HiltonHeadView_

Exclusive and expensive
seapineshome Clean, neat and well maintained, Hilton Head is dominated by gated, exclusive and expensive communities called "plantations," and enhanced by dozens of golf courses, forests and marshlands, the intra coastal andwaterway and tidal Broad Creek, and elegant yacht-filled marinas. The New York Times says Hilton Head “exudes both natural beauty and upscale-suburban affluence,” but quotes a long time resident as saying, "This is not a snooty place."

The private plantations that dominate the island exude exclusivity with names such as Sea Pine Plantation, Wexford, Port Royal, Palmetto Dunes, among others. About 40 percent of the island’s homes and 70 percent of its condominiums (called "villas") are second homes, whose owners’ primary residences are in Georgia or other parts of South Carolina.

Upscale golf and resort attire of khakis and polo shirts for men and pastel short or bold print dresses of the Lilly Pulitzer ilk are the uniforms seen emerging from the abundance of Mercedes and BMWs.

Collectively, these traits characterize a lifestyle that is casual and refined, and a demographic where the median age is 46, and expectations for life well lived.

Youth
The island's gentile politeness gives way to a higher volume level around Coligny circle at Forest Beach. Just outside the gated plantations, teens and those barely legal to drink gather on the beach or in nearby bars and restaurants.

But Hilton Head is not a Daytona Beach or Panama City where kids-gone-wild are tolerated, or encouraged by any budget accommodations.

Dining
Dining is a major daily activity on Hilton Head Island and among the plantaations. And with over 250-more-or-less restaurants on-island — from the very pricy and elegant to the barerly passable — there is no shortage of opportunities to satisfy all manner of gastranome.

But, as The Times quotes a resident, "this is not a snooty place," and the dining shows it. Some of the best and freshest fish is found on the island is at the the concrete-block-elegant Sea Shack where nothing on the chalkboard-on-the-wall menu is over $12. The place is one of those "locals eat here" finds and one of favorites.

Then, of course, there are the linen table cloth "event" dining establishments both locally owned and at the likes of the Westin Hotel.

Our ratings are on the Dining / Eats page.

Golf, etc.
While the island has 24 golf courses [including 20 open t the public], tennis takes a strong second in popularity followed by boating, fishing and kayaking.

Seemingly, almost everyone bicycles, using the abundant and well-maintained paths, which simultaneously accommodate foot traffic.

Other activities include visiting the more-than-four-dozen art galleries, a museum, a performance center, a symphony orchestra, an international piano competition, as well as day trips to Charleston, Savannah and tours of real colonial American "Plantations" of the Carolina Low Country.




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	The Basics The Town of Hilton Head comprises almost all of Hilton Head Island’s 54-square-miles and has permanent population of about 35,000; however, the summer population soars to 150,000. The island is shaped like a sports shoe with the toe pointing southwest toward the Savannah River with 12 miles of beach facing southeast. While middle class accommodations are available on the island, the dozen private "plantations" provide grounds for lavish residences, some rising well into the millions. For instance, on Sea Pines Plantation, the oldest and considered the most exclusive private enclave, 35 homes sold at prices in excess of $1 million during calendar 2009. In 2008 the number was 45. Using Atlanta to establish a $100,000 income baseline, below we compare several cities' total cost index, their residential housing cost index, and the income required to live comparable to that in Atlanta at the $100,000 level. To generate this list of relative costs, we used Sperling's Cost of Living Calculator. If your home town is not shown here, you can calculate your own cost of living index comparison here. The State Encompassing 31,000 square miles, South Carolina’s economy emerged from agricultural during the 19th and 20th centuries, the industry and allied activities still contribute. In the 21st century and with a population of nearly 3.5 million, the states economic strength is diverse. 24 percent are in trade, 22 percent in services, 19 percent in manufacturing, 17 percent in government, 6 percent in construction and 10 percent in all other sectors.	Exclusive and expensive Clean, neat and well maintained, Hilton Head is dominated by gated, exclusive and expensive communities called "plantations," and enhanced by dozens of golf courses, forests and marshlands, the intra coastal andwaterway and tidal Broad Creek, and elegant yacht-filled marinas. The New York Times says Hilton Head “exudes both natural beauty and upscale-suburban affluence,” but quotes a long time resident as saying, "This is not a snooty place." The private plantations that dominate the island exude exclusivity with names such as Sea Pine Plantation, Wexford, Port Royal, Palmetto Dunes, among others. About 40 percent of the island’s homes and 70 percent of its condominiums (called "villas") are second homes, whose owners’ primary residences are in Georgia or other parts of South Carolina. Upscale golf and resort attire of khakis and polo shirts for men and pastel short or bold print dresses of the Lilly Pulitzer ilk are the uniforms seen emerging from the abundance of Mercedes and BMWs. Collectively, these traits characterize a lifestyle that is casual and refined, and a demographic where the median age is 46, and expectations for life well lived. Youth The island's gentile politeness gives way to a higher volume level around Coligny circle at Forest Beach. Just outside the gated plantations, teens and those barely legal to drink gather on the beach or in nearby bars and restaurants. But Hilton Head is not a Daytona Beach or Panama City where kids-gone-wild are tolerated, or encouraged by any budget accommodations. Dining Dining is a major daily activity on Hilton Head Island and among the plantaations. And with over 250-more-or-less restaurants on-island — from the very pricy and elegant to the barerly passable — there is no shortage of opportunities to satisfy all manner of gastranome. But, as The Times quotes a resident, "this is not a snooty place," and the dining shows it. Some of the best and freshest fish is found on the island is at the the concrete-block-elegant Sea Shack where nothing on the chalkboard-on-the-wall menu is over $12. The place is one of those "locals eat here" finds and one of favorites. Then, of course, there are the linen table cloth "event" dining establishments both locally owned and at the likes of the Westin Hotel. Our ratings are on the Dining / Eats page. Golf, etc. While the island has 24 golf courses [including 20 open t the public], tennis takes a strong second in popularity followed by boating, fishing and kayaking. Seemingly, almost everyone bicycles, using the abundant and well-maintained paths, which simultaneously accommodate foot traffic. Other activities include visiting the more-than-four-dozen art galleries, a museum, a performance center, a symphony orchestra, an international piano competition, as well as day trips to Charleston, Savannah and tours of real colonial American "Plantations" of the Carolina Low Country.



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