Tybee Island, Georgia
Tybee Island is an island and a present-day city in
Chatham County,
Georgia near the city of
Savannah. As of the
2000 census, the city population was 3,392.
Tybee Island may be best known outside of Georgia as the home of the
Tybee Bomb, a
nuclear weapon that was lost offshore on
February 5,
1958. Officially renamed "Savannah Beach" in a publicity move at the end of the
1950s, the city of Tybee Island has since reverted to its original name (although maps show the use of the name "Savannah Beach" as far back as 1952 on official state maps). [
1]. The small island, which has long been a quiet getaway for the residents of
Savannah, has become a popular vacation spot with tourists from outside the Savannah metropolitan area.
Tybee Island is also the site of the first of what became the
Days Inn chain of hotels.
Tybee Island was originally inhabited by the
Euchee Native American tribe and gave the island its name:
tybee is a Euchee word for
salt.
Later, in the
1500s the Spanish laid claim to the island and named it Los Bajos. During that time the island was frequented by
pirates who used the island to hide from those who pursued them. Pirates later used the island's inland waterways for a fresh water source. As Spain gave up its claim to the island, and the surrounding areas stretching down to modern day
Florida, English and French settlements sprang up around the area.
In
1733 English settlers led by
James Oglethorpe settled on Tybee Island before moving on to settle eventually in
Savannah. In
1736 John Wesley, founder of the
Methodist Church, arrived on Tybee Island.
Lighthouse
|
Tybee Island Light Station today |
The Tybee Island
lighthouse was built in the year
1736. The lighthouse was made of
brick and
wood,and was standing 90 feet tall; it was the highest structure in America at that time. Five years later the lighthouse was destroyed by a horrible storm.
In
1742 a second lighthouse was finished; this version reached 94 feet tall 4 feet taller than the first lighthouse. In
1773 a third lighthouse was built which was also destroyed, this time in
1862 by
Confederate troops from nearby
Fort Pulaski. Of the 100 feet of the third lighthouse only 60 feet remained which served as a rebuilding point for a fourth lighthouse.
In
1869 it was decided that the
lighthouse must be protected from ever increasing
tides and
gale force winds so it was moved 164 feet back from the shoreline. In the years from
1871 and
1886 the walls of the lighthouse became cracked by storm forces and later the light lens was broken by the
Charleston earthquake of 1886.
The latest
incarnation of the Tybee Island
lighthouse stands at 154 feet and in 1933 became an electrically driven lighthouse. Due to the fact that modern marine navigation techniques outgrew the need for such a lighthouse the Tybee Island lighthouse became obsolete. Just three weeks after it became electrically driven it was donated to the
Georgia Historical Society by the U.S. government.
 |
Location of Tybee Island, Georgia |
Tybee Island is located at (32.006672, -80.849374).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.9
km² (2.7
mi²). 6.6 km² (2.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (4.49%) is water.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 3,392 people, 1,568 households, and 901 families residing in the city. The
population density was 511.6/km² (1,326.3/mi²). There were 2,696 housing units at an average density of 406.6/km² (1,054.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.93%
White, 1.89%
African American, 0.56%
Native American, 0.85%
Asian, 0.06% from
other races, and 0.71% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.27% of the population.
There were 1,568 households out of which 15.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were
married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.5% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.62.
In the city the population was spread out with 13.8% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 35.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $49,741, and the median income for a family was $58,462. Males had a median income of $45,833 versus $30,694 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $32,406. About 5.3% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.
*
Fort Pulaski National Monument* Tybee Island Marine Science Center
* Tybee Island
Pier & Pavilion
*
Georgia's Coast in photographs and more*
Tybee Island official website*
Tybee Island Light Station*
Tybee Guide, a commercial website
*
Tybee Visit.com, official site of Tybee Island Chamber of Commerce
*
Tybee Dolphins.com, a commercial website
*
Tybee Island Information, a commercial website
*
Tybee Island Real Estate, a commercial website
