Charleston is made up of a main peninsula surrounded by numerous barrier islands that are also part of the Charleston Metro Area. The Metro Area is located in the counties of Berkeley and Charleston. The City of Charleston proper includes the main peninsula, an area west of the Ashley River known as West Ashley, James Island, located just across the Wappoo, and an area east of the Cooper River known as Mt. Pleasant.

As of 2007, the estimated population of the city proper is nearly 120,000, making it the 2nd most populous city in South Carolina, behind the state capital, Columbia. The metropolitan area population of Charleston and North Charleston was estimated to be 603,178 in 2007 (includes entire populations of Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties). This ranks Charleston-North Charleston as the 2nd largest individual 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).

America’s most-published etiquette expert, Marjabelle Young Stewart [2], 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 only Livability Court in the country.

Charleston area information:
Charleston Conventions & Visitors Bureau
Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce
City of Charleston
Area Weather
Charleston Airport
Riverland Terrace Neighborhood Association
Port of Charleston
Pictures of Charleston
Maps and Aerial Photos of Charleston

School Information:
Public Schools:
South Carolina Schools Website
Charleston County School District
Dorchester School District 2
Dorchester School District 4
Berkeley County Schools

Private Schools:
South Carolina Independent School Association

Charleston Job Market:
Charleston Career Market
SCIway.net Jobs

Charleston area Churches:
Charleston Lowcountry Churches