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Many people are probably familiar with St. Simon's from the 30th g8 summit, though they technically refer to it as Sea Island (more on that in a moment). St Si

Many people are probably familiar with St. Simon's from the 30th g8 summit, though they technically refer to it as Sea Island (more on that in a moment). St Simon's has changed over the years. It's finally succumbing to development though they are being careful about it so as not to kill the golden goose (a very private feeling island). Most of the people that lived there prior to its rise in popularity have been driven out by high prices or cashed out if they were lucky enough to own land. The Eastern part of the island has become much more accessible to lower income populations. (edit: I've got this next sentence wrong as corrected in a comment below)Rich homeowners, as a result, erected a guarded gate in front of Sea Island (basically part of SSI) to keep everyone out. I still love SSI. My only hope is that it doesn't continue on the path it's currently on. Privacy and exclusion are separate ideas. SSI can still be private, but it doesn't necessarily have to exclusive. My hope is that can change. However, my head tells me that everything I like about SSI is scarce and prices will only continue to climb, driving away those not fortunate enough to afford it.

TheBeardKing 8y ago
The same thing happend to Hilton Head Island, SC. Most of the south end has become a gated community. Hunting Island, SC as well - Fripp Island is a gated community. My biggest hope is that Cumberland Island, GA can avoid this fate. It has no bridge to it, and most of it is preserved as wilderness area, but the county seems to be trying its hardest to develop what private land remains on the island. It's a real shame, because it's one of the last wild, preserved islands anyone can get to by booking a ferry with the park service.
- mieseratte 8y ago
  > The same thing happend to Hilton Head Island, SC. Most of the south end has become a gated community. Hilton Head native here, I don't think the HHI history is quite the same. Prior to Fraser kicking off the island as we know it in the '50s, it was basically just a handful of Freedmen farmers, Gullah natives and a rather large hunting reserve for the rich. Also, while some of the gated communities don't allow the riff-raff in, unless you decide to bike or make a restaurant reservation, some still do, most notably Sea Pines. Also, the Town of is rather cognizant of their place as a very natural, family-friendly island and goes to great pains to preserve land[0] and limit what and how folks build[1][2] to preserve the nature of the island. I think Kiawah or Seabrook up the coast make for a more apt comparison. > Hunting Island, SC as well - Fripp Island is a gated community. Wait, Hunting Island and Fripp Island are discrete, separate islands with Hunting Island being a State Park. What's the problem with Hunting Island? [0] - https://www.hiltonheadislandsc.gov/council/landacquisition.cfm https://www.hiltonheadislandsc.gov/council/landacquisition.c... [1] - https://www.islandpacket.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/david-lauderdale/article189741679.html https://www.islandpacket.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/david... [2] - https://www.islandpacket.com/news/business/article33627555.html https://www.islandpacket.com/news/business/article33627555.h...
  - TheBeardKing 8y ago
    Fripp Island was inline with discussion on the privatization of beaches. The only bridge to get to Fripp Island is through Hunting Island, and they don't let non-residents through. Sea Pines is a little more lax since it's not as elite as Sea Island - they don't check the credentials of cyclists, and it's the only way I've visted. I'm not sure how much of the beach is considered public in east coast states, I know CA has laws against full privatization. But by gating the only road access, you've effectively privatized the beach unless you kayak there or something.
    - mieseratte 8y ago
