2.5 million

visitors each year

15 sprawling

residential communities

$482K

median sales price

#1 island

in the continental U.S.

Peaceful. Beautiful. Active. Natural. Friendly.

Officially incorporated as a town in 1983, the development of Hilton Head Island truly began in the 1950s when Charles Fraser created the Island’s first resort community, Sea Pines. His vision was to preserve the Island’s natural beauty and incorporate the resort’s development in a way that honored the local wildlife, pristine beaches, and diverse vegetation.

  • With 15 residential communities all within minutes of the beach, residents have ample choice in where they call home.

  • In 2020, the tourism industry on the Island accounted for a $1.37 billion economic impact. 17,902 jobs are generated by Hilton Head Island visitors, representing 15.6% of all Beaufort County jobs.

  • Locals and tourists alike can bike over 50 miles of beach and paved trails throughout the Island.

  • There are 24 on-island championship golf courses.

  • The Island has over 300 tennis courts.

  • There are no neon signs on the Island!

Fun Facts

Hilton Head Residential Communities

Port Royal

Port Royal Plantation is Hilton Head Island’s only completely private oceanfront residential community, without commercial development or short-term rentals. The community encompasses more than 1,000 acres with over 900 homes. Freshwater lagoons, manicured golf courses, saltwater estuaries, the Port Royal Sound, and the Atlantic Ocean are all views found within the community. It lies at the heel of the Island, with approximately 1 mile of beautiful beach where the Port Royal Sound meets the Atlantic Ocean. Many residents of Port Royal enjoy activities such as kayaking, tennis, pickleball, salt-water and fresh water fishing, swimming in the Association’s Olympic-sized pool, farming, sailing, playing golf and so much more!

Indigo Run

Indigo Run is a gated residential community the north end of the Island that rests on 1,400 scenic acres with 46 lagoons and frontage along Broad Creek. Indigo Run is framed by mature tree-lined roads and is home to beautiful wildlife indigenous to the Low Country. Outdoor enthusiasts experience breathtaking views as they bike, jog or walk their dogs on the extensive leisure trail system. There are over 1000 home sites with a distinctive architectural style that offer stunning views of lagoons, lakes and golf courses.

Palmetto Dunes

Palmetto Dunes is a popular resort and residential community located mid-island on 1,800 well-preserved acres. It has been named the #1 Beach Town in the US by Parents Magazine. Palmetto Dunes’ three miles of sun-kissed Atlantic Ocean beachfront provide the perfect venue for three world-class golf courses, vacation rentals, a full-service marina, and an 11-mile lagoon system. The resort enjoys a well-earned reputation for creating unforgettable vacation experiences for the entire family. It’s no coincidence, as vacationers return year after year, many decide to make Palmetto Dunes their permanent residence.

Leamington

Leamington is a private community within Palmetto Dunes consisting of 300 homes and 516 villas and townhomes. Access is through gated security entrances on Highway 278 and on Ocean Lane in Palmetto Dunes. It is located on approximately 450 acres that include a swim club with boat-ramp access to Palmetto Dunes’ 11-mile lagoon system and an ocean-front beach club. Owners of Leamington villas, townhomes and single-family homes can also utilize all the amenities in Palmetto Dunes.

Wexford

Wexford is a gated residential community that provides a quiet and serene place for their residents in the middle of the Island. Wexford is a fully developed boating, golf and tennis community with all amenities in place. It is home to an incredible 37-acre inland harbour with an innovative lock system, one of only three on the East Coast; a distinctive Arnold Palmer Signature Golf Course; and a championship tennis center with six Har-Tru clay courts. Amenities include 24-hour gated security, swimming pools, croquet and bocce lawn, miles of leisure trails and an elegant Clubhouse.

Spanish Wells

Spanish Wells is the second smallest community, with 350 acres and only about 200 homeowners. Spanish Wells provides a private secluded place away from all the hubbub and does not offer vacation rentals or packages for visitors. Being two miles from the Cross Island Bridge, and three miles from the north end, Spanish Wells has a central location offering easy access to all parts on the Island in mere minutes.

