Gullahs descend from West Africans brought to South Carolina to work as slaves on rice plantations. Several Gullah communities, speaking a dialect traced back to the region that is now Angola, still exist among the state's islands. One prospective development plan outlined a proposal for a resort with equestrian trails, golf courses, a marina, and enough condominiums to house nearly 20,000. Like most Sandy Island adults, she rides a small boat every day to the mainland. There, she picks up her car at a parking lot and drives to work in nearby Myrtle Beach.
Children take ferries to coastal schools.
You know everyone on the island. Even children who have ended up leaving find time to come back to visit. A bridge, she says, would change everything. Pyatt says community members expect a bridge will be built some day, but they hope it can be used to promote nature-based tourism. That will allow us to continue our natural way of living.