Eleven Bluffton areas from Old Town to Sun City: in town or county, ZIP codes, zoned high schools and August 2026 Zillow values, mapped from town GIS.
Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: the Town of Bluffton’s neighborhoods list (PDF), its Blueprint Bluffton comprehensive plan and its GIS planning district and subdivision layers, the Beaufort County School District’s attendance zone maps, Zillow Research, the Census Bureau and OpenStreetMap.
Bluffton is a town of 33,157 people, according to the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates, on the May River in southern Beaufort County. Old Town, the historic core, sits on the river. From there the town reaches north to U.S. 278, the road between I-95 Exit 8 and the bridges to Hilton Head Island, and west along May River Road (S.C. 46) and Bluffton Parkway to S.C. 170. Most of that land arrived through annexation: the town’s comprehensive plan says about 92% of its land area is in planned unit developments, master-planned communities such as Buckwalter, New Riverside and Palmetto Bluff, each governed by its own development agreement.
Three things to know before you look at a listing:
- A Bluffton address is not always in the town. The town’s neighborhood list names 54 neighborhoods inside the town limits and 57 in “greater Bluffton,” the unincorporated part of Beaufort County, including Belfair, Rose Hill, Sun City and Moss Creek. Unincorporated homes pay no town levy, and their permits go to the county. Check the parcel in the county’s property search.
- Three ZIP codes. Most of Bluffton is 29910. The Okatie and Sun City area and most of Jones Estate use 29909, and Moss Creek and Buckingham mostly use 29926, which Zillow labels Hilton Head Island.
- School zones do not follow town lines. The Beaufort County School District serves the whole county. Buckwalter, New Riverside and Buck Island-Simmonsville are each split between Bluffton High and May River High, and most of Moss Creek and Buckingham is zoned for Hilton Head Island schools. Always check one address on the district’s zone maps.
The areas at a glance
Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index for the ZIP code that covers most of each area, in August 2026: a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price. High school shares are of sample points checked against the district’s 2024-25 zone maps.
| Area | In the town? | Main ZIP | Zoned high school | Typical home value in that ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Town | Yes | 29910 | Bluffton High | $523,700 |
| Central Bluffton | Yes | 29910 | Bluffton High | $523,700 |
| Buck Island-Simmonsville | Mostly | 29910 | Bluffton High 86%, May River High 14% | $523,700 |
| Buckwalter | Yes | 29910 | May River High 63%, Bluffton High 37% | $523,700 |
| Jones Estate | Yes | 29909 | May River High | $485,317 |
| New Riverside | Yes | 29910 | May River High 80%, Bluffton High 20% | $523,700 |
| Palmetto Bluff | Yes | 29910 | May River High | $523,700 |
| Pritchardville | No | 29910 | May River High | $523,700 |
| Okatie and Sun City | No | 29909 | May River High | $485,317 |
| Belfair and Rose Hill | No | 29910 | May River High | $523,700 |
| Moss Creek and Buckingham | No | 29926 | Hilton Head Island High 94%, Bluffton High 6% | $748,831 |
The town-wide Bluffton figure was $500,379 in August 2026, down 0.6% from a year earlier. More in our home prices guide, schools guide and property taxes guide.
Map of the areas
Map: Bluffton Journal, drawn from the Town of Bluffton’s GIS planning district, subdivision and town boundary layers.
In the town: the old core
Old Town is the historic district on the bluff above the May River, about half a square mile around Calhoun Street, with Oyster Factory Park, the Calhoun Street dock and the town’s main offices. It is zoned for Bluffton High. Our Old Town guide covers what to see and eat.
Central Bluffton is the Schultz Tract, a 620-acre planned development from 1998 between Old Town and U.S. 278, with Bluffton Park, Hidden Lakes and Oscar Frazier Community Park. All of it is zoned for Red Cedar Elementary and Bluffton High.
Buck Island-Simmonsville is a community the town says was settled by families including Gullah descendants and annexed in 2005. The town says it has spent more than $8 million on infrastructure there and bought land for a park on Buck Island Road.
