Charleston, South Carolina Totally Explained

Everything about Charleston South Carolina totally explained

Charleston is a city in Berkeley and Charleston counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is the largest city and county seat of Charleston County. The city was founded as Charlestown or Charles Towne, Carolina in 1670, and moved to its present location (Oyster Point) from a location on the west bank of the Ashley River in 1680; it adopted its present name in 1783. In 1690, Charleston was the fifth largest city in North America, and remained among the ten largest cities in the United States through the 1840 census. Charleston is known as The Holy City due to the prominence of churches on the low-rise cityscape, particularly the numerous steeples which dot the city's skyline, and for the fact that it was the only city in the original thirteen colonies to provide religious tolerance to the French Huguenot Church. In fact, it's still the only city in the U.S. with such a church.Charleston was also one of the first colonial cities to allow Jews to practice their faith without restriction. Brith Shalom Beth Israel is the oldest Orthodox shul in the South, founded by Ashkenazic (German and central European) Jews in the mid 19th century. Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim is Charleston's younger Reform synagogue.
   The population was estimated to be 118,492 in 2007, making it the second most populous city in South Carolina closely behind the state capital Columbia. Current trends put Charleston as the fastest growing central city in South Carolina. The metropolitan area population of Charleston and North Charleston, which includes the entire populations of Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties, was estimated to be 603,178 in 2006. This ranks Charleston-North Charleston as the second largest metropolitan statistical area in the state behind Columbia. Nearly 80% of the Charleston metro population lives inside the city and its surrounding urbanized area (2000 pop.: 423,410).
   The city of Charleston is located just south of the mid-point of South Carolina's coastline, at the junction of the Ashley and Cooper Rivers. Charleston's name is derived from Charles Towne, named after King Charles II of England.
   America's most-published etiquette expert, Marjabelle Young Stewart, has recognized the city since 1995 as the "best-mannered" city in the U.S, a claim lent credibility by the fact that it has the first established Livability Court in the country.

History

Early colonization

After Charles II of England (1630-1685) was restored to the British throne following Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate, he granted the chartered Carolina territory to eight of his loyal friends, known as the Lords Proprietor, in 1663. It took seven years before the Lords could arrange for settlement, the first being that of Charles Town. The community was established by English settlers in 1670 on the west bank of the Ashley River, a few miles northwest of the present city. It was soon chosen by Anthony Ashley-Cooper, one of the Lords Proprietor, to become a "great port towne", a destiny which the city fulfilled. By 1680, the settlement had grown, joined by others from England, Barbados, and Virginia, and relocated to its current peninsular location. The capital of the Carolina colony, Charleston was the center for further expansion and the southernmost point of English settlement during the late 1600s.
The settlement was often subject to attack from sea and from land. Periodic assaults from Spain and France, who still contested England's claims to the region, were combined with resistance from Native Americans, as well as pirate raids. Charleston's colonists erected a fortification wall around the small settlement to aid in its defense. Two buildings remain from the Walled City, the Powder Magazine, where the city's supply of gunpowder was stored, and the Pink House, believed to have been an old colonial tavern.
A 1680 plan for the new settlement, the Grand Modell, laid out "the model of an exact regular town," and the future for the growing community. Land surrounding the intersection of Meeting and Broad Streets was set aside for a Civic Square. Over time it became known as the Four Corners of the Law, referring to the various arms of governmental and religious law presiding over the square and the growing city. St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Charleston's oldest and most noted church, was built on the southeast corner in 1752. The following year the Capitol of the colony was erected across the square. Because of its prominent position within the city and its elegant architecture, the building signaled to Charleston's citizens and visitors its importance within the British colonies. Provincial court met on the ground floor, the Commons House of Assembly and the Royal Governor's Council Chamber met on the second floor.

Ethnic and religious diversity

While the earliest settlers primarily came from England, colonial Charleston was also home to a mixture of ethnic and religious groups. In colonial times, Boston, Massachusetts, and Charleston were sister cities, and people of means spent summers in Boston and winters in Charleston. There was a great deal of trade with Bermuda and the Caribbean, and some people came to live in Charleston from these areas. French, Scottish, Irish, and Germans migrated to the developing seacoast town, representing numerous Protestant denominations, as well as Roman Catholicism and Judaism. Sephardic Jews migrated to the city in such numbers that Charleston eventually was home to, by the beginning of the 19th Century and until about 1830, the largest and wealthiest Jewish community in North America The Jewish Coming Street Cemetery, first established in 1762, attests to their long-standing presence in the community. The first Anglican church, St. Philip's Episcopal Church, was built in 1682, although later destroyed by fire and relocated to its current location. Slaves also comprised a major portion of the population, and were active in the city's religious community. Free black Charlestonians and slaves helped establish the Old Bethel United Methodist Church in 1797, and the congregation of the Emanuel A.M.E. Church stems from a religious group organized solely by African Americans, free and slave, in 1791. The first American museum opened to the public on January 12, 1773 in Charleston. From the mid-18th century a large amount of immigration was taking place in the upcountry of the Carolinas, some of it coming from abroad through Charleston, but also much of it a southward movement from Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, until the upcountry population was larger than the coastal population. The Upcountry people were viewed by Charlestonians as being unpolished in many ways, and had different interests, setting the stage for several generations of conflicts between the Upcountry and the Charleston elite.

Major Atlantic port

By the mid-18th century Charleston had become a bustling trade center, the hub of the Atlantic trade for the southern colonies, and the wealthiest and largest city south of Philadelphia. By 1770 it was the fourth largest port in the colonies, after only Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, with a population of 11,000, slightly more than half of that slaves. Rice and indigo had been successfully cultivated by slave-owning planters in the surrounding coastal low-country. Those and naval stores were exported in an extremely profitable shipping industry. It was the cultural and economic center of the South.

