About Kiawah

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Kiawah Island, SC

Less than fifty years ago Kiawah Island was an overgrown hunting reserve accessible only by boat. Today, the exclusive island retreat, located thirty miles from historic Charleston, is some of the most sought real estate in the Southeast.

“Property owners in the exclusive community hail from 46 states and 21 different countries"

The Vandehorst family, of Charleston, purchased the ten mile-long barrier island around 1770, and it remained in the family until 1950 when the island was sold to C.C. Royal, of Aiken, South Carolina. Mr. Royal purchased the land to serve as a private hunting and fishing reserve, which it remained until the Kiawah Island Company purchased the undeveloped land in 1974. A faltering economy limited development on the island at that time, and in 1988 Kiawah Resort Associates bought the island and made it what it is today – the ultimate in private island living.

At last count, property owners in the exclusive community hail from 46 states and 21 different countries. But only about half of the 1,142 residents, about 400 families, live there year-round.

Since development began, about 4,000 homesites have been made available for purchase. Though there is room for considerable expansion, the developer has taken measures to limit the number of developable acreage to maintain the natural beauty of the island. Large tracts of wooded land are key elements of the island’s secluded, peaceful feel, and developers consider protecting the island’s many tidal marsh vistas a priority. The island is home to a collection of ancient live oak and palmetto trees, and pine, hickory, sweetgum and magnolia trees are also found in abundance on the island. Recently the Kiawah Island was honored with the Izaak Walton League’s National Conservation Award for its efforts to protect the Atlantic Loggerhead Sea Turtle. Birdwatchers are treated to over 190 species of birds native to the island.

Many consider Kiawah Island to have one, if not the finest collections of golf courses in the country. The island is home to six masterpieces of modern golf course architecture including the Ocean Course, which hosted the Ryder Cup competition in 1991. It is the only resort in the country that has three courses ranked on Golf Digest’s list of “America’s Top 75 Resort Courses,” and Conde Nast Traveler recently listed the resort among the top “50 Golf Resorts Worldwide.”