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Islands High School, Whitemarsh IslandPhoto: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0
DHistory
History · Whitemarsh Island

Half of Whitemarsh Island’s homes were built after 1993

More historic than 12% of U.S. towns · #217 of 263 in Georgia. What drives it

Most of Whitemarsh Island was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 1990.

0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

About Whitemarsh Island’s history

How historic is Whitemarsh Island?

D

More historic than 12% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives Whitemarsh Island’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Whitemarsh Island is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #217 of 263 in Georgia. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Whitemarsh Island’s overall grade.
Founding eraThere’s no founding date for Whitemarsh Island we can vouch for, so age doesn’t count here–Homes built before 19403.6% of homes (±2.8) · typical GA town 3.8% · U.S. 8.4%CNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical GA town 10.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 12%
NewerOlder
Georgia towns of 2,500+ (263)Ahead of 18%

Georgia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Georgia town has 10.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Whitemarsh Island’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (16% of Georgia towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.8 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Whitemarsh Island’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Whitemarsh Island are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Whitemarsh Island’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Whitemarsh Island’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Whitemarsh Island, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Whitemarsh Island yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Whitemarsh Island (; WHIT-marsh) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Chatham County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,983 at the 2020 U.S. census. It is part of the Savannah metropolitan statistical area. The communities of Whitemarsh Island are a relatively affluent suburb of Savannah.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 6,792 to 6,983 (+3%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Whitemarsh Island, decade by decade

Today9 recent
Outland Wildlife Center2023Outland Wildlife CenterMarshpoint Elementary School2023Marshpoint Elementary SchoolMarshpoint Elementary School building2023Marshpoint Elementary School buildingLittle Free Library, Marshpoint Elementary School2023Little Free Library, Marshpoint Elementary SchoolIslands library2023Islands libraryIslands High School2023Islands High SchoolIslands Family YMCA2023Islands Family YMCAIslands Family YMCA 22023Islands Family YMCA 2Coastal Middle School2023Coastal Middle School
On the map

Whitemarsh Island on the map, 1955 to 1971

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Whitemarsh Island. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Whitemarsh Island on the 1955 USGS mapWhitemarsh Island on the 1971 USGS map1955Savannah sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Whitemarsh Island.

People over time

Whitemarsh Island, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,5007,0007,500200020206,983

Grew from 2,554 people in 1990 to 6,983 in 2020.

4 censuses, 1990–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Whitemarsh Island’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Whitemarsh Island

Nobody well known was born in Whitemarsh Island itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Flannery O'ConnorAmerican writer · b. 1925
Stacy KeachAmerican actor · b. 1941
Miriam HopkinsAmerican actress · b. 1902
Conrad AikenAmerican novelist and poet · b. 1889
Ellen Axson WilsonFirst Lady of the United States from 1913 to 19… · b. 1860
Buddy CarterAmerican politician · b. 1957
Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
RiversideTurners Rock

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

ThunderboltIts storyC−Talahi IslandIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWilmington Island1 historic placeCDutch IslandIts storyD−

Questions about Whitemarsh Island’s history

How does Whitemarsh Island rank for history?

Whitemarsh Island is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #217 of 263 in Georgia. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Whitemarsh Island?

4% of Whitemarsh Island’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.8 points), against a typical 3.8% for a Georgia town; the median home was built in 1993.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (9), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.