There are two miles of walking and jogging trails as well as Hilton Head Island’s only waterfront clubhouse complete with a swimming pool and cabana, and a new pro shop and grille. Four Har-Tru tennis courts are lit for night play as well as safety along the nine-hole Cobb golf course with a full practice facility.

Hilton Head Plantation

Hilton Head Plantation is one of Hilton Head’s largest and most age-diverse residential neighborhoods. Spread over 4,000 acres between the Intracoastal Waterway and Port Royal Sound, the Plantation has over 4,000 homes and 500 villas. It is home to the Country Club of Hilton Head’s semi-private 18-hole golf course designed by Rees Jones. Jones also designed the plantation’s award-winning Oyster Reef Golf Course and Bear Creek Golf Course. The plantation has a fourth, private course created by Gary Player and Ron Kirby called Dolphin Head.

Within the plantation, there is access to two miles of beach, a community recreation center, a shared gardening area, numerous community swimming pools and tennis courts, Skull Creek marina, and the Old Fort Pub restaurant. Two nature conservancies offer beautiful, lengthy nature trails and boardwalks through woods and marsh. An extensive leisure path system for walking, jogging or biking winds through this beautiful community.

Sea Pines

Sea Pines was the first plantation community on the Island. It is one of the largest residential and resort plantations on Hilton Head Island spanning 5,200 acres. Within Sea Pines are over 3,000 homes and over 2,000 villas.

The community is most famous for its three championship golf courses, including the Harbour Town Golf Links, home of the PGA Tour’s annual RBC Heritage. Sea Pines is also home to the world-recognized Harbour Town Marina and its landmark red-and-white-striped lighthouse, built in 1969 to aid boats traveling on the Calibogue Sound. The marina hosts awe-inspiring yachts as large as 115 feet.

Sea Pines has a lush, 605-acre forest preserve, access to five miles of Atlantic Ocean beaches, over 100 tennis courts, two security gates and numerous swimming pools. It is also the location of the South Beach Racquet Club, Sea Pines Racquet Club, Lawton Stables equestrian center, and restaurants and outdoor activities held at South Beach Marina Village.

Shipyard

Shipyard is conveniently located in the south end of Hilton Head Island on over 800 acres. This diverse residential and resort community offers first-class living for those who choose to visit and those who reside here. Shipyard includes championship golf and tennis, trails for biking and jogging, a first-class resort, a health spa, and most importantly – the beach. Owners in Shipyard enjoy the benefits of a private Beach Club and a true sense of community through varied social and educational programs.

Yacht Cove

Yacht Cove is the smallest private gated community on the island. With only 74 single family homes, 47 townhouses and 54 villas, Yacht Cove is a year round close-knit community. Vacation rentals are not available.

Volunteers help out to maintain the grounds and keep H.O.A. costs low, which many of the other communities on the Island do not offer.

Palmetto Hall

Palmetto Hall is one of the smaller sections of private housing on the Island. Filled with beautiful grandiose homes and 36 holes of scenic golf, Palmetto Hall caters to those wishing to stay within a private gated community year-round.

Palmetto Hall offers wedding packages for their beautiful scenery and Heritage golf packages for those golfers coming to the island to play or watch the RBC Heritage Golf Tournament held every April.

Long Cove Club

Long Cove Club is situated between Yacht Cove and Wexford toward the island’s south end. There are over 500 homes within Long Cove Club. Golf Digest magazine has rated Long Cove Club’s private golf course, designed by Pete Dye and recently renovated, the number one course in South Carolina for 10 consecutive years. A membership to this golf course is included with ownership in Long Cove Club. In the 1980s, the community’s developers chose to carefully preserve the area’s live oaks, magnolia and palmetto palm trees. Residents enjoy deepwater access to Broad Creek from the community’s boat docks.

Windmill Harbour

Windmill Harbour is located just after crossing the bridge onto Hilton Head Island, is visible on the right side of Highway 278, along the Intracoastal Waterway. This community’s coastal location has 350 homes and 70 villas, with 80 percent of them having water views. This 172-acre private community exhibits true southern architecture with its brightly colored homes. Windmill Harbour is home to the South Carolina Yacht Club and a 15.5-acre marina with 260 boat slips and a locked harbor system that serves as a direct link to the Intracoastal Waterway.

Source: hiltonhead.com