• Skip to Content
• Skip to Navigation

HiltonHeadRealEstateSearch.com

Your Link to MLS

If you can't find it fun... You can't find it.

Hilton Head Island and Bluffton, SC: The Best of Both Worlds

 

Hilton Head Island and Bluffton, South Carolina, are located at the southernmost tip of the state directly along the Atlantic Ocean. These two towns and their surrounds are a collection of remarkably diverse communities filled with welcoming, friendly people. And, of course, they are blessed by a delightfully moderate climate that encourages a lifestyle that is just too much fun! Two factors - friendly, active people and geographic location – give the newcomer the best of two worlds.

World #1: The Resort: Fun, Fun, Fun

 

Hilton Head Island itself is a world-renowned oceanfront resort, featuring twelve miles of sugar-sand Atlantic beaches, celebrated golf courses crafted by the top course designers in the world and its internationally-ranked tennis facilities.

The Island has recently been named as one of The Top Ten Family Beaches in the US. On the Island and in Bluffton, you’ll get a little taste of everything with more than 300 restaurants, 36 golf courses, hundreds of boutiques and big box stores.

The Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway offer an unlimited variety of boating activities from kayaking to deep-sea fishing for the big ones or inshore adventures for catching red fish, sea bass cobia and a myriad of other delicious fish. And don't forget the bounty of summer-time blue crabs and succulent shrimp and oysters. Sailing is very popular and the area sports many marinas and even protected harbors.

 

Keep in mind all of this activity is supported by a year 'round temperate sub-tropical climate. Sweaters in winter, light jackets in early spring and fall and whatever you like in summer clothing the rest of the year. Gardening is popular and, of course, just plain restful sun bathing and lolling about on the beach.

The Lowcountry is located directly on the coastal migratory route for a multitude of birds. Bird lovers will spot over 250 varieties of birds over the course of a year. Other wildlife abounds as well. It is not rare to spot a wily raccoon peering around a tree in your backyard or an occasional white tail deer or even a coastal red fox. There are many protected nature preserves and even two rare wood stork rookeries.

Link to the Hilton Head-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce Web site: www.hiltonheadisland.org/

World #2A: The "Community" of Hilton Head Island

 

The key word here is “community”. Just a short visit and it becomes apparent that the area's greatest asset is its people. The diverse and cosmopolitan population has, over the last fifty plus years, evolved into the East Coast's most dynamic, involved group of friendly people.

Hilton Head Island is not just another sleepy beach burg with towel shops and pancake houses. Charles Fraser, a young Yale Law School graduate, put his remarkable visionary genius to work by spearheading in 1957 the first PUD (Planned Unit Development) built in America since the 1920's. He envisioned a true “community”, not just a resort enclave.

Thus he stimulated the building of churches of nearly every denomination, theaters and places for showing and producing art, parks and playgrounds with gathering places on a human scale, schools, recreation centers, hospitals, etc. Whenever possible he would donate land, money, space or buildings.

Now, 50+ years later a real town with an astonishingly deep community spirit exists and compliments the all the natural beauty and recreational amenities.

Link to The Town of Hilton Head Island Web site: www.hiltonheadislandsc.gov/

World #2B: The "Community" of Bluffton

 

While all this was happening, just across the bridge, residents of historic Bluffton, one of the oldest towns (founded in 1852) in SC, were watching and waiting. Bluffton was a sleepy little town in the shadow of its big brother with the 12 miles of beaches. But in the 1990’s the development concepts that had attracted tens of thousands to the Island spilled over the bridges to Greater Bluffton. And Bluffton was no longer sleepy.

Today Greater Bluffton is home to some of the area’s finest communities, shopping, restaurants, golf courses, entertainment, etc.

Bluffton’s most striking feature is the May River, a pristine waterway that has strongly contributed to the Town's history and continued success. The one-square-mile, historic Old Town sits on a high bluff (thus the name “Bluffton”) overlooking the winding waters of the River.

Ancient oak trees draped with Spanish moss line the quaint streets of Old Town Bluffton. Many of the town’s 19th-century homes have been transformed into cafes, galleries and antique shops where regulars greet old friends and welcome newcomers with infectious Southern hospitality.

Click here to learn more about Bluffton and search for real estate in Bluffton. Link to The Town of Bluffton Web site: www.townofbluffton.com

World #2C: For Those Living in the Hilton Head/Bluffton Area Boredom is Not an Option

The area boasts four performing arts theaters, numerous art galleries, a full symphony orchestra, not to mention a continuing International Piano Competition that annually sends the winner to a Carnegie Hall debut as part of the prize. There are several first run movie theaters, a fine arts movie house, an environmental and cultural museum, two town governments with lots of volunteer civic opportunities, six medical centers and two first-rate, fully equipped hospitals.

Educationally speaking, there are three private and two fine public high schools. And now, most recently and with great pride, the fully functional, four-year baccalaureate University of South Carolina-Beaufort opened its doors! Plus a popular two-year technical college is available.

The area's affluent, well educated population has evolved over 130 special interest clubs spanning the arts, literature, bridge, mahjong, needlework and quilting and including, of course, the various forms of painting, photography and sculpture. There are branches of all of America's major charitable and fraternal organizations, all very active. And if all this weren't enough there is a sprinkling of excellent private and public fitness centers in the area and a full cadre of personal trainers. And every year a full calendar of festivals, picnics, wine tastings, chili cook-offs, oyster roasts and crab boils, craft fairs, art shows, car shows, boat shows, fishing tournaments. Are you getting the idea? Boredom in the Lowcountry is simply not an option!

Living in or near one of the finest family-oriented resorts in America among active, friendly people is truly the “best of both worlds”!

Your best and safest guide

Emboldened by the complex and varied real estate environment, Rick Turner and Associates are highly experienced in helping buyers accomplish their real estate goals. They have become the area's experts in helping buyers navigate the labyrinth of options so that they get the perfect community, the best property, the lowest price and the ideal terms. As you explore this site you will find rich and useful detail on all the communities, offerings and informational resources. Rick and Team will be your best and safest guide to finding what you need and want.

Click here to start your real estate search. Or click here to start your "what communities are right for me" search.

If you have questions about specific properties or real estate in general, contact us. We're happy to help.