Counties:  The beach or barrier island is in Colleton County and is incorporated as the Town of Edisto Beach.  The remainder of the island is in Charleston County.

Sewer/Septic – A few streets on the beach (barrier island) have sewer connections, but most lots utilize septic systems.  There is no sewer service available on the island, and all residents use septic systems.

Water – The Town of Edisto Beach has several wells that provide water to residents of the beach.  The Town water does contain trace amounts of salt to a sufficient level that most residents have reverse osmosis (RO) systems for ice or beverage usage.  The Town has public RO well valves at the Town Hall where both residents and visitors can fill containers.  For information on water service within the Town of Edisto Beach, you can contact the town hall at 843-869-2505.

All water on the island comes from individual private wells.

Garbage - For garbage pickup info or questions within the Town of Edisto Beach, you can contact the town hall at 843-869-2505.  Residents in Charleston County would need to contact the county to learn more about pickup options.  There is a small private service that may be able to assist you:

George Dossett

P. O. Box 553

Edisto Island

SC 29438 843-869-1627

Building Permit and Ordinances - Town of Edisto Beach – 843-869-2505

Power Company – South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G), 843-576-8000

Cable & Internet - Local cable service (television & internet) is provided by Comcast.  You can reach them at either (843) 554-4100 or (843) 559-2424.

Telephone & Internet - Telephone service (including internet) is provided by Bell South 888-764-2500 (Residential Services)

Schools – There are only two schools on the island.  The Edisto Beach Primary School (843-869-3542) provides elementary school services to beach residents (Colleton County).  Jane Edwards School (843-869-2124) provides elementary and middle school services on the island (Charleston County).  Depending on which county students live in, they go inland to high schools in Walterboro, Hollywood, or Charleston.   St Paul’s Academy (843-889-2702) is the closest private school and is in Hollywood, SC.

Weather - Our weather is quite mild during the winter.  The closer you live to the water, the milder the winter temperatures are.  A couple of miles will result in a significant difference.  For the worse seasons in recent memory, we only have one or two days where we reached freezing at the beach.  In 2007 we are not aware of any day that reached freezing, although several miles or so inland may have.  Summers are typical hot and humid and there are few surprises with this for anyone who has traveled in the South.  For serious consideration, we suggest you research mean temperatures and other data on some of the weather websites to give you specifics beyond the general info provided here.

Employment - Employment on the island is primarily associated with Tourism.  For a list of businesses (to contact for possible employment opportunities) on the island, please visit the chamber website (www.edistochamber.com).  The contact info for the local newspaper (The Edisto News) is also listed there and may provide other options for a job search.  Since there is little commercialization, individuals working in other careers commute off the island.  For careers in other sectors, you could consider either the Charleston, Beaufort, or Walterboro market.  Their respective chambers can likely assist you with some company names and suggestions.  The commute to Charleston, Beaufort, or Walterboro would be approximately one hour.

Business Licenses & Ordinances – For information on ordinances or licenses associated with conducting a business within the Town of Edisto Beach, you can contact the town hall at 843-869-2505. 

Healthcare – Edisto has one Doctor (General Practitioner) at the beach (Rebecca Borders 843-869-3111).  Although there are no pharmacies on the island, there are several near Highway 17 in either Hollywood or Ravenel (approximately 20 miles).  The closest options for other medical services (hospitals, etc.) would be in Charleston.  St Francis has a hospital on this side of Charleston in the West Ashley area.  It would be approximately 40 miles from the beach.  There are two dental practices on the island.

Housing

Rental - Long term rental units are difficult to find on Edisto.  There are no apartments on the island.  Most of the rental property is dedicated to tourism and thus are managed for short term visits.  Occasionally an owner rents out their house or a portion of it (duplex, garage apt, etc.), but these are not typically advertised anywhere except on local bulletin boards at the Post Office, etc.  The following are the realty companies who manage rental properties:

http://www.atwoodvacations.com/, 843-869-2151, 800-476-0126

http://www.edistorealty.com/, 843-869-2527, 800-868-5398

Egrets Point Townhouses, no web site, egretsp@bellsouth.net, 843-869-0100

http://Wyndhamoceanridge.com/, 843-869-4527, 877-296-6335

http://www.kapplyons.com/, 843-869-2516, 800-945-9667

Purchase – To purchase property, you can contact:

http://www.remaxlowcountry.com/, Atwood Vacations, 843-869-4455, 800-533-7145

http://www.edistorealty.com/, Edisto Sales and Rental Realty 843-869-2527, 800-868-5398

http://www.mariebost.com/,  Edisto Real Estate Company, 866-446-2743, 843-869-3939

http://www.kapplyons.com/, Prudential Kapp Lyons, 843-869-2516, 800-945-9667

http://www.seaislandrealty.com/, Coldwell Banker, 843-869-3163

We appreciate your interest in Edisto, and wish you luck with your relocation efforts.  If this has been helpful, and you are in contact with these businesses, please mention the Chamber so they can track referrals.