| Official Name: | Beech Island, South Carolina |
| Settlement Type: | Census-designated place |
| Pushpin Map: | South Carolina |
| Pushpin Label: | Beech Island |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Coordinates: | 33.4275°N -81.8908°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Aiken |
| Population Total: | 1421 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 29842 |
| Area Codes: | 803, 839 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1245034[1] |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 45-04915 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [2] |
| Area Total Km2: | 12.99 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 5.02 |
| Area Land Km2: | 12.74 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.25 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 4.92 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.10 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 288.76 |
| Population Density Km2: | 111.50 |
Beech Island is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Aiken County, South Carolina, United States.[3] It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 1,421.[4]
According to tradition, the community was first named "Beech Highland" on account of its lofty elevation, and over time the H was dropped, causing the present name to be adopted.[5]
Beech Island was primarily an agricultural community before the 1950s. Cotton, wheat, corn, and soybean were the major crops. This changed with the construction of Urquhart Station Power Station and the nearby Savannah River Nuclear Project. New highways were built to accommodate the workers commuting to the Nuclear Project. Commerce grew and the community began to change. In the 1960s Kimberly-Clark built a large manufacturing facility on what was once farmland, creating more jobs. The boom, however, was short-lived.
Beech Island's most famous resident was James Brown, who lived there for the last few decades of his life on a 60acres estate. Brown is buried in the Thomas Family Home Crypt on Beech Island.
The Cedars, Fort Moore-Savano Town Site, Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site, Oakland Plantation, and Zubly Cemetery are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[6]
Beech Island is also home to most of the television transmitters that serve the Augusta, GA MSA.
| White alone (NH) | 694 | 48.84% | |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 548 | 38.56% | |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 7 | 0.49% | |
| Asian alone (NH) | 7 | 0.49% | |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 3 | 0.21% | |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 5 | 0.35% | |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 81 | 5.70% | |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 76 | 5.35% | |
| Total | 1,421 | 100.00% |