. Isle of Palms Real Estate and Ocean Front Homes

Breathtaking! It is the word that comes to mind as one drives up the Connector Bridge and beholds the salt marsh, the Intracoastal Waterway, the beach and ocean surrounding the Isle of Palms, South Carolina.

And the sensation is not just the first time one sees it, but also every time in every season! The Isle of Palms, an Atlantic barrier island, has prided itself on being a family beach that is the perfect blend of approximately 5,000 fulltime residents and 20,000 to 50,000 investment owners and visitors who make it their home and destination

The entire 7-mile long and 1 mile wide island is an incorporated municipality. The city was incorporated in the year 1953. Attorney J.C. Long developed the island after World War II as an affordable place where service people could buy homes and raise a family.

The municipality offers residents and visitors a full range of city services to include police, fire, public works, recreation, building, planning, zoning, judicial and general government. Further, the City owns and operates a full service 5-acre marina site with launch services, dockage and fuel.

The WildDunes resort occupies 1,500 acres on the northern end of the island and offers residents and visitors two 18 hole golf courses, 17 tennis courts, etc. The resort is among the top ten nationally ranked tennis resorts.

While the Isle of Palms is a fabulous place to play, the overall quality of life is equally outstanding. The adjacent community of Mount Pleasant, just over the Isle of Palms Connector,  has a full Mount Pleasant is home to a hospital and numerous banking facilities. The Isle of Palms has three churches--the Lutheran Church, the First United Methodist Church and the Baptist Church.

Island History

Originally named Hunting Island and then Long Island, it's thought to be at least 25,000 years old and first inhabited by the indigenous Seewee Indians. The island remained without permanent inhabitants until the late 19th century when the island became recognized by locals of the area as a refuge from the summer heat and tempo of Charleston. The island was purchased in 1899 by J.S. Lawrence, who renamed it the Isle of Palms. A bridge link to the islands was established in 1946, and at that time most of the Isle of Palms was purchased by developer J.C. Long of The Beach Company

In the 1970's the rest of the world discovered the joys of the Isle of Palms, and real estate development blossomed. In 1975, the Sea Pines Co., one of the major developers of now renown Hilton Head Island, established a similar resort enterprise on 900 acres of land at the northeast end of the island. 

Isle of Palms is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. Isle of Palms is a barrier island on the South Carolina coast. Isle of Palms is included within the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville metropolitan area and the Charleston-North Charleston Urbanized Area. The town lies along a narrow strip of land, hugging the beach, separated from the mainland by the Intercoastal Waterway. It is an affluent community of both vacation home owners and year-round residents, with large beachfront homes, resorts, and local restaurants. Beach volleyball is popular in the summer, and the famed "Windjammer" restaurant features 1 court, hosting several tournaments throughout the year.