As of the 2020 census, Kiawah Island’s full-time population was 2,013, up from 1,163 at the 2000 census. During the busy season, the population balloons to over 10,000. The island is part of the Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. Alternative spellings and variants of the name itself include “Kiawa”, “Kittiwar” (in DuBose Heyward’s novel Porgy), and “Kittiwah” (in George Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess). The island, has a per capita income of $47,782, the fifth highest in South Carolina.
Kiawah Island is widely hailed as one of the premier golf destinations on the East Coast. The island features seven award-winning golf courses designed by the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Fazio, and Pete Dye. The courses snake along the narrow island, moving from the dense wooded interior of the island to the breezy oceanfront. Five of the courses are owned and maintained by Kiawah Island Golf Resort. These include the Ocean Course, Turtle Point, Osprey Point, Oak Point, and Cougar Point. Two courses, the River Course and Cassique, are owned and maintained by Kiawah Island Club.
Tidal creeks, salt marshes, and the Kiawah River itself provides the opportunity for various canoeing and kayaking expeditions. There are numerous water access points, including a community kayak rental dock at Mingo Point and boat storage near the 15th green of the Cassique golf course, as well as a full marina just outside Kiawah’s gate, for more expansive Kiawah Island fishing and deep sea fishing excursions. Also, Kiawah Island Club Members enjoy private access to a kayak dock in Cassique, and the Kiawah Island Community Association (KICA) maintains a launch at Rhett’s Bluff and storage at Cinder Creek.
[caption id="attachment_224331" align="aligncenter" width="590"] European Museum of the Year Award[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) is presented each year by the European Museum Forum (EMF) under ...
