Skidaway Island, Georgia

Skidaway Island is a barrier island and census-designated place (CDP) in Chatham County, Georgia, United States. The population was 8,341 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Savannah Metropolitan Statistical Area. A very affluent community, the island is well known for its waterfront properties and golf courses within The Landings, one of the largest gated communities in the country. Skidaway Island is home to the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, a research institution operated by the University of Georgia and used by UGA scholars and researchers as well as those from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Savannah State University, the College of Coastal Georgia, and other universities.

Skidaway Island, Georgia
CDP
Location in Chatham County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 31°55′39″N 81°2′33″W
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountyChatham
Area
 • Total17.9 sq mi (46.3 km2)
 • Land16.4 sq mi (42.4 km2)
 • Water1.5 sq mi (3.9 km2)
Elevation
10 ft (3 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total8,341
 • Density386.3/sq mi (149.3/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
FIPS code13-71184[1]
GNIS feature ID1867245[2]

It is uncertain why the name "Skidaway" was applied to this island; the name may be derived from a word in Yamacraw or another Native American Creek language. In his 1967 publication How Georgia Got Her Names, Hal E. Brinkley stated that the name might be an Anglicized form of Scenawki, the wife of the Yamacraw chief Tomochichi, for whom Georgia's founder James Oglethorpe named the island.[3]

In a March 2019 referendum, Skidaway Island voters overwhelmingly rejected a bill that would have incorporated their community as the City of Skidaway Island. The island remains unincorporated.[4]

Geography

Skidaway Island is located at 31°55′39″N 81°2′33″W (31.927434, -81.042505).[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 17.9 square miles (46 km2), of which 16.4 square miles (42 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) (8.45%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 6,914 people, 3,193 households, and 2,701 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 422.7 people per square mile (163.2/km2). There were 3,491 housing units at an average density of 213.4 per square mile (82.4/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.57% White, 0.48% African American, 0.01% Native American, 1.37% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population.

There were 3,193 households, out of which 13.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 82.8% were married couples living together, 1.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.4% were non-families. 14.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.35.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 11.2% under the age of 18, 2.0% from 18 to 24, 9.3% from 25 to 44, 38.1% from 45 to 64, and 39.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 61 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $96,395, and the median income for a family was $107,013. Males had a median income of $80,486 versus $42,188 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $63,851 (the highest in the state). About 0.7% of families and 1.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 0.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people
  • Bobby Thomson, baseball great, who died at his home there on August 16, 2010.[6][7]
  • Dorothea Orem, nursing theorist, who died at her home on Skidaway Island on June 22, 2007.[8]

See also

References
  1. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. pp. 206–207. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
  4. "Skidaway Island incorporation vote". WTOC-TV, Savannah GA. 2019-03-19. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
  5. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  6. Fox and Weeks: Funeral Directors: Obituary for Robert Thomson, accessed August 21, 2010 Archived July 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  7. Paid obituary for Bobby Thomson, Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, August 21, 2010, p. B-4, accessed August 21, 2010
  8. http://nursingtheories.info/biography-of-dorothea-orem/
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