American Revolution

As the relationship between the colonists and England deteriorated, Charleston became a focal point in the ensuing American Revolution. In protest of the Tea Act of 1773, which embodied the concept of taxation without representation, Charlestonians confiscated tea and stored it in the Exchange and Custom House. Representatives from all over the colony came to the Exchange in 1774 to elect delegates to the Continental Congress, the group responsible for drafting the Declaration of Independence; and South Carolina declared its independence from the crown on the steps of the Exchange. Soon, the church steeples of Charleston, especially St. Michael's, became targets for British warships causing rebel forces to paint the steeples black to blend with the night sky.
It was twice the target of British attacks. At every stage the British strategy assumed a large base of Loyalist supporters who would rally to the King given some military support. On June 28, 1776 General Henry Henry Clinton with 2000 men and a naval squadron tried to seize Charleston, hoping for a simultaneous Loyalist uprising in South Carolina. It seemed a cheap way of waging the war but it failed as the naval force was defeated by the Continental Army, specifically the 2nd South Carolina Regiment at Fort Moultrie under the command of William Moultrie. When the fleet fired cannonballs, the explosives failed to penetrate the fort's unfinished, yet thick palmetto log walls. Additionally, no local Loyalists attacked the town from behind as the British had hoped. The loyalists were too poorly organized to be effective, but as late as 1780 senior officials in London, misled by Loyalist exiles, placed their confidence in their rising.
Clinton returned in 1780 with 14,000 soldiers. American General Benjamin Lincoln was trapped and surrendered his entire 5400 men force after a long fight, and the Siege of Charleston was the greatest American defeat of the war (see Henry Clinton "Commander in Chief" section for more). Several Americans escaped the carnage, and joined up with several militias, including those of Francis Marion, the 'Swampfox,' and Andrew Pickens. These militias used Hit-and-run tactics. Eventually, Clinton returned to New York, leaving Charles Cornwallis with 8000 Redcoats to rally Loyalists, build forts across the state, and demand oaths of allegiance to the King. Many of these forts were taken over by the outnumbered guerrilla militias. The British retained control of the city until December 1782. After the British left the city's name was officially changed to Charleston in 1783.

Commerce and Expansion

By 1788, Carolinians were meeting at the Capitol building for the Constitutional Ratification Convention, and while there was support for the Federal Government, division arose over the location of the new State Capital. A suspicious fire broke out in the Capitol building during the Convention, after which the delegates removed to the Exchange and decreed Columbia the new state capital. By 1792, the Capitol had been rebuilt and became the Charleston County Courthouse. Upon its completion, the city possessed all the public buildings necessary to be transformed from a colonial capital to the center of the antebellum South. The grandeur and number of buildings erected in the following century reflect the optimism, pride, and civic destiny that many Charlestonians felt for their community. As Charleston grew, so did the community's cultural and social opportunities, especially for the elite merchants and planters. The first theater building in America was built in Charleston in 1736, but was later replaced by the 19th-century Planter's Hotel where wealthy planters stayed during Charleston's horse-racing season (now the Dock Street Theatre, known as the oldest active theatre in the United States). Benevolent societies were formed by several different ethnic groups: the South Carolina Society, founded by French Huguenots in 1737; the German Friendly Society, founded in 1766; and the Hibernian Society, founded by Irish immigrants in 1801. The Charleston Library Society was established in 1748 by some wealthy Charlestonians who wished to keep up with the scientific and philosophical issues of the day. This group also helped establish the College of Charleston in 1770, the oldest college in South Carolina and the 13th oldest in the United States. Charleston became more prosperous in the plantation-dominated economy of the post-Revolutionary years. The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 revolutionized this crop's production, and it quickly became South Carolina's major export. Cotton plantations relied heavily on slave labor. Slaves were also the primary labor force within the city, working as domestics, artisans, market workers or laborers. Many black Charlestonians spoke Gullah, a language based on African American structures which combined African, French, German, Jamaican, English, Bahamian and Dutch words. In 1807 the Charleston Market was founded. It soon became a hub for the African-American community, with many slaves and free people of color staffing stalls. By 1820 Charleston's population had grown to 23,000, with a black majority. When a massive slave revolt planned by Denmark Vesey, a free black, was discovered in 1822, such hysteria ensued amidst white Charlestonians and Carolinians that the activities of free blacks and slaves were severely restricted. Hundreds of blacks, free and slave, and some white supporters involved in the planned uprising were held in the Old Jail. It also was the impetus for the construction of a new State Arsenal in Charleston. Recently, research published by historian Michael P. Johnson of Johns Hopkins University has cast doubt on the veracity of the accounts detailing Vesey's aborted slave revolt. As Charleston's government, society and industry grew, commercial institutions were established to support the community's aspirations. The Bank of South Carolina, the second oldest building constructed as a bank in the nation, was established here in 1798. Branches of the First and Second Bank of the United States were also located in Charleston in 1800 and 1817. While the First Bank was converted to City Hall by 1818, the Second Bank proved to be a vital part of the community as it was the only bank in the city equipped to handle the international transactions so crucial to the export trade. By 1840, the Market Hall and Sheds, where fresh meat and produce were brought daily, became the commercial hub of the city. The slave trade also depended on the port of Charleston, where ships could be unloaded and the slaves sold at markets. Contrary to popular belief, slaves were never traded at the Market Hall areas.

