 Charleston is both cosmopolitan and charming. Charleston today exists as a mixed tribute to her early English, Irish, French, Spanish, German, Swiss, Santo Dominigan, African, American Indian, and Caribbean connections. The Holy City, as many call it, is located 768 mi. from New York City, 590 mi. from Miami, and almost 2500 mi. from Southern California. The Charleston area is comprised of three counties: Charleston County, Berkeley County, and Dorchester County. The region includes more than 90 mi. of Atlantic coastline and reaches some 50 mi. inland toward the intersection of Interstate 26 and Interstate 95. The geographic center of the Greater Charleston Area located somewhere in the northern quadrant of North Charleston. This is the approximate location of the Charleston Air Force Base. There are several town center areas within the Greater Charleston area. The area most commonly thought of as 'Charleston' is the Charleston Peninsula which is located on the Charleston Harbor. The Peninsula is the original city of Charleston and is the center for the historic district and many of the area cultural activities. Charleston has one of the Southeast’s most impressive medical hubs, a multi-billion-dollar visitor industry, and a growing base of national and international business and industry in addition to a large military presence. The region has become a very fast growing area for business investment and retirement.
North Charleston has its own focus of activity including the Northwoods Mall area with its many shops and restaurants and the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center. The largest land area of the area towns is North Charleston. North Charleston also has the largest total population. 
Summerville, located in the Northwest quadrant of the Greater Charleston Area, has a population of around 50,000 with its own hub of activity and historic district. Summerville is the fastest-growing area within the Charleston Tri-County area with many developments under construction and a school system considered by many people here to be that best overall within the area. 
Berkeley County has as its most populated area the town of Goose Creek. Goose Creek is a fast-growing area located just across I-26 from Summerville. Many people like the Goose Creek area because of its more rural feel and less expensive properties yet it is convenient because it has easy access to I-26 and downtown. South of Charleston you will find the beautiful, sometimes rural, areas of John's Island, James Island, Kiawah Island and Edisto Island. Hanahan is located just off of the Goose Creek Reservoir near the North Charleston area and has easy access to the beaches and downtown - although Hanahan itself is lacking in some of the conveniences you will find find some other areas. There are several neighborhoods of the Hanahan area that are very well-established and quite attractive. There are also booming new construction communities with homes available at relatively reasonable prices. Many people select the area for it's ease of access to Mt Pleasant and the beaches - just a short drive over the I-526 bridge. Schools here have a generally good reputation as well. Just North of the Charleston Peninsula on the coast is Mount Pleasant. Mount Pleasant is a densely populated area with its own town Center and fast rising real estate prices. Mount Pleasant has easy access to the beaches of the Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island and quick access to the Peninsula area of downtown. As a result of its location, it has the highest growth pressure relative to the availability of property. In addition to scarcity of available property, the town council has placed a moratorium on building permits which has further restricted the availability of real estate of any type and has driven prices even higher. It is a very nice area in which to live but you do pay a little more for everything from gasoline to groceries there. The Charleston labor force is made of 293,000 people and the average unemployment rate is about 4.4%. The population of the metropolitan area of Charleston including Berkeley Charleston and Dorchester Counties is about 570,000 people. The average household income for Berkeley County is $40,500, for Dorchester County is $44,900, and for Charleston County is $46,900. Charleston is the fourth-largest container cargo port in the United States and ranks first on the entire Southeastern Gulf coasts. In fiscal year 2003 the port of Charleston handled the equivalent of 1911 ships and barges. The port has five terminals and a sixth terminal is currently being developed on the former Charleston Naval base in North Charleston. The Charleston international Airport provides private commercial and military air service for the region. The Airport serves more than 1.6 million passengers per year.
 
The military is the region’s largest employer with more than 18,000 active-duty, reserve and civilian personnel. The Navy is the largest military employer with an estimated annual employment of 12,500 including contract employees. The largest commands include the Charleston Naval Weapons Station with more than 17,000 acres and 40 different tenants including the Nuclear Power Training Command and Nuclear Power Training School, Army Pre-positioning Facility, the 841st Transportation Battalion, and SPAWAR.
Charleston has a vibrant medical community which collectively employs approximately 17,000 people and provides more than 2000 beds. When combined with the total health-care providers in the area, the regions medical industry has nearly 1000 businesses and organizations employing 32,000 people. The center of the regions health-care industry is the Medical University of South Carolina located on 55 acres in downtown Charleston. Its 6 colleges and patient care facilities provide both education resources and superb health-care facilities to the region. Roper St. Francis Health Care operates Roper hospital, Bon Secours St. Francis hospital, and several emergency and diagnostic satellite facilities. In 2000 their facilities were awarded 24 national patient satisfaction awards. Roper hospital, located in downtown Charleston, was founded in 1850 as the first community hospital in the Carolinas. Bon Secours St. Francis hospital opened the doors to its new 141 bed state-of-the-art facility in West Ashley and 1996.
Trident health system has been serving Charleston Berkeley and Dorchester County's for more than 26 years. Trident is currently in the second phase of $88 million expansion to its Trident medical Center in North Charleston. East Cooper regional medical Center in Mt. Pleasant serves the needs of the greater Mount Pleasant area and beyond. Charleston Memorial hospital, the Veterans Administration Medical Center and the United States Naval Hospital serve the medical needs of the region as well.
Charleston’s colleges and universities include Charleston Southern University, the College of Charleston which is the oldest institution of higher education in South Carolina and the 13th oldest in the country, The Citadel which is the largest nonfederal military College of the United States, Johnson and Wales University which specializes in culinary arts, Limestone College, the Medical University of South Carolina, The Charleston School of Law, Miller-Motte Technical College, Trident Technical College, Webster University, and the Low Country Graduate Center.
Charleston County School District combines a unique blend of schools spanning 1000 square miles of coastal South Carolina. With nearly 44,000 students and more than 70 schools, Charleston County is the second-largest school system in the State of South Carolina. Over 7000 employees including almost 3000 teachers make it one of the area’s top employers. Charleston has a diverse economy. Here are some of the area's largest employers: United States Navy Medical University of South Carolina United States Air Force Charleston County School District Care Alliance Health Services Berkeley County school District Charleston County Westvaco Corp. Trident medical Center Robert Bosch Corporation Piggly Wiggly Grocery Stores Dorchester County school District II Santee Cooper City of Charleston Wal-Mart stores United States Postal Service Bi Lo Inc South Carolina electric and gas College of Charleston Interactive Performance City of North Charleston Kiawah Resort Bayer Corp. Blackbaud Lowes Corp. Bass hotels and resorts Food Lion stores Detyens shipyard Williamsons Technologies Nucor Steel Charleston Place Hotel Alcoa US Coast Guard The Citadel Trident Technical College Destination Wild Dunes You may want to view this article by CNN that names Charleston as the best mannered city in the USA: http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/01/17/best.manners.ap/ Retirement Places Rated, 6th Edition (August 2004) rates Charleston as the #3 best town in America for retirement. I hope this information is helpful and I would like to offer to answer any questions personally that you may have. I enjoy discussing all that Charleston has to offer! When you are ready to see some homes in person, just let me know. I look forward to speaking with you soon. |