Tybee Island, Georgia
Tybee Island is a city and a barrier island in Chatham County, Georgia, 18 miles (29 km) east of Savannah. The name "Tybee Island" is used for both the island and the city, but geographically they are not identical: only part of the island's territory lies within the city.
The island is Georgia's easternmost point. The phrase "From Rabun Gap to Tybee Light", intended to illustrate Georgia's geographic diversity, contrasts a mountain pass near the state's northernmost point with the coastal island's lighthouse.
As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 3,114. The entire island is a part of the Savannah metropolitan statistical area.
Officially renamed Savannah Beach in a publicity move in 1929,[4] the city of Tybee Island reverted to its original name in 1978. The small island, which has long been a quiet beach getaway for Savannah residents, has become a popular vacation spot for tourists from outside the Savannah area. Tybee Island is home to the first of what eventually became the Days Inn chain of hotels, the oft-photographed Tybee Island Light Station, and the Fort Screven Historic District.
The U.S. Air Force accidentally dropped an atomic bomb into the sea off Tybee Island during a botched 1958 military training exercise. Though the "Tybee Bomb" did not detonate (according to some reports, it was never armed with a fuse), there has been ongoing concern because the Mark 15 nuclear bomb lost during the mishap was never recovered.
Events[edit]
Every year since 1987, Tybee Island has had a Beach Bum parade, traditionally held in May the weekend before Memorial Day weekend. The parade route comes down Tybee's main road, Butler Avenue, and when parade floats come by onlookers have been known to shoot each other with water guns.[23]
Tybee Pirate Fest, which began in 2005, is typically held the weekend before Columbus Day.[24]
Tybee Island was formerly home to "Orange Crush," an annual beach party attracting thousands of students from historically Black colleges and universities. The 2019 event was canceled after an organizer was arrested, and future events were moved to Jacksonville Beach, Florida, with organizers citing "lack of resources, limited parking, civil rights violations, and political injustices."[25]
City Hall
Sunrise from the Tybee Pier
Fort Screven and the North Beach, viewed from the Tybee Lighthouse
Tybee Pier and Pavilion
Tybrisa Street
Tybee Island Pier in Savannah, Georgia
The south tip of Tybee Island at low tide
Lazaretto Marsh, off the western shore of Tybee Island
Sunrise over north beach
Entrance to The Crab Shack, a popular spot on Tybee Island