Pre-Civil War Political Changes

In the first half of the 19th century, South Carolinians became more devoted to the idea that state's rights were superior to the Federal government's authority. Buildings such as the Marine Hospital ignited controversy over the degree in which the Federal government should be involved in South Carolina's government, society, and commerce. During this period over 90 percent of Federal funding was generated from import duties, collected by custom houses such as the one in Charleston. In 1832 South Carolina passed an ordinance of nullification, a procedure in which a state could in effect repeal a Federal law, directed against the most recent tariff acts. Soon Federal soldiers were dispensed to Charleston's forts and began to collect tariffs by force. A compromise was reached by which the tariffs would be gradually reduced, but the underlying argument over state's rights would continue to escalate in the coming decades. Charleston remained one of the busiest port cities in the country, and the construction of a new, larger United States Custom House began in 1849, but its construction was interrupted by the events of the Civil War. Prior to the 1860 election, the National Democratic Convention convened in Charleston. Hibernian Hall served as the headquarters for the delegates supporting Stephen A. Douglas, who it was hoped would bridge the gap between the northern and southern delegates on the issue of extending slavery to the territories. The convention disintegrated when delegates were unable to summon a two-thirds majority for any candidate. This divisiveness resulted in a split in the Democratic Party, and the election of Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate.

American Civil War and Reconstruction

American Civil War

On December 20, 1860, the South Carolina General Assembly made the state the first to ever secede from the Union. The cause was the election to the presidency of a man "whose opinions and purposes are hostile to slavery".
On January 9, 1861, Citadel cadets fired the first shots of the American Civil War when they opened fire on the Union ship Star of the West entering Charleston's harbor. On April 12, 1861, shore batteries under the command of General Pierre G. T. Beauregard opened fire on the Union-held Fort Sumter in the harbor. After a 34-hour bombardment, Major Robert Anderson surrendered the fort. Officers and Cadets from The Citadel were assigned to various Confederate batteries during the bombardment of Fort Sumter. Although The Citadel continued to operate as an academy during the Civil War, cadets were made a part of the South Carolina military department along with the cadets from the Arsenal Academy in Columbia, to form the Battalion of State Cadets. Cadets from both institutions continued to aid the Confederate army by helping drill recruits, manufacture ammunition, protect arms depots, and guard Union prisoners. In December 1864 Citadel and Arsenal Cadets were ordered to join Confederate forces at Tullifinny Creek, South Carolina where they engaged in pitched battles with advancing units of General W. T. Sherman's army, suffering eight casualties. In all, The Citadel Corps of Cadets earned eight battle streamers and one service streamer for its service to South Carolina during the War. The city under siege took control of Fort Sumter, became the center for blockade running, and was the site of the first successful submarine warfare on February 17, 1864 when the H.L. Hunley made a daring night attack on the . In 1865, Union troops moved into the city, and took control of many sites, such as the United States Arsenal, which the Confederate army had seized at the outbreak of the war. The War department also confiscated the grounds and buildings of the Citadel Military Academy, which was used as a federal garrison for over 17 years, until its return to the state and reopening as a military college in 1882.

Reconstruction

After the defeat of the Confederacy, Federal forces remained in Charleston during the city's reconstruction. The war had shattered the prosperity of the antebellum city. Freed slaves were faced with poverty and discrimination. Industries slowly brought the city and its inhabitants back to a renewed vitality and growth in population. As the city's commerce improved, Charlestonians also worked to restore their community institutions. In 1867 Charleston's first free secondary school for blacks was established, the Avery Institute. General William T. Sherman lent his support to the conversion of the United States Arsenal into the Porter Military Academy, an educational facility for former soldiers and boys left orphaned or destitute by the war. Porter Military Academy later joined with Gaud School and is now a K-12 prep school, Porter-Gaud School. The William Enston Homes, a planned community for the city's aged and infirmed, was built in 1889. An elaborate public building, the United States Post Office and Courthouse, was completed in 1896 and signaled renewed life in the heart of the city.
On August 31, 1886, Charleston was nearly destroyed by an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale that was felt as far away as Boston and Bermuda. It damaged 2,000 buildings and caused $6 million worth of damage ($133 million(2006 USD)), while in the whole city the buildings were only valued at approximately $24 million($531 million(2006 USD).
Yet, through many fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, several wars, and urban renewal in the 20th century, many of Charleston's historic buildings remain intact to this day.

Modern-day

Charleston is a notable tourist destination, with streets lined with grand live oaks draped with Spanish moss, and the ubiquity of the Cabbage Palmetto, which is the state tree of South Carolina. Along the waterfront in an area known as Rainbow Row are many beautiful and historic pastel-colored homes. The city is also an important port, boasting the second largest container seaport on the East Coast and the fourth largest container seaport in North America. It is also the second most productive port in the World behind Hong Kong. Charleston is becoming a prime location for information technology jobs and corporations, most notably Blackbaud, Modulant, CSS, Benefitfocus, and Google. Two of the five sections of the Boeing 787 fuselage are fabricated and assembled in Charleston. In the city's downtown area, the medical district is experiencing rapid growth of biotechnology and medical research coupled with substantial expansions of hospital facilities at the Medical University of South Carolina and Roper Hospital

. Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston in 1989, and though the worst damage was in nearby McClellanville, the storm damaged three-quarters of the homes in Charleston's historic district. The hurricane caused over $2.8 billion in damage.
   In 1993, a squadron of the C-17 Globemaster III aircraft was established at Charleston Air Force base.
   In 2004, the US Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) became the largest employer in the Charleston metropolitan area. Until 2004, the Medical University of South Carolina was the largest employer.
   Charleston is the home of a Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP). It is part of an initiative by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide mail order prescriptions to veterans using computerization at strategic locations throughout the United States.
   In July of 2005, the Arthur Ravenel Bridge opened as the longest cable-stayed bridge in the Western Hemisphere.

Government

Charleston has a strong mayor-council government, with the mayor acting as the chief administrator and the executive officer of the municipality. The mayor also presides over city council meetings and has a vote, the same as other council members.

Emergency services

City of Charleston Fire Department

The City of Charleston Fire Department consists of 237 firefighters in 19 companies located throughout the city. The department operates on a 24/48 schedule, and has a Class I ISO rating. Russell (Rusty) Thomas serves as the chief of the fire department.

June 2007 Warehouse Tragedy

In an unprecedented tragedy for the City of Charleston Fire Department, 9 firefighters were killed on June 18, 2007 in a furniture warehouse fire, while searching for possible trapped occupants and attempting to extinguish the blaze. It was the greatest single loss of firefighters in the United States since 343 firefighters were lost in the collapse of the World Trade Center which resulted from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the greatest loss of firefighters in the history of the Charleston Fire Department. One station lost all but one of its firefighters.

Police Department

The City of Charleston Police Department, with a total of 382 sworn officers, 137 civilians and 27 reserve police officers, is South Carolina's largest police department. Their procedures on cracking down on drug use and gang violence in the city are used as models to other cities to do the same. According to the final 2005 FBI Crime Reports, Charleston crime level is worse than the national average in almost every major category.. Greg Mullen, the former Deputy Chief of Police in the City of Virginia Beach, Virginia, serves as the current police chief. The former Charleston police chief was Reuben Greenberg who resigned August 12, 2005). Greenberg was credited with creating a polite police force that kept police brutality well in check even as it developed a visible presence in community policing and a significant reductions in crime rates.

EMS

Emergency medical services for the City of Charleston are provided by Charleston County Emergency Medical Services (CCEMS) & Berkeley County Emergency Medical Services (BCEMS). The city is served by both Charleston & Berkeley counties EMS and 911 services since the city is part of both counties.

Infrastructure and economy

Transportation

Airport

The Charleston area is served by Charleston International Airport, which is the busiest passenger airport in the state of South Carolina.

Interstates and highways

Interstate 26 enters the city from the north-northwest, and connects the city to its airport, Interstate 95, and Columbia, South Carolina. It ends at the Septima Clark Expressway downtown, which travels across two-thirds of the peninsula before merging into the Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge. The bridge and Septima Clark Expressway are part of U.S. Highway 17, which travels east-west through the cities of Charleston and Mount Pleasant. Interstate 526, or the Mark Clark Expressway, forms a half-circle around the city. U.S. Highway 52 is Meeting Street and its spur is Morrison Drive, which becomes East Bay Street after leaving the Eastside. This highway merges with King Street in the city's Neck area (Industrial District) to form Rivers Avenue. U.S. Highway 78 is King Street in the downtown area, eventually merging with Meeting Street to form Rivers Avenue.
The metropolitan area is served by several other U.S. highways. U.S. Highway 17A travels through the upper portions of the urban area, going southwest-northeast through the suburban cities of Summerville and Goose Creek. U.S. Highway 176 begins in Goose Creek and leaves the city to the northwest.
The Charleston area is also served by several state highways including:

SC 7 - Sam Rittenberg Boulevard
SC 30 - James Island Expressway
SC 61 - St. Andrews Boulevard/Ashley River Road
SC 41
SC 171 - Old Towne Road
SC 517 - Clyde Moultrie Dangerfield Highway (Isle of Palms Connector)
SC 642 - Dorchester Road
SC 700 - Maybank Highway
SC 703 - Jasper Boulevard/Palm Boulevard

Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge

The Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge across the Cooper River opened on July 16, 2005, and is the largest cable-stayed bridge in the Americas. The bridge links Mount Pleasant with downtown Charleston, and has eight lanes and a 12-foot lane shared by pedestrians and bicycles. It replaced the Silas N. Pearman Bridge (built in 1966) and the Grace Memorial Bridge (built in 1929). They were considered two of the most dangerous bridges in America, and were demolished after the Ravenel Bridge opened.

Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority

The city is also served by a bus system, operated by the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA). The majority of the urban area is served by regional fixed route buses which are also equipped with bike racks as part of the system's Rack & Ride program. CARTA offers connectivity to historic downtown attractions and accommodations with DASH (Downtown Area Shuttle) trolley buses, and it offers curbside pickup for disabled passengers with its Tel-A-Ride buses.
Rural parts of the city and metropolitan area are served by a different bus system, operated by Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Rural Transportation Management Association (BCD-RTMA).

The Port

The Port of Charleston consists of five terminals. Three are on the Harbor and the other two are on the Cooper River just north of Charleston's bustling harbor. The port is ranked number one in North America by Supply Chain Execs. Port activity, behind tourism, is the leading source of Charleston's revenue.

Piers

Columbus Street Terminal

North Charleston Terminal

Union Pier Terminal

Veterans Terminal

Wando Welch Terminal A new terminal is being planned on the former Naval Shipyard Grounds to accommodate the growing needs of the port.

Industry

Hess - Distribution Center

Nucor - Plant

Verizon Wireless - Southeast Corporate Center

Vought - Plant for assembling fuselage of Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Geography and Climate

The city proper consists of six distinct areas: the Peninsula/Downtown, West Ashley, Johns Island, James Island, Daniel Island, and the Cainhoy Peninsula.

Coordinates

Charleston is located at .

