Hanahan was first counted by the census in 1980, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 11% of U.S. towns · #134 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it
Most of Hanahan was built recently: 0.1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Its Register listing is the Otranto Plantation. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1958 on, and the census since 1980.
Hanahan first appears in the census in 1980. Two smaller post offices, The Farms (1913) and Melgrove (1915), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 13,224 in 19802020 census: 20,32546 years
How historic is Hanahan?
D
More historic than 11% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hanahan is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #134 of 169 in South Carolina. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hanahan’s overall grade.
South Carolina towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical South Carolina town has 3.2 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hanahan’s 0.9 sits near the middle of its state (47% of South Carolina towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C−. The pre-1940 share (±0.2 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: the first census (other dates in Quick answers). 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 Hanahan’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
The Farms
1913–1915
Melgrove
1915–1919
19101970today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BelvedereBerkeley HillsDominion HillsGold Cup SpringsHighland ParkLakeviewMelgroveThe Farms
Gone or out of use
Yeamans Hall Plantationlocale
1cemetery inside Hanahan
Yeamans Hall Plantation
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Hanahan, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Hanahan yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Hanahan is a city in Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Hanahan had a population of 20,325. Portions of the Naval Weapons Station Charleston, including the Naval Consolidated Brig Charleston, are located in Hanahan. As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and used by the U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes only, Hanahan is included within the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville metropolitan area and the Charleston-North Charleston Urbanized Area.
Its first post office opened in 1980. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 17,997 to 20,325 (+13%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Hanahan, 1886 to 1986
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Hanahan post office opened in 1980, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Hanahan rank for history?
Hanahan is more historic than 11% of U.S. towns, #134 of 169 in South Carolina. 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.
What is on the National Register in Hanahan?
One place: the Otranto Plantation (listed 1978).
How old are the homes in Hanahan?
0.1% of Hanahan’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.5% for a South Carolina town; the median home was built in 1986.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.
2013
2013
2012
2011
