Historic Charleston:

Downtown Charleston

Charleston is the most historic city in all of America. When visiting, you will notice that it has much Southern character and charm and is full of American spirit while the lifestyle is somewhat European. Over the last fifty or so years Charleston has undergone much restoration, and its majestic beauty turns the heads of the most sophisticated people looking for the graciousness of a bygone era, while still offering all the amenities expected in the 21st century.

Today, in what is often referred to as the “holy city,” both the old and the new are reflected. Where cannons once rang out across the harbor signaling the start of the Civil War, many sailboats now drift across the blue waters. Where Red Coats once came to capture the city, Spoleto Festival U.S.A. explodes with music, theater, visual arts events, and dance each spring.

Within walking distance of the area often referred to as "South of Broad," the city offers the best entertainment. There are many fine restaurants, featuring everything from Charleston’s own cuisine to just about any type of food you desire. There is a great deal of shopping to keep you busy as well, whether it's browsing the King Street Antiques Area, selecting upscale clothing and jewelry from the Shops at Charleston Place, or visiting one of Charleston’s many fine arts galleries. Also don’t forget Charleston boasts a myriad of superior cultural experiences. There are activities such as the theater, the ballet, and even the symphony. There is never a dull moment in Downtown Charleston.

East Cooper Area:

Mount Pleasant 

Mount Pleasant is well known for its excellent schools, low crime rate, and a wide  range of prices for housing and is just a short drive to Historic or Downtown Charleston. Amenities found in the Town of Mount Pleasant make it one of the premier communities to be found in the United States. Mount Pleasant is one of the first-choice housing destinations for new residents and with a population of more than 56,000, it is now the sixth largest municipality in South Carolina. The rapid growth of the Town of Mount Pleasant has fueled the construction of a wealth of housing in new residential developments and planned communities. Mount Pleasant, a retreat from city life since the early 1700s,  is known for its expansive waterfront and proximity to beaches.  Mount Pleasant also offers bountiful facilities and natural settings perfect for golf, tennis, boating, kayaking, and deep-sea fishing. 

Mount Pleasant is a family friendly town featuring many things to do and activities for the entire family.  Mount Pleasant Shem Creek is also famous for shrimp boats, night life, and dining. Another one of Mount Pleasant’s many treasures is Boone Hall Plantation, which hosts many events such as the Boone Hall Annual Oyster Roast and the Taste of Charleston. 

Isle of Palms

The seven mile long and one mile wide island was incorporated as a municipality in 1953. Attorney J.C. Long began developing the island after World War II as an affordable place where service people could buy homes and raise a family. Some of those original families and their descendants are still on the island today.

The municipality offers residents and visitors city services that include police, fire, public works, recreation, building, planning, zoning, judicial, and general government. Also, the city owns and operates a full service 5-acre marina site with launch services, dockage and fuel. The marina is a popular place to charter both offshore and onshore fishing trips as well as ecological tours of nearby uninhabited islands. The city offers approximately 6 miles of beach access throughout the island for residents and visitors, as well as an active nightlife and peaceful settings.

Sullivans Island

Sullivans Island is one of the most exclusive and most expensive places to live in the United States and is also one of the most beautiful places along the Atlantic Ocean. The town of Sullivan’s Island, a barrier island north of Charleston Harbor, is comprised of approximately 2,000 residents in half as many households incorporated in 1817.  Lots were required to have a minimum of one-half acre, and the same is true today.  Sullivan’s Island is unique in that the beachfront lands that have accreted over the years, are owned by the town and held in a perpetual easement by the Lowcountry Open Land Trust protecting the natural environment along the Atlantic Ocean.

This island has a long military history of protecting the harbor from invaders, and there are many wonderful histories that capture those stories.  Remnants of its military history are abundant in now privately held military housing; even former fortifications are now single-family residences.  Sullivan’s Island has one of the best elementary schools located on 18 acres of beachfront.  Sullivan’s Island is located just 15 minutes from downtown Charleston and was Edgar Allan Poe’s hometown. 

Wild Dunes

Wild Dunes is a gated community offering many amenities and ocean front housing. The Wild Dunes resort occupies 1,500 acres on the northern end of the island and offers residents and visitors two 18-hole Tom Fazio golf courses, with views of the ocean, as well as 17 tennis courts and numerous pools. The premier facility is the four-star Boardwalk Inn and Grand Pavilion, which features three pools and a pavilion overlooking the beach and Atlantic Ocean. Also featured is  a 4-diamond restaurant The Sea Island Grill and Edgars restaurant. The site is a favorite for both music and dancing. The resort is among the top ten nationally ranked tennis resorts. Wild Dunes has many private residences as well as condominiums often rented on the vacation rental market. Wild Dunes is a great place to call home and a wonderful place to vacation with the entire family.

