Charleston

Sister cities

• Spoleto
• Tempelhof

History

The unified Cusabo people (including sub tribes such as Kiawah) and the Ittiwan people inhabited the area prior to colonial settlement. They were known as "Settlement Indians" by colonists. King Charles II granted the chartered Province of Carolina to eight of his loyal friends, known as the Lords Proprietors, on March 24, 1663. Later that year, prominent planters from Barbados attempted their first settlement in the Carolinas on the Cape Fear River, building what would become Charles Towne, North Carolina. This settlement was short lived and most returned back to Barbados a few years into the enterprise. In 1670, Governor William Sayle arranged for several shiploads of settlers from Bermuda and Barbados. These settlers established what was then called Charles Town at Albemarle Point, on the west bank of the Ashley River, a few miles northwest of the present-day city center. Charles Town became the first comprehensively planned town in the Thirteen Colonies. Its governance, settlement, and development were to follow a visionary plan known as the Grand Model prepared for the Lord's Proprietors by John Locke. Because the Carolina's Fundamental Constitutions were never ratified, however, Charles Town was never incorporated during the colonial period. Instead, local ordinances were passed by the provincial government, with day-to-day administration handled by the wardens and vestries of StPhilip's and StMichael's Anglican parishes. At the time of European colonization, the area was inhabited by the indigenous Cusabo, on whom the settlers declared war in October 1671. The settlers initially allied with the Westo, a northern indigenous tribe that traded in enslaved Indians. The settlers abandoned their alliance with the Westo in 1679 and allied with the Cusabo instead.…

Geography

The city proper consists of six distinct districts. * Downtown, sometimes referred to as "The Peninsula", is Charleston's center city separated by the Ashley River to the west and the Cooper River to the east * West Ashley, residential area to the west of Downtown bordered by the Ashley River to the east and the Stono River to the west * Johns Island, far western limits of Charleston, bordered by the Stono River to the east, Kiawah River to the south, and Wadmalaw Island to the west * James Island, a popular residential area between Downtown and the town of Folly Beach with portions of the independent town of James Island intermixed * Cainhoy Peninsula, far eastern limits of Charleston, bordered by the Wando River to the west and Nowell Creek to the east * Daniel Island, residential area to the north of downtown, east of the Cooper River and west of the Wando River The incorporated city fit into as late as World War I, but has since greatly expanded, crossing the Ashley River and encompassing James Island and some of Johns Island. The city limits also have expanded across the Cooper River, encompassing Daniel Island and the Cainhoy area. The present city has a total area of , of which is land and (15.11%) is water. At the airport, where official records are kept, the historical range is on August 1, 1999, down to on January 21, 1985. Nevertheless, traditional parishes still exist in various capacities, mainly as public service districts. When the city of Charleston was formed, it was defined by the limits of the Parish of St. Philip and St. Michael, which now also includes parts of St. James' Parish, St. George's Parish, St. Andrew's Parish, and St. John's Parish. However, the last two are mostly still incorporated rural parishes.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  34,100
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  29,299
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  22,968
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  21,878
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  19,726
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  19,680
• Eastern Bluebird

  Sialia sialis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  18,285
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  17,516

Largest nearby schools

• RB Stall High
  High · North Charleston · 1,952 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• West Ashley High
  High · Charleston · 1,935 students · 17.4:1 ratio
• Lucy Garrett Beckham High
  High · Mt. Pleasant · 1,673 students · 18:1 ratio
• James Island Charter High
  High · Charleston · 1,589 students · 15:1 ratio
• C. E. Williams Middle School for Creative and Scientific Art
  Middle · Charleston · 1,172 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• Orange Grove Charter School
  Elementary · Charleston · 1,167 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• Meeting Street Elementary
  Elementary · North Charleston · 1,133 students · 8.1:1 ratio
• Moultrie Middle
  Middle · Mount Pleasant · 1,119 students · 18:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.91 — 2026-02-08
  6 km SW of Ladson, South Carolina
• M 3.27 — 2021-09-27
  South Carolina
• M 2.82 — 2021-09-27
  3 km NNE of Summerville, South Carolina
• M 3 — 2014-03-19
  0 km WNW of Centerville, South Carolina
• M 2.5 — 2013-09-19
  8 km WSW of Summerville, South Carolina
• M 2.8 — 2012-07-31
  5 km S of Centerville, South Carolina