Awendaw is a town in
Charleston CountyCharleston County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. According to a 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, its population was 330,368. Its county seat is Charleston...
,
South CarolinaSouth Carolina is a U.S. state that borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence from the British Crown during the American Revolution. The colony was...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,195 at the 2000 census. It is part of the
CharlestonCharleston is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is the largest city and county seat of Charleston County. The city was founded as Charlestown or Charles Towne, Carolina in 1670, and moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of...
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North CharlestonNorth Charleston is a suburban city within the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville metropolitan area and is located in Charleston and Dorchester Counties. The population, as of 2009, currently stands at more than 95,000. This ranks the City of North Charleston as 3rd in city limit population...
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SummervilleSummerville is a town in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 48,091 as of August 2008. The city is a distant suburb of Charleston; and has thus experienced rapid population growth...
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Awendaw was named by the Seewee Native American or "Sewee" tribe. It is also home to an oyster shell mound created by the Seewee Tribe. It is often referred to as "The Spanish Fort". Most of the mound is still intact. The rest of it was destroyed to construct roads and homes for the citizens of Awendaw.
Awendaw is a town in
Charleston CountyCharleston County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. According to a 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, its population was 330,368. Its county seat is Charleston...
,
South CarolinaSouth Carolina is a U.S. state that borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence from the British Crown during the American Revolution. The colony was...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,195 at the 2000 census. It is part of the
CharlestonCharleston is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is the largest city and county seat of Charleston County. The city was founded as Charlestown or Charles Towne, Carolina in 1670, and moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of...
–
North CharlestonNorth Charleston is a suburban city within the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville metropolitan area and is located in Charleston and Dorchester Counties. The population, as of 2009, currently stands at more than 95,000. This ranks the City of North Charleston as 3rd in city limit population...
–
SummervilleSummerville is a town in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 48,091 as of August 2008. The city is a distant suburb of Charleston; and has thus experienced rapid population growth...
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Awendaw was named by the Seewee Native American or "Sewee" tribe. It is also home to an oyster shell mound created by the Seewee Tribe. It is often referred to as "The Spanish Fort". Most of the mound is still intact. The rest of it was destroyed to construct roads and homes for the citizens of Awendaw. The town was heavily damaged by
Hurricane HugoHurricane Hugo was a destructive Category 5 hurricane that struck Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Croix, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and North Carolina in September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season, killing 109 people and leaving nearly 100,000 homeless....
in September 1989, but did not receive as significant damage in 2004 when Hurricane Gaston made landfall in the region. In 1992, the town of Awendaw was first incorporated and elected its first mayor, Willam H. Alston, who is still mayor today.
Geography
Awendaw is located at (32.986445, -79.643451).
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the town has a total area of 8.4 square miles (21.9 km²), of which, 8.3 square miles (21.4 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (2.01%) is water.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 1,195 people, 400 households, and 312 families residing in the town. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 144.3 people per square mile (55.7/km²). There were 443 housing units at an average density of 53.5/sq mi (20.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 64.60% African American, 34.39% White, 0.08% Asian, 0.59% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population.
There were 400 households out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 19.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.47.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.5% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,250, and the median income for a family was $42,917. Males had a median income of $31,696 versus $21,422 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the town was $15,781. About 13.5% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.6% of those under age 18 and 18.1% of those age 65 or over.
Government
The town is run by an elected
Mayor-council governmentThe Mayor-Council government system, sometimes called the Mayor-Commission government system, is one of two variations of government used for the most part in modern representative municipal governments in the United States. It is also used in some other countries...
system.
Mayor
William H. Alston.
Council Members
- Nell C. Daniels
- Miriam C. Green
- Bryan McNeal, Jr.
- Samuel N. Robinson, Mayor Pro Tempor
- A referendum was passed to establish council districts and add two new council seats for the 2009 Election.
Administrator
Town Clerk
Constructions
The 609.6 meter high WCSC-Tower is one of the world's tallest constructions. The Media General Tower is also more than 600 meters high.
The Blue Crab Festival
(It's a fun event.)
To many Awendaw citizens crabbing is a hobby and one of the towns main economic resource. Every year in the summer the town has the Blue Crab Festival. It brings in money to the town, to use on its parks and to finish its water system that is under construction. It will not be completed until 2008.
Noble Awendaw citizens
William H. Alston - African American Mayor of The Year for 2005 and mayor of Awendaw since 1992.
Sam Thompson - Opened Awendaw's first grocery store,
Sam's Store. In 1929 it later became E & A Grocery & Gas and a
National LandmarkA National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance. All NHLs are listed in the National Register of Historic Places...
.
It was burnt down in July 2005 by robbers who set it on fire, broke into the store after hours and stole the cash register.
Racist Action
The Post and Courier
Tuesday, May 12, 2009:
"A council that has annexed large tracts of land in recent years rejected a request Monday night for a single 3.4-acre parcel to become part of the town.
Residents Robert and Susan Raynor petitioned to annex their Romain Retreat home, abutting the King Tract. Robert Raynor said he wanted to have a voice in town decisions.
However, Town Council voted 3-2 against the annexation, with Mayor William Alston and Council Members Bryan McNeal and Miriam Green voting no.
Planning Commission member Lewis White advised against the annexation, saying that the neighborhood, sitting between the King Tract and the Intracoastal Waterway, might eventually turn roads over to the town and would change the town's makeup by pulling a largely white community into Awendaw where about 64 percent are black.
In April, the council also rejected Cindy and John Allred's request to annex their Romain Retreat home into town.
The Allreds said they wanted to become part of town so they could have a say in decisions, including the development of the King Tract, a 1,300-acre parcel where developers could now build 965 homes.
During the meeting, Alston suggested postponing the annexation until the town could come up with a policy on annexing homes from neighborhoods that already have been developed.
He declined to elaborate on his decision after the meeting."
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