Areas Located West of the Ashley River:

Edisto Beach

Edisto Beach is a small, quaint beautiful beach located just outside of Charleston. Some sources state that Edisto was settled before Charleston, but no records prove or disprove this statement. Records do show that Edisto was purchased from the Edistow tribe of Indians by the Earl of Shaftsbury, one of the original Lord Proprietors, for some cloth, hatchets, beads, and other goods in 1674. Rice and indigo were among the first crops planted; however, Sea Island Cotton became world famous. It is reliably stated that the Pope in Rome insisted that his garments be made of Edisto Island cotton.

Following the end of the War Between the States (or Civil War) and the advent of the boll weevil, the cotton industry died and the islanders started truck farming, shrimping, and fishing. Today, tourism is also one of the largest industries at Edisto Beach. 

Folly Beach

Folly Beach is a surfer’s dream and is located between the Folly River and the Atlantic Ocean, just 15 minutes from downtown Charleston. Locals refer to this little corner of the world as the "Edge of America.".

On the eastern tip of the island you'll find a view of Morris Island Lighthouse from one of three county parks. The Fishing Pier extends more than 1,045 feet into the Atlantic Ocean.

Accommodations range from quaint cottages, to ultramodern beach houses, to sleek condominiums and a luxury hotel.  Many activities are available on the beach including tennis, fishing, kayaking, surfing, theater, arts, or beach combing.  Folly Beach offers this all year long.  In fact surfing is some of the best on the East Coast and Folly has a number of surf events throughout the year. Folly Beach is a laid-back community featuring the best that Charleston has to offer.

James Island

James Island is a beautiful small island located 5 minutes from downtown. During the 19th century, plantations were built on James Island, along with the village of Secessionville, a summer retreat for plantation owners.  The Civil War began on James Island on the morning of April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces at Fort Johnson fired on Union-occupied Fort Sumter.  Both forts were located on the island's northern shore.

Families can choose from a number of recreational opportunities, including those available at the popular James Island County Park. This incredible 643-acre park offers biking, nature trails, a climbing wall, an elaborate playground, pedal boats, kayaking, 16 acres of lagoons, a fishing and crabbing dock, and picnic areas. Splash Zone, located inside the park, is a well-rounded water playground offering two 200-foot tube slides, a 500-foot lazy river, a leisure pool, and a Caribbean play structure with interactive elements.  In addition, James Island County Park is host to the Holiday Festival of Lights, which begins on Thanksgiving and runs through the New Year celebration.

James Island is a large triangular sea island framed by Wappoo Creek and Charleston Harbor to the north, Morris Island and Folly Beach to the east, and the Stono River and Johns Island to the west.  Only 5 minutes from downtown Charleston across the city’s harbor is the countryside setting of James Island. This mostly residential expanse of oak trees, tidal creeks, and waterfront vistas offers a wide variety of stylish neighborhoods and home sites.  James Island real estate has seen an increase in home prices and new developments in recent years.  James Island is home to many new shops and restaurants that make James Island not only a great place to work, but also a great place to live.

Johns Island

Johns Island, located right next to James Island and just a short drive to Kiawah Island, has two claims to fame. The first are the tomatoes, and the second is the beloved Angel Oak. 

The Angel Oak is considered to be the largest living oak tree east of the Mississippi River.  It is more than 1,400 years old and its beauty draws Charleston area visitors and locals alike to a quiet park setting with some of the best shade around. Its branches provide more than 17,000 square feet of shade. . The tree is more than 65 feet tall with a circumference of 25.5 feet.

Johns Island offers two completely different settings from which to choose. There are a few subdivisions that were developed during the 1980s, but most of the subdivisions have developed just over that last few years. Both bridges that access the island have been replaced, making the commute into town much easier and the island of great interest to developers. However, with so much of the land still being actively worked by farmers, one can find a gracious home on a large piece of property with wonderful neighbors who aren’t as close by. If you are looking for a country lifestyle with just a short drive to historic Charleston, Johns Island is a good choice.

Kiawah Island

Kiawah Island is an exclusive gated town with stately homes located along the Atlantic Ocean, known as one of the best beach’s in the world, and home to celebrities. The island was named for the Kiawah (Kee-a-wah) Indians, who inhabited the island through the 1500s.

