Hilton Head Island’s post office opened in 1962, and 6 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 13% of U.S. towns · #126 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it
Most of Hilton Head Island was built recently: 0.1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1956 on, and the census since 1990.
From Hilton Head Island’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers
How Hilton Head Island began
When was Hilton Head Island founded?
1962
The Hilton Head Island post office opened in 1962, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Hilton Head (1858), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 23,694 in 19902020 census: 37,66164 years
How historic is Hilton Head Island?
D
More historic than 13% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Hilton Head Island post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hilton Head Island’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hilton Head Island is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #126 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 Hilton Head Island’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 Hilton Head Island’s 1.6 sits near the middle of its state (49% of South Carolina towns have fewer) while its 6 listings outnumber those of 72% 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 (±0.1 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Hilton Head Island’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Sea Pines shell ring can be seen near the east entrance to the Sea Pines Forest Preserve. The ring, one of at least 50 known to exist, is 150 feet (46 m) in diameter and is believed to be over 4,000 years old. Archeologists believe that the ring was a refuse heap created by Indigenous people who lived in the interior of the ring. It was kept clear and used as a common area. Two other shell rings on Hilton Head were destroyed when the shells were removed and used to make tabby for roads and buildings. The Green's Shell Enclosure, Sea Pines, and Skull Creek shell rings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and are protected by law.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hilton Head Island. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1956Bluffton 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 Hilton Head Island.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewHilton Head, S.C. Rear view of Fort Walker LOC cwpb.00799, 1861
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Hilton Head Island’s page.
The Hilton Head Island post office opened in 1962, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Hilton Head Island rank for history?
Hilton Head Island is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #126 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 Hilton Head Island?
6 listings: 1 building, 2 sites, and 3 structures.
How old are the homes in Hilton Head Island?
0.1% of Hilton Head Island’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.5% for a South Carolina town; the median home was built in 1987.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (6), Wikipedia, 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.
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