S*1029 Concurrent Resolution, By Ceips
 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE BEAUFORT COUNTY AS A VITAL PART OF OUR
 STATE, AND TO DECLARE JANUARY 30, 2008, "BEAUFORT COUNTY DAY" IN SOUTH
 CAROLINA.

   01/24/08  Senate Introduced, adopted, sent to House SJ-4
   01/29/08  House  Introduced, adopted, returned with concurrence HJ-11

TO RECOGNIZE BEAUFORT COUNTY AS A VITAL PART OF OUR STATE, AND TO DECLARE JANUARY 30, 2008, "BEAUFORT COUNTY DAY" IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

Whereas, Beaufort County was established by French explorers in 1562. Beaufort County and the Town of Beaufort were both named for Henry Somerset, Duke of Beaufort, one of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina; and

Whereas, the Town of Beaufort, the county seat of Beaufort County, was established in 1710, and is the second oldest town in South Carolina; and

Whereas, the first school in the South for freed slaves was established during the Civil War at what is now Penn Center on St. Helena Island; and

Whereas, Beaufort County is the fastest growing county in South Carolina, stretching thirty miles along the Atlantic coast and covering five hundred eighty-seven square miles, including sixty-four major islands; and

Whereas, in the past two decades, there have been one hundred thirty-five filmed productions in Beaufort County, including The Big Chill, Forrest Gump, the Jungle Book, G.I. Jane, and Something to Talk About, which have helped to bring in forty-four million dollars in spending; and

Whereas, Beaufort and Port Royal host three military bases, with more than seventeen thousand active duty military members and their families living in the area. Port Royal hosts the United States Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, as well as Parris Island Naval Hospital. Beaufort County is home to Marine Aircraft Group Thirty-One, one of the world's largest aircraft groups; and

Whereas, major employers in Beaufort County include Wal-Mart, the Department of Defense, Publix Super Markets, Tenet Healthsystem, Hargray Communications Group, and Marriott Resorts; and

Whereas, Hilton Head Island's twelve miles of beaches play host to two and one-half million visitors each year. Hilton Head Island has been featured on Good Morning America, the CBS Early Show, and the Today Show; and

Whereas, Hilton Head Island has received numerous awards, including Golf Digest's 2007-2008 One Hundred Greatest Golf Courses, Golf Digest's Seventy-five Best Golf Resorts, the Travel Channel's World's Best Beaches list, Top Three Beach Resorts in the South by Southern Living's readers, and South Carolina's Best Beaches by Frommers. Travel and Leisure Magazine has hailed Hilton Head's beaches as being among the most beautiful in the world; and

Whereas, Frommer's list of South Carolina's Best Golf Courses is compiled exclusively of courses in Beaufort County. The Town of Beaufort has received additional accolades, including a February 2008 Field and Stream magazine article naming Beaufort as one of the United State's top twenty fishing towns, and a December 2007 feature article in the New York Times. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:

That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly recognize Beaufort County as a vital part of our State, and declare January 30, 2008, "Beaufort County Day" in South Carolina.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce and Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce.