St. Simons, Georgia

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(Redirected from St. Simons Island, Georgia)

St. Simons is a census-designated place and town located on St. Simons Island, one of the Sea Islands, in Glynn County, Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 13,381.

St. Simons Island is one of Georgia's famed Golden Isles (along with Sea Island, Jekyll Island, and Little St. Simons Island). Currently, St. Simons Island is a resort community and has many seasonal residents, as well as a steady base of year-round residents. Consequently, many of the residents are retired individuals from other parts of the state or the U.S.

Brunswick, Georgia is the only municipality in the county, and is approximately 12 miles (19 km) inland from the barrier island which is primarily a vacation and tourism destination.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 See also
5 External links

Geography

Image:GAMap-doton-StSimons.PNG

St. Simons is located at 31°9'40" North, 81°23'13" West (31.161250, -81.386875)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 46.3 km² (17.9 mi²). 43.0 km² (16.6 mi²) of it is land and 3.2 km² (1.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 7.00% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 13,381 people, 6,196 households, and 3,804 families residing in the CDP. The population density is 311.0/km² (805.8/mi²). There are 8,437 housing units at an average density of 196.1/km² (508.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP is 94.29% White, 3.69% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.93% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 1.89% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 6,196 households out of which 22.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% are married couples living together, 6.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% are non-families. 32.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.14 and the average family size is 2.71.

In the CDP the population is spread out with 19.3% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 30.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 46 years. For every 100 females there are 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.8 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP is $58,475, and the median income for a family is $73,580. Males have a median income of $50,725 versus $32,351 for females. The per capita income for the CDP is $37,256. 4.5% of the population and 2.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.6% of those under the age of 18 and 7.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

History

Fort Frederica

Fort Frederica, now Fort Frederica National Monument, was the military headquarters of the Province of Georgia during the early colonial period, and served as a buffer against Spanish incursion from Florida. Nearby is the site of the Battle of Bloody Marsh, where on July 7, 1742, the British ambushed Spanish troops marching single file through the marsh and routed them from the island, which marked the end of the Spanish efforts to invade Georgia during the War of Jenkins' Ear.

American Revolution

Saint Simons' next military contribution was not until the American Revolution, when timber harvested from Gascoigne Bluff was used to build the USS Constitution, known as "Old Ironsides" for the way the cannonballs bounced off the hard live oak planking.

Wesley brothers and Christ Church

During the colonial period, Saint Simons served as a sometime home to John Wesley, the minister of the colony who later went on to found the Methodist Church. Wesley performed missionary work at St Simons while he was still in the Anglican Church, but he felt despondent over his inability to bring about revivals (writing that the local inhabitants had more tortures from their environment than he could describe for Hell). In the 1740s John Wesley's brother Charles Wesley did missionary work on St. Simons.

In 1808 the State of Georgia gave 100 acres (0.4 km²) of land on St. Simons to be used for a church. The church was called Christ Church, Frederica, and was finished in 1820. During the Civil War, invading Union troops comandeered the small building to stable horses and nearly destroyed it. The church was rebuilt in 1889, and this historic building is still in use as of 2005.

Cotton Production

During the plantation era, Saint Simons became a center of cotton production known for its long fiber Sea Island Cotton. Nearly the entire island was cleared of trees to make way for several cotton plantations. One of the last slave ships to bring slaves from Africa docked at St. Simons Island, but the slaves marched off the boat into the water, dragged down by their chains, and drowned themselves rather than become slaves. An original slave cabin still stands in one location.

St. Simons Island Light

St. Simons Island Light is a lighthouse, located in St. Simons Sound in USCG district number 7, is 104 feet (32 m) tall and uses a third order fresnel lens. The light keeper's residence is a two-story victorian brick structure.

Established in 1811, the light was first lit in 1872, was automated in 1954 and is still operational.

The original octagonal tower on the site was blown up by confederate forces in 1861.

The current structure is an active lighthouse for navigational purposes and a museum. It is on lease from the U.S. Coast Guard to the Coastal Georgia Historical Society and is open to the public.