Investment Overview

Hardeeville is a city in Jasper and Beaufort counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 7,473 as of the 2020 census, an increase of over 150% since 2010. Hardeeville is included within the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. For many years, Hardeeville billed itself as the “Lowcountry Host” due to the prevalence of lodging and traveler-oriented facilities along U.S. Highway 17 and later Interstate 95. In recent years, the city has expanded its economic focus due to high population growth. According to Census estimates, Hardeeville posted the highest population growth rate of any municipality in South Carolina, growing 53.4 percent from 2010 to 2014. Downtown Hardeeville has traditionally been the center of commercial activity in the city, with traveler services along U.S. 17 mixing together with more local-oriented businesses along Main Street. Hardeeville’s two exits along Interstate 95 are some of South Carolina’s more popular stopping points, with traveler-oriented commercial services. Although Exit 5 has been in existence longer and has more commercial activity, Exit 8 has experienced recent commercial growth as well. Exit 8 also is the access point to the local hospital and a popular county park located within 1-mile of the exit. Among industrial and business park locations, the Hardeeville Industrial Park is among the most successful locations in the city, connected both to road and rail networks. Additional light industrial development is occurring in other areas of the city, especially along the Argent Boulevard and Highway 170 corridors. In addition to existing industrial locations, the proposed RiverPort development on the western and southern edges of the city intends to focus on logistics, transportation, and port-related industrial uses along the U.S. Highway 17 corridor. A future Exit 3 along Interstate 95 is planned to facilitate industrial development in RiverPort and alleviate truck congestion through downtown Hardeeville. New commercial opportunities are planned for along the U.S. 278 corridor.