Skidaway Island is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Chatham County, Georgia, and lies on a barrier island of the same name. Located south of Savannah, Skidaway Island is known for its waterfront properties and golf courses within The Landings, one of the largest gated communities in the country. The population was 9,310 at the 2020 census.[1] For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Skidaway Island as a census-designated place (CDP). A separate area of the island hosts the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, a research institution operated by the University of Georgia. It receives scholars and researchers from several other Georgia universities as well, including Georgia Tech, Savannah State University, and the College of Coastal Georgia. Skidaway Island is part of the Savannah Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Skidaway Island, Georgia | |
|---|---|
 Location in Chatham County and the state of Georgia | |
| Coordinates: 31°55′39″N 81°2′33″W / 31.92750°N 81.04250°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Chatham |
| Area | |
• Total | 17.86 sq mi (46.26 km2) |
| • Land | 16.49 sq mi (42.71 km2) |
| • Water | 1.37 sq mi (3.55 km2) |
| Elevation | 10 ft (3 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 9,310 |
| • Density | 564.55/sq mi (217.97/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| FIPS code | 13-71184[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1867245[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.[4]
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.[5]
Geography
editSkidaway Island is located at 31°55′39″N 81°2′33″W / 31.92750°N 81.04250°W (31.927434, -81.042505).[6]
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
edit| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1,264 | — | |
| 1990 | 4,495 | 255.6% | |
| 2000 | 6,914 | 53.8% | |
| 2010 | 8,341 | 20.6% | |
| 2020 | 9,310 | 11.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1850-1870[8] 1870-1880[9] 1890-1910[10] 1920-1930[11] 1940[12] 1950[13] 1960[14] 1970[15] 1980[16] 1990[17] 2000[18] 2010[19] 2020[20] | |||
Skidaway Island was first listed as a CDP in 1980 U.S. Census.[16]
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop. 2000[21] | Pop. 2010[22] | Pop. 2020[20] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 6,703 | 7,954 | 8,605 | 96.95% | 95.36% | 92.43% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 33 | 65 | 97 | 0.48% | 0.78% | 1.04% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0.01% | 0.08% | 0.00% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 95 | 154 | 184 | 1.37% | 1.85% | 1.98% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.04% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 3 | 13 | 24 | 0.04% | 0.16% | 0.26% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 26 | 33 | 193 | 0.38% | 0.40% | 2.07% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 53 | 112 | 207 | 0.77% | 1.34% | 2.22% |
| Total | 6,914 | 8,341 | 9,310 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,310 people, 4,272 households, and 3,014 families residing in the CDP.
Notable people
edit- Dorothea Orem, nursing theorist, who died at her home on Skidaway Island on June 22, 2007.[23]
- Ron Senkowski, founder of Farmer's Almanac TV. [24]
- Bobby Thomson, baseball player, who died at his home there on August 16, 2010.[25][26]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Skidaway Island, Georgia
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. pp. 206–207. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
- ^ "Skidaway Island incorporation vote". WTOC-TV, Savannah GA. March 19, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "1870 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1870.
- ^ "1880 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
- ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
- ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930. pp. 251–256.
- ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
- ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
- ^ "1960 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1960.
- ^ "1970 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1970.
- ^ a b "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
- ^ "1990 Census of Population - Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1990.
- ^ "2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
- ^ "2010 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2010.
- ^ a b "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Skidaway Island CDP, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Skidaway Island CDP, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Skidaway Island CDP, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "Nursingtheories.info".
- ^ "Farmers' Almanac TV bankrupt".
- ^ Fox and Weeks: Funeral Directors: Obituary for Robert Thomson, accessed August 21, 2010 Archived July 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Paid obituary for Bobby Thomson, Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, August 21, 2010, p. B-4, accessed August 21, 2010