In 1699, Kiawah Island was granted to Captain George Raynor by Lord Proprietors under the auspices of King Charles II of England. Raynor was not interested in Kiawah; he sold half and willed the other half to his daughter, Mary. The entire island was then purchased by John Stanyarne in 1737. After his death the island was split between his two granddaughters, Mary Gibbes and Elizabeth Vanderhorst.

Over the next 130 years the island passed down through the families of the granddaughters until Adele Vanderhorst purchased the western half of Kiawah for $3,500 in 1900.

Fifty years later, the Vanderhorst estate sold the island to C. C. Royal, a lumberman from Aiken, South Carolina, for $125,000. Over the next 24 years, Royal logged pine trees, built the causeway to Kiawah, developed Eugenia Avenue by selling oceanfront lots for $10,000 each, and put in east-to-west logging roads, the precursors to today's paved roads.

In 1974 Royal sold the island to the Kuwaiti Investment Corporation for $17 million and development of the island began in earnest.

In 1988 Kiawah Resort Associates purchased Kiawah from the Kuwaitis for $105 million and sold the amenities for $35 million to Landmark. The amenities were later sold to Kiawah Island Golf Resort.

Also in 1988, the Town of Kiawah Island was incorporated. Kiawah Island also offers a world-class hotel, restaurant, and beach.

West Ashley

West Ashley is one of Charleston, S.C.’s oldest suburban residential areas, with beautiful plantations and exclusive neighborhoods such The Crescent, Wappoo Heights, Edgewater Park, and South Windermere. It features large homes on expansive wooded and waterfront lots and has a feeling of countryside living only 5 minutes from the heart of the historic city.

West Ashley also has many plantations such as,Magnolia Plantation; Audubon Swamp Gardens features a dazzling display of color and wildlife; Middleton Place Plantation is famed  for its terraced colonial gardens and living history events; and Drayton Hall National Trust Historic Site remains one of America’s finest examples of Georgian-Palladian architecture.

West Ashley is home to the site of Charleston’s original colonial settlement in 1670, where today a state park features replicas of the old town as well as a delightful animal forest where indigenous species of bison, elk, black bear, fox, deer, and bobcat roam spacious habitats designed by famed naturalist Jim Fowler.

West Ashley real estate selections feature a variety of neighborhoods, home, and lot styles, from wooded interiors to river, creek, and intracoastal waterway frontage, all minutes from downtown. West Ashley is close to shopping and the beaches. 

Other Areas:

Summerville

Summerville is a beautiful historic city that was first inhabited in the late 1700s as Charlestonians and other inhabitants of the South Carolina lowcountry sought respite from the summer heat, mosquitoes, and disease. From May to September, plantation families along the nearby Ashley River and other coastal areas, headed for higher elevations to live temporarily or "maroon," in the tiny forest colony soon dubbed Summerville. Other pioneer residents descended from those 1696 Puritans who settled the nearby former colonial settlement of Dorchester, endowing Summerville with a heritage spanning three centuries.

Summerville's beauty is mirrored in her motto, "The Flower Town in the Pines." Since the early 1900s day tourists have flocked to the town during early spring to enjoy viewing millions of spring blossoms, particularly azaleas, in private and public gardens, including the midtown Azalea Park. It's no wonder that the motto on the town's official seal is "Sacra Pinus Esto--The Pine Is Sacred."

Despite the publicity and the development it spurred, the town's population hovered around 3,000 for nearly a century, not reaching 6,000 until the late 1970s.  Then, as a bedroom community for the larger urban centers in the area, the charm of Summerville resulted in a doubling of the population in the 1980s. It continues to attract families, business people, and military personnel, all looking for a quality of life that has long since disappeared in cities. The 2000 Census noted that the Town of Summerville's population was 27,752.

The Dorchseter II School District serving Summerville is rated as having some of the best schools in the state. Summerville is a growing area with reasonably priced homes, located near great shopping, and historic areas of interest. 

Goose Creek

 The source of the name "Goose Creek" has been lost to history. Some have theorized that the area was named after the gooseneck turns in the creek that extended off the Cooper River. Others say the name came from the prominence of geese in the waterway. It is possible that the name has Native American origins. No matter the source, since the late 1600s this area of the lowcountry has been known as Goose Creek.

Today over 30,000 people proudly call Goose Creek home. Residents enjoy the sense of community that has emerged over the area's long history and appreciate the natural beauty that drew early settlers to Goose Creek. A new Municipal Complex built in 1999 is home to City Hall, the Police Department, and the Municipal Court. The Department of Public Works continues to provide superior water, sanitation, and maintenance service. The Fire Department has grown to staff two stations. Over 200 years after it was first settled, Goose Creek is just beginning to realize its potential and is one of the fastest growing cities in the area.