| Sullivan's Island, South Carolina |
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Sullivan's Island is an island located in Charleston County, South Carolina , a the entrance to Charleston Harbor. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 1,911. It is also the sight of a major battle of the American Revolution at Fort Sullivan (Now Fort Moultrie ) on June 28, 1776. GEOGRAPHY Sullivan's Island is located at 32°45'48" North, 79°50'16" West (32.763456, -79.837911). According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 8.6 Km&2 (3.3 Mi&2 ). 6.3 km&2 (2.4 mi&2) of it is land and 2.3 km&2 (0.9 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 27.11% water. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 1,911 people, 797 households, and 483 families residing in the town. The Population Density was 303.6/km&2 (787.2/mi&2). There were 1,045 housing units at an average density of 166.0/km&2 (430.5/mi&2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.74% White , 0.63% African American , 0.05% Native American , 0.16% Asian , 0.00% Pacific Islander , 0.00% from Other Races , and 0.42% from two or more races. 0.84% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 797 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were Married Couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.01. In the town the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 31.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $72,955, and the median income for a family was $96,455. Males had a median income of $58,571 versus $41,029 for females. The Per Capita Income for the town was $49,427. 4.2% of the population and 1.4% of families were below the Poverty Line . 2.2% of those under the age of 18 and 0.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. HISTORY The island was known as O'Sullivan's Island from an early date, because of the Irishman who was stationed as a lighthouse keeper in the late seventeenth century. The island was completely denuded in order to distinguish the approach to Charleston Harbor. On 28 June , 1776 , a makeshift log fort was held by colonial forces against a sustained siege and bombardment by British forces under Lord Cornwallis attempting to enter the harbor to besiege and conquer the City of Charleston. The palmetto logs used in the construction proved to be remarkably spongy and absorbed the cannon balls. The Battle of Fort Moultrie was commemorated by the addition of a white palmetto tree to the blue and white crescent moon flag of South Carolina. The victory is still celebrated every June 28th, known as Carolina day. The history of the island has been dominated by the extensive coastal defenseworks known as Fort Mounltrie , which served as the base of command for the defenses of the City of Charleston until it was closed in the late 1940's. Edgar Allan Poe was stationed at Fort Moultrie from 1827 to 1828 . The island was the setting of his short story '' The Gold Bug ''. For most of its history, the town on the island was known as Moultrieville, on the south-west half of the island. Another community on the north-east portion, Atlanticville, was established and later merged to form the Town of Sullivan's Island. The Sullivan's Island lighthouse, the most powerful in the world, was built in 1962 . The 140-foot-tall triangular building boasts an elevator instead of the typical spiral staircase. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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