Demographics

The racial/Ethnic makeup of Charleston is 65.2% White Americans, 31.6% African Americans, 1.6% Asian Americans, and 2.4% Hispanics or Latino (who may be of any race)(External Link

)

Topography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of . of it's land and (15%) of it's water. The old city is located on a peninsula at the point where, as Charlestonians say, "The Ashley and the Cooper Rivers come together to form the Atlantic Ocean." The entire peninsula is very low, some of it's landfill material, and as such, it frequently floods during heavy rains, storm surges and unusually high tides. The city limits have expanded across the Ashley River from the peninsula encompassing the majority of West Ashley as well as James Island and some of Johns Island. The city limits also have expanded across the Cooper River encompassing Daniel Island and the Cainhoy area. North Charleston blocks any expansion up the peninsula, and Mount Pleasant occupies the land directly east of the Cooper River.
The tidal rivers (Wando, Cooper, Stono, and Ashley) are evidence of a submergent or drowned coastline. In other words, the original rivers had a lower base line, but as the ocean rose or the land sank, the landform was changed. There is a submerged river delta off the mouth of the harbor, and the rivers are deep, affording a good location for a port. The rising of the ocean may be due to melting of glacial ice during the end of the ice age.
In recent decades, the urban area of the city has become elongated along Interstate 26, while being fairly short from east to west. Today areas with a population density of over 1,000 people per square mile extends continuously from the tip of the peninsula out to the Summerville area.

Climate

Charleston has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa), with mild winters, hot, humid summers, and significant rainfall all year long. Summer is the wettest season; almost half of the annual rainfall occurs during the summer months in the form of thundershowers, which is an effect similar to the monsoons found in Southern Asia. Fall remains relatively warm through November. Winter is short and mild, and is characterized by occasional rain. Snow flurries seldom occur. The highest temperature recorded (inside city limits at the Customs House on E. Bay St.) was, on June 2, 1985, and the lowest temperature recorded was on January 21, 1985. Hurricanes are a major threat to the area during the summer and early fall, with several severe hurricanes hitting the area - most notably Hurricane Hugo in 1989 (a Category 4 storm).
Charleston was hit by a large tornado in 1761, which temporarily emptied the Ashley River, and sank five offshore warships.

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Rec High °F	83	87	90	95	98	104	103	103	102	94	88	83
Norm High °F	58.9	62.3	69.3	76.1	82.9	87.9	90.9	89.4	85	77	69.6	61.6
Norm Low °F	36.9	39.1	46	52.2	61.3	68.5	72.5	71.6	67.1	55.3	46.4	39.3
Rec Low °F	10	17	22	29	44	53	65	56	42	36	27	16
Precip (in)	4.08	3.08	4	2.77	3.67	5.92	6.13	6.91	5.98	3.09	2.66	3.24
Source: USTravelWeather.com (External Link)

Metropolitan area

The Charleston-North Charleston Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of three counties: Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester. As of 2006, it was estimated that the metropolitan area had a total population of about 603,178 people. Charleston has several large suburbs. North Charleston is nearly as populated as Charleston itself and ranks as the third largest city in the state; Mount Pleasant and Summerville are the next largest suburbs. The traditional parish system persisted until the Reconstruction, when counties were imposed. Nevertheless, traditional parishes still exist in various capacities, mainly as public service districts. The city of Charleston proper, which was originally defined by the limits of the Parish of St. Philip & St. Michael. It now also includes parts of St. James' Parish, St. George's Parish, St. Andrew's Parish, and St. John's Parish, although the last two are mostly still incorporated rural parishes. In the more detailed results of Census 2000, the Charleston-North Charleston metropolitan area had a population of 549,033, of which about 78% lived inside the central city and its surrounding urban area. At that time, the Charleston-North Charleston Urbanized Area proper consisted of 423,410 people (including the suburbs listed below). This population makes Charleston-North Charleston and Columbia essentially tied as the two largest individual urbanized areas within the state. The Charleston MSA also includes a separate and much smaller urban area within Berkeley County, Moncks Corner (2000 pop.: 9,123).

Culture

Charleston is well-known across the United States and beyond for its unique culture, which blends West African, traditional southern American and French elements.

Dialect

Charleston's unique but vanishing dialect has long been noted in the South and elsewhere, for the singular attributes it possesses. Alone among the various regional Southern dialects, Charlestonian speakers inglide long mid vowels, such as the raising for /ay/ and /aw/. Some attribute these unique features of Charleston's speech to its early settlement by the French Huguenots and Sephardic Jews, both of which played influential parts in Charleston's development and history. However, given Charleston's high concentration of African-Americans that spoke the Gullah language, the speech patterns were more influenced by the dialect of the Gullah African-American community.
Today, the Gullah language and dialect is still spoken among African-American locals. However rapid development, especially on the surrounding sea islands, is slowly diminishing its prominence.
Two important works which shed light on Charleston's early dialect are "Charleston Provincialisms" and "The Huguenot Element in Charleston's Provincialisms," both written by Sylvester Primer. Further scholarship is needed on the influence of Sephardic Jews to the speech patterns of Charleston.

Religion

The city has long been noted for its numerous churches and denominations. It is the seat of both the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston and the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. One of the few remaining Huguenot congregations in America is located in the city. The city is home to many well known churches, cathedrals, and synagogues. The churchtower spotted skyline is one of the reasons for the city's nickname, "The Holy City." Historically, Charleston was one of the most religiously tolerant cities in the New World. Recently, the conservative Episcopal diocese of South Carolina, headquartered in Charleston, has been one of the key players in potential schism of the Anglican Church. Charleston is home to the only African-American Seventh Day Baptist Church congregation in the Seventh Day Baptist General Conference of the United States and Canada. The First Baptist Church of Charleston is the oldest Baptist church in the South and the first Southern Baptist Church in existence. It is also used as a private K-12 school.
Charleston also has a large and historic Jewish population. The Judiac Reform movement was founded in Charleston at Synagogue Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim. It is the fourth oldest Jewish congregation in the continental United States (after New York, Newport and Savannah).

Annual cultural events and fairs

Charleston annually hosts Spoleto Festival USA, a 17-day art festival featuring over 100 performances by individual artists in a variety of disciplines. Charleston's "other" festival is the MOJA Arts Festival

, which is a major, two-week celebration of African-American and Caribbean arts, music, and culture. The Southeastern Wildlife Exposition

is also held in the city, as well as the Food + Wine Festival

, Family Circle Tennis Cup

, Cooper River Bridge Run and the Maritime Festival

, which is held annually in May and features tall ships, boatbuilding, and the Charleston to Bermuda Race. In 2007 Charleston Fashion Week made its first appearance and was a huge success. It is held by the fashion publication Charleston Magazine and now will be an annual event in the city. It is like most of the major fashion weeks in other major cities.

