HISTORY OF BLUFFTON

The more things change, the more things stay the same.

While Blu ton has experienced exponential growth since 1998, the way the town operates remains very similar to the way it operated since the 1800s. For one, Blu ton residents have always been known as eclectic, artistic, fun and a bit of a rebellious community – that community character trait remains true today. As in the 1800s, Calhoun Street Dock was a stopover for steamboats on the Savannah-Beaufort County route. Today, boats still dock at Calhoun Street so people can gather with their neighbors and friends and dine and shop in the center of Blu ton.

For most of its existence, Blu ton was only one-square mile. What is now known as Blu ton’s Historic District was the town’s original jurisdictional boundaries. Back in the 1800s, our town was named “Blu ton,” due to being located on the blu , above the May River.

Blu ton, South Carolina was settled in 1825 as a seasonal retreat for regional rice and cotton planters. The high blu s of the May River provided the luxury of a river breeze which helped families escape the heat, mosquitos, and illnesses such as yellow fever and malaria which were a part of Lowcountry plantation life in the summer.

Blu ton remained one-square mile until 1987. With the news of the Sun City developing nearby, Blu ton Town Councilmembers asked themselves, “Growth will be at our doorstep in a few years, what can we do now to ensure we have a voice and a vote to determine our community’s future?”

That’s when the Town started annexing land, reviewing development agreements, and having a vision for the future.

In 1998, Palmetto Blu , which is similar in size to Hilton Head Island, annexed into the town which started a domino e ect of other land tracts being annexed. Today, Blu ton is 54-square miles – the fifth largest municipality in South Carolina.