In the town: the planned communities
Buckwalter, 6,269 acres approved in 2000, is the town’s designated town center, with Buckwalter Place, Buckwalter Regional Park and neighborhoods from Hampton Lake to Shell Hall. It is split between May River High and Bluffton High.
Jones Estate, 1,885 acres in far west Bluffton along S.C. 170, includes Cypress Ridge and Four Seasons at Carolina Oaks and is mostly in ZIP 29909.
New Riverside, 4,006 acres approved in 2004, is home to May River High and the New River Trailhead Park; the plan names New Riverside Village a village like Old Town.
Palmetto Bluff, 19,217 acres on the south bank of the May River, was the town’s first planned development; its 1998 annexation more than doubled Bluffton’s size.
Greater Bluffton: outside the town limits
Pritchardville is the unincorporated area on May River Road between Buckwalter and New Riverside, with Cedar Lake, Swan Lake and May River Preserve.
Okatie and Sun City, north of U.S. 278 along S.C. 170, takes in Sun City, Berkeley Hall and Eagles Pointe, the USC Beaufort Hilton Head Gateway Campus and the shortest trip to I-95 of any area here.
Belfair and Rose Hill are planned communities on U.S. 278, zoned for Okatie Elementary and May River High.
Moss Creek and Buckingham, at the mainland end of the Hilton Head bridges, are mostly zoned for Hilton Head Island schools and use ZIP 29926.
Comparing Bluffton with its neighbors
For taxes, schools, home values and commutes in Bluffton, Hilton Head Island and Hardeeville side by side, see Bluffton vs Hilton Head Island vs Hardeeville. For the practical side of a move, see our moving to Bluffton and getting around guides.
How we built this
- The areas come from the town’s own records. Seven are planning districts on the Town of Bluffton’s GIS map: five follow planned unit developments in its comprehensive plan (the Schultz Tract, Buckwalter, Jones Estate, New Riverside and Palmetto Bluff), and the other two are Old Town and the Buck Island-Simmonsville neighborhood plan area. The four outside the town group subdivisions that the town’s neighborhood list and GIS subdivision layer place in unincorporated greater Bluffton. Place names were checked against OpenStreetMap, which maps Pritchardville and Buckingham Landing as hamlets and Sun City as a locality.
- Schools: we checked a grid of sample points inside each area against the Beaufort County School District’s 2024-25 elementary, middle and high school zone layers. Ratings are the state’s 2025 report card ratings as the district published them.
- ZIP codes come from the Census Bureau’s ZIP code tabulation areas, and home values from Zillow’s August 2026 index for each ZIP code.
- Distances to the interstate, the town’s main offices and the airports are measured on the OpenStreetMap road network with the OSRM routing engine. They are distances, not drive times.
- We do not rank areas or say which is better. Each page sticks to what the records show.
Frequently asked questions
How many neighborhoods are in Bluffton, SC?
The Town of Bluffton’s neighborhood list names 54 neighborhoods inside the town limits and 57 more in greater Bluffton, the unincorporated part of Beaufort County. Our guide groups them into 11 areas, seven in town and four outside it.
Does a Bluffton address mean the home is in the Town of Bluffton?
No. Belfair, Rose Hill, Sun City, Moss Creek and Pritchardville have Bluffton addresses but are in unincorporated Beaufort County. Check the parcel in the county’s property search or the town’s Bluffton Explorer map.
What high schools serve Bluffton?
Bluffton High and May River High, both in the Beaufort County School District. Zone lines split Buckwalter, New Riverside and Buck Island-Simmonsville between them, and most of Moss Creek and Buckingham is zoned for Hilton Head Island High.
What ZIP codes are in Bluffton, SC?
Mostly 29910. The Okatie and Sun City area and most of Jones Estate use 29909, and Moss Creek and Buckingham mostly use 29926, which Zillow labels Hilton Head Island.
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