Museums and historical attractions

As an old colonial city, Charleston has a wide variety of museums and historical attractions. The Old Exchange and Customs House in downtown Charleston, finished in 1771, is arguably the third most important Colonial building in the nation (behind Faneuil Hall in Boston, Massachusetts and Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). The building features a dungeon which held various signers of the Declaration of Independence, and also hosted events for George Washington in 1791, and the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1788. It has also served as a U.S. post office, the first Confederate post office, and was used by the United States Coast Guard. Not far from Charleston is the location of Fort Moultrie, which was instrumental in delivering a critical defeat to the British in the American Revolutionary War, and Fort Sumter, the reputed site of the "first shot" of the American Civil War. Patriot's Point, located across the river in nearby Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, is also home to the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown as well as several other naval vessels. There are also several former plantations in the area, including Boone Hall Plantation, Drayton Hall, Magnolia Plantation, and Middleton Place. The Charleston Tea Plantation is located just south of the city on Wadmalaw Island, and is a true working tea farm. Charleston's premier art museum is the Gibbes Museum of Art, one of the country's oldest art organizations and home to over 10,000 works of fine art. Also the Charleston Museum was the first Museum in the Americas. Other attractions include the South Carolina Aquarium, the Audubon Swamp Garden, Cypress Gardens, and Charles Towne Landing

which is also the original settlement area of Charles Towne and the birthplace of what is now considered modern Charleston.

Sports

Charleston is home to a number of professional minor league and amateur sports teams:

The Charleston Battery, a professional soccer team, plays in the USL First Division. The Charleston Battery play at Blackbaud Stadium.

The Charleston RiverDogs, a Minor League Baseball team, play in the South Atlantic League, and are an affiliate of the New York Yankees. The RiverDogs play at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.

The South Carolina Stingrays are an ice hockey team that play in the ECHL and are an affiliate of the Washington Capitals. The Stingrays play at the North Charleston Coliseum.

The Carolina Sandsharks of the American Indoor Football Association are the newest addition to the city's minor league sports roster. This team also plays at the North Charleston Coliseum.

The Charleston Outlaws RFC is a Rugby Union Football Club founded in 1973. The Club is in good standing with the Palmetto Rugby Union, USA Rugby South, and USARFU. The club competes for honors in Men's Division II against the Cape Fear, Columbia, Greenville, and Charlotte "B" clubs. The club also hosts a Rugby Sevens tournament during Memorial Day weekend. Other notable sports venues in the Charleston area include Family Circle Magazine Stadium (home of the WTA Tour affiliated professional tennis tournament for women, the Family Circle Cup) and Johnson Hagood Stadium (home of the The Citadel Bulldogs football team). Construction of the Palmetto Bowl was expected to begin in 2006 or 2007, but due to an NCAA boycott on sporting events being held in the state due to a Confederate flag issue, and a lack of funds, the plan to build a 35,000 seat stadium was scrapped. However, Johnson Hagood Stadium is almost finished with a major renovation, and the new West Stands will open up for the Sertoma Football Classic, a local high school football exhibition, in mid August 2007. The entire stadium will be finished in 2008. The College of Charleston has broken ground on the Carolina First Center which will seat 5,700 people for the school's basketball & volleyball teams, and construction will finish in the fall of 2008.
Nearby Kiawah Island Golf Resort's Ocean Course hosted the 1991 Ryder Cup matches, the 2007 Senior PGA Championship and is scheduled to host the 2012 PGA Championship.

Charleston in fiction

Several books have been written which utilize Charleston as a setting. In addition, Citadel alumnus and novelist Pat Conroy often writes about Charleston.
   In the summer of 2007, the pilot episode for an upcoming mini series, "El Cid", was filmed on The Citadel campus and in surrounding Charleston. Directed and produced by 2004 Citadel graduate Nicholaos Collins, the series is a dramatization based on the lives of Citadel Cadets and the rigors of cadet life. The show also stars and was co-produced by notable Charlestonian and 2004 Citadel Alumnus Yanni Bohren.
   The Gullah opera Porgy and Bess is set in Charleston. Clive Barker's novel, Galilee, takes place partly in Charleston, as does Josephine Humphreys's 1987 novel Rich in Love.
   In Harry Turtledove's Timeline-191 alternate history series about a Confederacy that won the Civil War, Charleston suffers an airstrike from an American aircraft carrier in the summer of 1941, in response to the Confederate invasion of Ohio. By the last year of the war in 1945, the Union army drops its second atomic bomb on Charleston, vaporizing the city, in revenge for its secession in 1861. Rafael Sabatini's novel, The Carolinian, takes place mostly in Charles Town between the years 1775-9.
   The 1991 bestseller Scarlett, sequel to Gone with the Wind, was partially set in Charleston, where Scarlett goes in the hope of getting her husband back. Rhett Butler, in both the original and in the sequel, is originally from Charleston. In fact, Alexandra Ripley, the author of Scarlett, derived inspiration from the city for her novel Charleston and its sequel On Leaving Charleston. The movie The Notebook was almost entirely filmed in and around Charleston.
   Charleston was also destroyed by a nuclear explosion in the 1983 made-for-television film Special Bulletin, which was presented as a realistic news broadcast of a terrorist event.
   Several portions of The Patriot were filmed on the College of Charleston campus. Also, several portions of O, a modern film based on Othello, were filmed in Charleston and on the campus of College of Charleston. The miniseries "North and South" starring Patrick Swayze was filmed in and about Charleston.
   Currently, the Lifetime television series Army Wives is filming in Charleston for its second season. Most of the filming has been done at the old Navy base.

