Skidaway Island, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Skidaway Island, Georgia
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Location in Chatham County and the state of Georgia
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| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Chatham |
| Area | |
| • Total | 17.86 sq mi (46.26 km2) |
| • Land | 16.49 sq mi (42.71 km2) |
| • Water | 1.37 sq mi (3.55 km2) |
| Elevation | 10 ft (3 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 9,310 |
| • Density | 564.55/sq mi (217.97/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| FIPS code | 13-71184 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1867245 |
Skidaway Island is a barrier island and census-designated place (CDP) in Chatham County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,310 at the 2020 census. An affluent community located south of Savannah, Skidaway Island is known for its waterfront properties and golf courses within The Landings, one of the largest gated communities in the country. A separate area of the island hosts the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, a research institution operated by the University of Georgia. It receives scholars and researchers from several other Georgia universities as well, including Georgia Tech, Savannah State University, and the College of Coastal Georgia. Skidaway Island is part of the Savannah Metropolitan Statistical Area.
It is uncertain why the name "Skidaway" was applied to this island; the name may be derived from a word in Yamacraw or another Native American Creek language. In his 1967 publication How Georgia Got Her Names, Hal E. Brinkley stated that the name might be an Anglicized form of Scenawki, the wife of the Yamacraw chief Tomochichi, for whom Georgia's founder James Oglethorpe named the island.
In a March 2019 referendum, Skidaway Island voters overwhelmingly rejected a bill that would have incorporated their community as the City of Skidaway Island. The island remains unincorporated.
Geography
Skidaway Island is located at 31°55′39″N 81°2′33″W / 31.92750°N 81.04250°W (31.927434, -81.042505).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 17.9 square miles (46 km2), of which 16.4 square miles (42 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) (8.45%) is water.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1980 | 1,264 | — | |
| 1990 | 4,495 | 255.6% | |
| 2000 | 6,914 | 53.8% | |
| 2010 | 8,341 | 20.6% | |
| 2020 | 9,310 | 11.6% | |
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2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
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| White (non-Hispanic) | 8,605 | 92.43% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 97 | 1.04% |
| Asian | 184 | 1.98% |
| Other/Mixed | 217 | 2.33% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 207 | 2.22% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,310 people, 4,272 households, and 3,014 families residing in the CDP.
Notable people
- Bobby Thomson, baseball great, who died at his home there on August 16, 2010.
- Dorothea Orem, nursing theorist, who died at her home on Skidaway Island on June 22, 2007.
- Bette B Anderson Wood, first female under secretary of the treasury under President Jimmy Carter.
- Ron Senkowski, founder of Farmer's Almanac TV.
See also
In Spanish: Skidaway Island para niños
