Beaufort, South Carolina, Maps and Geography

Thousands of Islands Populate the Beaufort Real Estate Market

Fresh waters from inland rivers meet the ocean here to form an estuarine network of tidal creeks and marshes so rich in nourishment that wildlife, birds and fish of incredible variety come to Beaufort, SC, to feed and breed. St. Helena Sound to the north has four channels, but otherwise is a vast, shallow delta of ever-changing sandy shoals. To the south, the water is deep. The Broad River flows into Port Royal Sound, which lies between St. Helena and Parris Island on the Beaufort, SC, side and Hilton Head Island on the far side. Port Royal Sound is the second deepest natural port on the Eastern seaboard. It was the arrival of the Union Navy into Port Royal Sound that caused citizens and owners of Beaufort real estate to flee the city in 1861, after which it became a Union medical center.

Among the Beaufort, SC, areas covered in the term “South of Broad” are Hilton Head, Bluffton, Daufuskie, Callawassie, Spring, Lemon, Okatie and Sun City, which straddle Beaufort and Jasper counties. “North of Broad” includes Beaufort and Port Royal, St. Helena, Lady’s Island, Fripp, Hunting, Cat, Cane, Distant, Lost, Dataw, Harbor and Polowana Islands, Sheldon, Seabrook, Dale, and parts of Yemassee.

Because all roads must wind around the water and marshes to seek out the high ground of islands and hummocks, a loggerhead turtle might swim from St. Helena to Hilton Head in the time it takes a person to drive there. The drive to Hilton Head, about 30 miles away, takes about 45 minutes. //