Cities and towns in the metro area

Town of Awendaw

City of Folly Beach

City of Hanahan

City of Isle of Palms

Town of James Island

Town of Mount Pleasant

City of North Charleston

Town of Sullivan's Island

Town of Summerville

City of Goose Creek

Town of Moncks Corner

Town of Hollywood

Town of Jamestown

Town of Ridgeville

Town of St. George

Town of Rockville

Town of Meggett

Town of McClellanville

Town of St. Stephen

Town of Bonneau

Town of Daniel Island

Other unincorporated areas

Johns Island

Wadmalaw Island

Morris Island

St. Stephen

Dewee's Island

Yonges Island

Neighborhoods in the City

Charleston is made up of a main peninsula surrounded by numerous islands and barrier islands that are also part of the Charleston Metro Area. The City of Charleston proper includes the main peninsula, an area west of the Ashley River known as West Ashley, a large area east of the Cooper River which includes Daniel Island and the Cainhoy Peninsula, and also parts of James Island and Johns Island.

Peninsula / Downtown neighborhoods & districts

Ansonborough

Central Business District

Cannonborough

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial District

Eastside

Elliotborough

French Quarter

Four Mile-Hibernian

Harleston Village

Hampton Park Terrace

Mazyck-Wraggsborough

Medical District

North Central

Radcliffeborough

Rosemont

Silver Hill-Magnolia

South of Broad

Westside

Wagener Terrace

West Ashley neighborhoods

Air Harbor

Albemarle Point

Ardmore

Ashley Hall Manor

Ashley Hall Plantation

Ashley Harbor

Ashleyville

Avondale

Byrnes Downs

Canterbury Woods

Capri Isle

Carolina Bay

Charlestowne Estates

Castlewood Townhouses

Drayton on the Ashley

Edgewater Park

Forest Park

Grand Oaks Plantation

Harrison Acres

Heathwood

Hickory Farms

Hickory Hill

Hunt Club

Indigo Point

Lenevar

MacLaura Hall

Oak Forest

Old Towne Acres

Orleans Woods

Maryville

Melrose

Moreland

Northbridge Terrace

Orange Grove Estates

Orange Grove Shores

Parkshore

Pierpont

Ponderosa

Providence Commons

Sandhurst

Saint Andrews

Shadowmoss Plantation

Schieveling Plantation

Sherwood Forest

South Windermere

Springfield

Stono Park

Sylvan Shores

The Crescent

Village Green

Wappoo Shores

Wespanee Plantation

Windermere

James Island neighborhoods

Bayview Farms

Charleston Country Club

Clearview

Harbor Point

Harbor Woods

Landsdowne

Lawton Bluff

Parrot Creek

Riverland Terrace

Stiles Point Plantation

Terrabrook

White House Plantation

Riverfront

Secessionville

Sol Legare

Westchester

Woodward Pointe

Johns Island neighborhoods

Gift Plantation

Grimball Gates

Headquarters Island

Headquarters Plantation

Summertrees

The Gardens at Whitney Lake

Twelve Oaks at Fenwick Hall Plantation

The Villages in St. Johns Woods

The Cottages at Johns Island

Winnsboro Lakes

Cainhoy Peninsula / Daniel Island neighborhoods

Barfield Park

Beresford Creek Landing

Beresford Hall

Cainhoy Historic District

Cainhoy Industrial District

Center Park

Cochran Park

Codner's Ferry Park

Downtown Daniel Island

Etiwan Park

Pierce Park

River Reach Pointe

Smythe Park

The Peninsula

Squares in Downtown Charleston

Court House Square

Liberty Square

Marion Square

Market Square

Washington Square

Wragg Square Liberty Square is located at what is known as the Aquarium Wharf and is a gathering area for tourists at the South Carolina Aquarium and the Fort Sumter Visitors Center.
Marion Square is the largest of downtown's squares, annually becoming the finish-line area for the Cooper River Bridge Run every first weekend of April; the park functions as a gathering area for finishing walkers and runners as well as hosting the run's outdoor festival.

Parks in Charleston

Brittlebank Park & Fishing Pier

Cannon Park

Charleston Battery

Charles Towne Landing (state historic site) (External Link

)

Concord Park

Corrine Jones Playground

Etwin Park

Hampton Park (Large park near the Citadel)

Harmon Park

Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park (Home of the Charleston RiverDogs)

Hester Park

Mall Park

Martin Park

Mary Utsey Park

McMahon Playground

Mitchell Park

Moultrie Park

Parkshore Park

Waterfront Park

West Ashley Park

White Point Gardens or "Battery Park"

Major Shopping Complexes

The Charleston metro area has seen skyrocketing growth. There are many shopping opportunities in Charleston. The major shopping areas are in West Ashley, Mount Pleasant, Summerville, North Charleston near on Rivers Avenue, Ashley Phosphate Road, Dorchester Road and near the Airport, and Downtown Charleston.