      > they don't check the credentials of cyclists, and it's the only way I've visted. They sell tourist passes for $6 (Used to be $5... damn inflation). > I'm not sure how much of the beach is considered public in east coast states In the state of SC, there is no such thing as a private beach. Of course if the island is fully gated, it would require boat access. In the case of Fripp, there is no public parking insofar as I'm aware but one could park at the edge of Hunting Island, walk across the bridge, then access the beach as the gates are inset. Of course I'm also sure the security folks would try and make you feel unwelcome. One of those "can't beat the ride, can beat the rap" situations.
- teddyc 8y ago
  Cumberland Island is an awesome place to camp. I have some very fond memories of it.
  - cpursley 8y ago
    Yes! It's a great place to get away from civilization for a bit and camp with family or friends: https://www.nps.gov/cuis/planyourvisit/camping.htm https://www.nps.gov/cuis/planyourvisit/camping.htm
    - TheBeardKing 8y ago
      But if you have a lot of money you don't have to bother with the bugs and the riff-raff at the campground, you can overnight in a B&B[1]! Make sure you bring your dinner jacket though. They even provide a private ferry from Fernandina Beach, FL, so no risk of accidentally touching any smelly campers. [1]http://greyfieldinn.com http://greyfieldinn.com
  - jmckib 8y ago
    I'm camping there next week! Anything I should make sure to see? I have heard there are wild horses but I'm not sure where to look for them.
    - gebeeson 8y ago
      The horses roam all over the place - I can nearly guarantee you that you won't miss them. They are everywhere! As to where to go and what to see - choose one of the trails that hits the beach. Lots to see!
- watersb 8y ago
  Cumberland Island — one of my favorite places on the planet — is a National Park, I believe. Ironically, it was a gated community before that was cool, but had to be evacuated during World War II because of German U-Boat threat. So now anyone can visit. As long as the ferry is running.
jcater 8y ago
I live on St Simons. You're conflating two islands here -- Sea Island is a separate island that has been privately owned since at least the 1920s. You have to drive across St Simons to get to Sea Island. For sure, Sea Island is a high end, gated resort community of a few hundred people. St Simons is home to about 12k people. It has been an expensive place to live since at least the 80s. I, too, share your concerns about the current development going on -- I'm not sure the developers are in fact being careful about killing the golden goose. Developers are cutting down our historic oak trees and indiscriminately putting up cheaply built condos as fast as the corrupt planning commission will let them. This is the perfect opportunity to plug the St Simons Land Trust: https://www.sslt.org/ https://www.sslt.org/
- thieving_magpie 8y ago
  I worried that the oral history I'd always gotten about Sea Island was off. I should have checked into that. Are my memories of riding bikes to it as a kid off base? You're right developers are destroying trees. I guess what I was alluding to was the historical restrictions on building sizes and things like that.
- fhood 8y ago
  Feels inevitable though. As soon as some developer gets it in their head that they have found the next retirement community, hundreds of condos spring up overnight. What's worse is when things don't pan out, and you are left with hundreds of half finished condos.
- robbrown451 8y ago
  If you look at it on a map, it's pretty ambiguous where to draw the lines to make islands. I think in a geographical sense, Sea Island could very well be considered part of St Simons.
- adrr 8y ago
  This same attitude is why SF has a housing crisis.
  - 8y ago
brightball 8y ago
> Most of the people that lived there prior to its rise in popularity have been driven out by high prices or cashed out if they were lucky enough to own land. This is happening all over the South Carolina coast as well.

