Rural and Critical Land Preservation Program protects Lowcountry land — including some of the area’s most gorgeous vistas — forever. In November, voters will be asked to approve or reject a bond referendum question that would provide $25 million in additional funding for the land-buying program.
HARDEEVILLE LEADERS TALK CITY PLANNING
Hardeeville Mayor Harry Williams and city manager Michael Czymbor have nearly 60 years of local management experience between them. They say this wealth of experience will help guide the city through the looming development boom, and they are committed to growing the city while preserving its character, environmental integrity and quality of life.
Go in-depth with local officials, statistics, and landmarks
Bluffton Town Council member Fred Hamilton is a lifelong resident of Bluffton who sometimes can’t believe what has happened in his hometown. Born in 1959, he’s lived in Bluffton his whole life — minus a three-year stint in the Army. The town’s population growth in the last 15 years has exceeded anything he ever imagined.
RESIDENTIAL GROWTH PROJECTIONS
• City of Hardeeville: 5,800 residents to 28,000 in the next 10 years
• Ardmore New River Apartments: 248 additional units this year
• Sun City: additional 150 units a year for combined total of 750
• East Argent: 350 additional units a year through 2022 for a total of 1,750 units; 500 units per year from 2023 to 2028 for a total of 3,000 units — a combined total of 4,750 units
• University Park: 35 additional units per year through 2020 for a total of 105 units
• Hilton Head Lakes: 35 additional units this year; 85 more units per year from 2019 to 2022; 50 units per year from 2023 to 2024; a combined total of 475 units
