South Carolina Lowcountry

The South Carolina Lowcountry is a term used to describe the Palmetto State's central and southern coastal counties including Georgetown, Charleston, Colleton, Beaufort and Jasper. The coastline contains many salt marshes and estuaries, as well as a few natural ports. The Lowcountry's economic center is the harbor city of Charleston. Other important centers in the region include the cities of Georgetown and Beaufort.

The area contains more than its share of culture and history. Of special interest is the Gullah influence on St. Helena Island, and the other European settlements near Beaufort and the Sea Islands. The Gullah speak an English-based creole language containing numerous African words and large influences from African spoken languages in sentence structure.

The Lowcountry has a subtropical climate. Coastal areas of the state have mild winters with high temperatures approaching an average of 60 degrees and overnight lows in the 40s.

The history of the colonial period of South Carolina has its beginnings in French, Spanish, and English attempts to colonize North America. By the end of the 16th century, the Spanish and French had left the area of present-day South Carolina. The colony of Carolina was first settled at Charles Town in 1670, for the most part by immigrants from the English colony of Barbados sent by the Lords Proprietors. These were followed by French Huguenots. The Barbadian colonists greatly influenced Carolina culture. They brought a social system and economy rooted in European feudalism and slave-based sugar plantations. They also imported African slaves who were needed to supply the labor for the first cash crops, rice and indigo.

Throughout the Colonial era, the Carolinas were involved in numerous wars with the Spanish and the Native Americans, especially the Yamasee, Apalachee, and Cherokee. During the Yamasee War of 1715-1717 South Carolina  — particularly the Lowcountry settlers — faced near-annihilation due to Indian attacks and the colony nearly collapsed.

There was a single government of the (undivided) Carolinas based in Charleston until 1712, when a separate government under the Lords Proprietors was established for North Carolina. In 1719, the Crown bought the South Carolina colony from the Lords Proprietor and appointed Royal Governors. By 1729, the Lords Proprietors had sold all their interests back to the Crown and then the separate royal colonies of North Carolina and South Carolina were created.