Ninety-seven percent of the island is owned by the state of Georgia . Fewer than 50 of the Gullah-Geechee people remain on Georgia 's coastal Sapelo Island . After property taxes were increased by as much as 600 % , many fear they will have to sell . The community `` is a part of history . It will be a shame not to preserve '' it , a resident says . A few years ago I was in Savannah and saw an old man who had lived there for over 100 years.
Fewer than 50 of the Gullah-Geechee people remain on Georgia 's coastal Sapelo Island . After property taxes were increased by as much as 600 % , many fear they will have to sell . The community `` is a part of history . It will be a shame not to preserve '' it , a resident says . A few years ago I was in Savannah and saw an old man who had lived there for over 100 years.