Okatie, South Carolina

Okatie (pronounced "OH-kuh-tee") is a primarily rural area located in Beaufort and Jasper counties in South Carolina. Okatie takes its name from the nearby Okatee River, an estuary of the Port Royal Sound. The headquarters of the Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority are located in Okatie, as are the Beaufort-Jasper Academy for Career Excellence and Pope John Paul II Catholic High School.

Okatie is an unincorporated area stretching from southcentral Jasper County to western Beaufort County, between I-95 and SC 462.^[1] It was designated a voting precinct on March 1, 1916, by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina.^[2] Portions of Okatie have been annexed by Bluffton, Hardeeville and Port Royal. South Carolina Highway 170 (also known as Okatie Highway) is generally considered to be the main route through Okatie.

Okatie has experienced predominantly low-density residential development since the 1990s, including Sun City Hilton Head, Riverbend, and Oldfield. Additional commercial and low intensity industrial development have also occurred, primarily in the Jasper County sections of Okatie. This development pattern has resulted in concerns over water quality and loss of forest habitat for wildlife. Previous efforts to incorporate the community have been unsuccessful, due in part to conflicting opinions on the future of growth and development in the area.

References

The Lowcountry of South Carolina
Counties	Beaufort County Colleton County Hampton County Jasper County Charleston region
Major communities	Beaufort Bluffton Estill Hampton Hardeeville Hilton Head Island Port Royal Ridgeland Sun City Walterboro Varnville Yemassee
Sea Islands	Callawassie Island Daufuskie Island Edisto Island Fripp Island Harbor Island Hilton Head Island Hunting Island Lady's Island Port Royal Island St. Helena Island
History & culture	Historic places Beaufort history of historic district Cuisine Gullah culture Port Royal Experiment Sea Islands Hurricane
Military installations	Laurel Bay MCAS Beaufort MCRD Parris Island Beaufort Naval Hospital
Natural areas	ACE Basin Pinckney Island NWR Savannah NWR Sea Islands State parks Colleton Hunting Island Lake Warren
Other articles	BJWSA Hargray Sea Pines TCL USC-Beaufort RBC Heritage

Municipalities and communities of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States
County seat: Beaufort
Cities	Beaufort Hardeeville‡
Towns	Bluffton Hilton Head Island Port Royal Yemassee‡
CDPs	Burton Laurel Bay Shell Point
Unincorporated communities	Bloody Point Frogmore Lobeco Okatie Pritchardville Seabrook Sheldon Sun City‡
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

Municipalities and communities of Jasper County, South Carolina, United States
County seat: Ridgeland
City	Hardeeville‡
Town	Ridgeland
Unincorporated communities	Coosawhatchie Gillisonville Grahamville Grays Levy Limehouse Okatie Old House Pineland Pocotaligo Point South Robertville Sun City‡ Switzerland Tarboro Tillman
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

Coordinates: 32°17′51″N 80°57′04″W / 32.29750°N 80.95111°W / 32.29750; -80.95111