Yemassee, South Carolina

Yemassee, South Carolina
Yemassee railway station
Motto: 
"The focal point of the four counties"
Yemassee
Location within South Carolina
Yemassee
Location within the United States
Coordinates: 32°40′20″N 80°51′18″W / 32.67222°N 80.85500°W / 32.67222; -80.85500
CountryUnited States
StateSouth Carolina
CountiesHampton, Beaufort
Government
 • TypeTown Council
Area
 • Total
8.12 sq mi (21.02 km2)
 • Land8.10 sq mi (20.99 km2)
 • Water0.0077 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation
13 ft (4.0 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
1,080
 • Density133.2/sq mi (51.44/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
29945
Area codes843, 854
FIPS code45-79450
GNIS feature ID2406926
Websitewww.townofyemassee.org

Yemassee (/ˈjɛməs/) is a town in Hampton and Beaufort counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 1,080 at the 2020 census. Located in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Yemassee is divided by the county line between Hampton and Beaufort counties along the roadbed of the CSX railroad. Most of the town's population lies within Hampton County.

Yemassee hosts one of the few commercial breeding facilities of non-human primates in the entire United States, Alpha Genesis, which serves as a major employer for the town. The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Auldbrass Plantation house and outbuildings lie just outside the town limits of Yemassee. The town is 44 miles (71 km) north of Savannah, Georgia, and 54 miles (87 km) west of Charleston, South Carolina.