TheBeardKing 8y ago

The same thing happend to Hilton Head Island, SC. Most of the south end has become a gated community. Hunting Island, SC as well - Fripp Island is a gated community. My biggest hope is that Cumberland Island, GA can avoid this fate. It has no bridge to it, and most of it is preserved as wilderness area, but the county seems to be trying its hardest to develop what private land remains on the island. It's a real shame, because it's one of the last wild, preserved islands anyone can get to by booking a ferry with the park service.

mieseratte 8y ago
> The same thing happend to Hilton Head Island, SC. Most of the south end has become a gated community. Hilton Head native here, I don't think the HHI history is quite the same. Prior to Fraser kicking off the island as we know it in the '50s, it was basically just a handful of Freedmen farmers, Gullah natives and a rather large hunting reserve for the rich. Also, while some of the gated communities don't allow the riff-raff in, unless you decide to bike or make a restaurant reservation, some still do, most notably Sea Pines. Also, the Town of is rather cognizant of their place as a very natural, family-friendly island and goes to great pains to preserve land[0] and limit what and how folks build[1][2] to preserve the nature of the island. I think Kiawah or Seabrook up the coast make for a more apt comparison. > Hunting Island, SC as well - Fripp Island is a gated community. Wait, Hunting Island and Fripp Island are discrete, separate islands with Hunting Island being a State Park. What's the problem with Hunting Island? [0] - https://www.hiltonheadislandsc.gov/council/landacquisition.cfm https://www.hiltonheadislandsc.gov/council/landacquisition.c... [1] - https://www.islandpacket.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/david-lauderdale/article189741679.html https://www.islandpacket.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/david... [2] - https://www.islandpacket.com/news/business/article33627555.html https://www.islandpacket.com/news/business/article33627555.h...
- TheBeardKing 8y ago
  Fripp Island was inline with discussion on the privatization of beaches. The only bridge to get to Fripp Island is through Hunting Island, and they don't let non-residents through. Sea Pines is a little more lax since it's not as elite as Sea Island - they don't check the credentials of cyclists, and it's the only way I've visted. I'm not sure how much of the beach is considered public in east coast states, I know CA has laws against full privatization. But by gating the only road access, you've effectively privatized the beach unless you kayak there or something.
  - mieseratte 8y ago
    > they don't check the credentials of cyclists, and it's the only way I've visted. They sell tourist passes for $6 (Used to be $5... damn inflation). > I'm not sure how much of the beach is considered public in east coast states In the state of SC, there is no such thing as a private beach. Of course if the island is fully gated, it would require boat access. In the case of Fripp, there is no public parking insofar as I'm aware but one could park at the edge of Hunting Island, walk across the bridge, then access the beach as the gates are inset. Of course I'm also sure the security folks would try and make you feel unwelcome. One of those "can't beat the ride, can beat the rap" situations.
teddyc 8y ago
Cumberland Island is an awesome place to camp. I have some very fond memories of it.
- cpursley 8y ago
  Yes! It's a great place to get away from civilization for a bit and camp with family or friends: https://www.nps.gov/cuis/planyourvisit/camping.htm https://www.nps.gov/cuis/planyourvisit/camping.htm
  - TheBeardKing 8y ago
    But if you have a lot of money you don't have to bother with the bugs and the riff-raff at the campground, you can overnight in a B&B[1]! Make sure you bring your dinner jacket though. They even provide a private ferry from Fernandina Beach, FL, so no risk of accidentally touching any smelly campers. [1]http://greyfieldinn.com http://greyfieldinn.com
- jmckib 8y ago
  I'm camping there next week! Anything I should make sure to see? I have heard there are wild horses but I'm not sure where to look for them.
  - gebeeson 8y ago
    The horses roam all over the place - I can nearly guarantee you that you won't miss them. They are everywhere! As to where to go and what to see - choose one of the trails that hits the beach. Lots to see!
watersb 8y ago
Cumberland Island — one of my favorite places on the planet — is a National Park, I believe. Ironically, it was a gated community before that was cool, but had to be evacuated during World War II because of German U-Boat threat. So now anyone can visit. As long as the ferry is running.

jcater 8y ago

I live on St Simons. You're conflating two islands here -- Sea Island is a separate island that has been privately owned since at least the 1920s. You have to drive across St Simons to get to Sea Island. For sure, Sea Island is a high end, gated resort community of a few hundred people. St Simons is home to about 12k people. It has been an expensive place to live since at least the 80s. I, too, share your concerns about the current development going on -- I'm not sure the developers are in fact being careful about killing the golden goose. Developers are cutting down our historic oak trees and indiscriminately putting up cheaply built condos as fast as the corrupt planning commission will let them. This is the perfect opportunity to plug the St Simons Land Trust: https://www.sslt.org/ https://www.sslt.org/

thieving_magpie 8y ago
I worried that the oral history I'd always gotten about Sea Island was off. I should have checked into that. Are my memories of riding bikes to it as a kid off base? You're right developers are destroying trees. I guess what I was alluding to was the historical restrictions on building sizes and things like that.
fhood 8y ago
Feels inevitable though. As soon as some developer gets it in their head that they have found the next retirement community, hundreds of condos spring up overnight. What's worse is when things don't pan out, and you are left with hundreds of half finished condos.
robbrown451 8y ago
If you look at it on a map, it's pretty ambiguous where to draw the lines to make islands. I think in a geographical sense, Sea Island could very well be considered part of St Simons.
adrr 8y ago
This same attitude is why SF has a housing crisis.
- 8y ago

brightball 8y ago

> Most of the people that lived there prior to its rise in popularity have been driven out by high prices or cashed out if they were lucky enough to own land. This is happening all over the South Carolina coast as well.