Northwoods Mall

Citadel Mall

Tanger Outlet Center

Mount Pleasant Towne Centre

Historic King Street

Marinas

The Charleston area has a rich maritime heritage, and this is evidenced by the vast number of boats visible in the area's waterways. Marinas in the Charleston area include:

Ashley Marina - Downtown

Bohicket Marina - John's Island

Bristol Marina - Downtown

Buzzard's Roost - John's Island

Charleston Harbor Resort Marina - Mount Pleasant

Charleston Maritime Center - Downtown

City Marina - Downtown

Cooper River Marina (Operated by Charleston County Parks & Recreation) - Downtown

Daniel Island Marina - Daniel Island

Dolphin Cove Marina - Upper Peninsula/"The Neck"

Duncan's Boat Harbor - North Charleston

Isle of Palms Marina - Isle of Palms

Mariner's Cay - Folly Beach

Ripley Light Marina - West Ashley

Stono Marina - John's Island

Patriot's Point - Mount Pleasant

Toler's Cove - Sullivan's Island

Wild Dunes Yacht Harbour - Isle of Palms

Schools, colleges, and universities

Charleston is served by the Charleston County School District, which is divided into eight Districts. These eight districts educate approximately 48,500 students from kindergarten through 12th grade, and contain 42 elementary schools, 13 middle schools, 8 high schools, 12 magnet schools, and 4 charter schools. Charleston is also served by the Berkeley County School District in northern portions of the city, such as the Cainhoy Industrial District, Cainhoy Historical District, and Daniel Island.
Charleston is also served by a large number of private schools, including Porter-Gaud School, Bishop England High School, Ashley Hall, First Baptist, Trident Academy, Charleston Day, Trinity Montessori Christian School and Mason Preparatory School.
Public institutions of higher education in Charleston include the College of Charleston (the nation's thirteenth oldest university) and The Citadel (the state's military college). The city is also home to Charleston Southern University (affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention), and Springfield College. The city is home to a law school, the Charleston School of Law, as well as a medical school, the Medical University of South Carolina. Charleston is also home to the Roper Hospital School of Practical Nursing and Trident Technical College, and branches of Webster University are also located in the city. Charleston is also the location for the only college in the country that offers bachelors degrees in the building arts, The American College of the Building Arts

. The newest school to come to Charleston is the The Art Institute of Charleston located downtown on North Market Street.

Local Military Units

Coast Guard

Coast Guard Sector Charleston

Maritime Law Enforcement Academy

Southeast Regional Fisheries Training Center

Naval Engineering Support Unit Charleston

Electronics Systems Support Detachment (ESD) Charleston

Vessel Boarding and Search Team (VBST) Charleston

USCGC Gallatin (WHEC-721)

USCGC Dallas (WHEC-716)

USCGC Oak (WLB-211)

Navy

Naval Weapons Station Charleston

Charleston Naval Hospital

Army

Charleston Army Depot

Air Force

Charleston Air Force Base

Media

The local daily newspaper in Charleston is The Post and Courier. Other newspapers include the Charleston City Paper, the Charleston Mercury, The Chronicle (weekly) and The Charleston Regional Business Journal.
Charleston is the nation's 100th largest Designated market area (DMA), with 285,730 households and 0.257% of the U.S.

Charleston's major network television affiliates

WCBD-TV 2 (NBC)

WCIV-TV 4 (ABC)

WCSC-TV 5 (CBS)

WITV-TV 7 (PBS)

WCBD DT2-TV 14 (CW)

WJRB-TV 18 (TeleFutura)

WAZS-TV 22 (Azteca America)

WTAT-TV 24 (FOX)

WMMP-TV 36 (MyTV)

WJNI-TV 42 (America One)

WCHD-TV 49

Radio

AM

690 - (External Link

)WOKV - News-Talk from Jacksonville, Fla.

730 - (External Link

)WLTQ - [Spanish] ("Viva 730")

810 - WQIZ St. George, South Carolina - EWTN Catholic Radio

910 - WTMZ (External Link

) - ESPN Sports Radio ("910 The Team")

950 - WJKB (External Link

) - [ClassicCountry], NASCAR racing ("AM 950 Classic Hit Country")

980 - WAZS [50'sand 60's Oldies] - ("Rocket 980")

1250 - WTMA (External Link

) - News/Talk ("News-Talk 1250")

1340 - WQSC (External Link

)] - Talk/News ("Real 1340")

1390 - WXTC (External Link

)] - Gospel ("Heaven 1390")

1450 - WQNT - News/Sports Fox Sports Radio - ("CNN 1450")

1480 - WZJY - Spanish - ("La Jefa 1480")

1610 - Folly Beach, SC - TIS, information on beach

1640 XSUR

- 70s & 80s ("Surfside 1640")

College of Charleston Radio

- Streaming on the web.

FM

WKCL - We Know Christ Lives [91.5MHz] - Contemporary Christian

WIHB - B92 [92.5MHz] - Top 40

WWWZ - Z93 Jamz [93.3MHz] - R&B and Hip-Hop

WSCC - NewsRadio94.3 [94.3MHz] - News/Talk

WSSX - 95SX [95.1MHz] - Current Top 50 Hits

WAVF - Chuck-FM [96.1MHz] - Adult/Variety Hits

WIWF - 96-9 The Wolf [96.9MHz] - Country

WYBB - 98X [98.1MHz] - Hard Rock

WAZS - El Sol [98.9MHz] - Regional Mexican

WXST - Star99.7 [99.7MHz] - Urban AC / Classic R&B-Soul

WALC - The Drive @ 100.5 [100.5MHz] - 80's / 90's Variety

WPAL-FM - Mega100.9 [100.9MHz] - NeoSoul (Currently Off The Air)

[101.7MHz] - not on air yet, expected on by April 2008.

WXLY - Y102.5 [102.5MHz] - Oldies

WEZL - WEZL 103.5 [103.5MHz] - Country

WRFQ - Q104.5 [104.5MHz] - Classic Rock

WCOO - The Bridge @ 105.5 [105.5MHz] - Triple A Rock 1055thebridge.com

WJNI - Gospel 106.3 [106.3MHz] - Gospel

WMGL - Magic107.3 [107.3MHz] - Urban AC/ Classic R&B-Soul

Sister cities

Charleston has one international sister city:

Spoleto (Umbria, Italy); Boston, Massachusetts, USAFurther Information

Get more info on 'Charleston South Carolina'.

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