Tybee Island is a small barrier-island city at the eastern edge of Chatham County, Georgia, where the Savannah River meets the Atlantic Ocean about 18 miles from downtown Savannah. Its name comes from a Euchee word for salt, and its recorded history reaches back to 1736, when Georgia's founder James Oglethorpe ordered the construction of a day-mark to guide ships into the Savannah River. That structure evolved into the Tybee Island Light Station, now Georgia's oldest and tallest lighthouse, with the current tower first lit in 1867. The nearby Fort Screven complex guarded the coast from the late 1890s through World War II. Today Tybee is defined by its shoreline — roughly five miles of public beach spanning North Beach, Mid-Beach, South Beach, and the Back River — and by the mix of people it draws. A permanent population of about 3,100 swells dramatically with visitors, second-home owners, and vacationers through the warmer months. The island's median age runs high, reflecting its standing as a retirement and second-home destination, but its beaches, surf culture, and casual dining also pull in young families and day-trippers from Savannah. The built environment is distinctively coastal: raised cottages, condominiums, and elevated homes designed for life near the water, with a large share operating as short-term rentals. Students attend Savannah-Chatham County schools, with a maritime-academy charter and a Catholic K-8 school on the island itself. For those considering Tybee, the appeal is straightforward — a genuine, unpretentious beach town with a working lighthouse, a marine science center, and the cultural resources of Savannah just across the causeway.