There are many exciting and fun things awaiting you in Charleston, SC including the Charleston Aquarium, antebellum mansions, eclectic art galleries, theater, festivals and outdoor concerts. The more popular outdoor activities include things like golf, tennis, horseback riding, water sports, as well as guided tours through Blackwater Swamps and historic plantations like the Magnolia and Boone Hall plantations, saltmarshes and barrier islands – and much, much more.
The boundaries of metropolitan Charleston, SC lie within three counties, Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester. The city has 90 miles of coastline, and stretches inward from the Atlantic coast some 50 miles. Public education for Charleston pre-K through 12 is provided primarily by three school districts: Berkeley County Schools, Charleston County School District, and District 2 and District 4 of Dorchester County School District.
Charleston History
Charleston is rich in historic charm, but enjoys cultural sophistication which is evident throughout the city. Things like the great fires of 1740, and 1861, the fall of Fort Sumter and consequent destruction of the city during the Civil War, plus a major earthquake in 1886 could not keep Charleston down.
The economy of Charleston once was centered around merchandise and trade dating back to the earliest days of the town when the settlers of “Charles Towne” would trade and barter such things as deer skins, indigo, hemp, and cotton with the Indians. Merchants who dealt in luxuries from England also added to the economy of the port city. The Charlestonians eventually became great planters, thus transforming the area to a more agricultural society. In spite of the Yellow Fever epidemic during the mid-1700s, prosperity soon returned and business began to grow again with rice as the cash crop.
As the 20th century dawned, Charleston found itself emerging from the crises of the past into the economic prosperity of its golden future; but this time the economic drivers which rose to prominence included manufacturing, military, and the railroad. Later in the 20th century, international container cargo shipping, the medical industry, and tourism also became highly important to the economy of Charleston.
Charleston Real Estate
The Chrleston Trident Association of Realtors reprted January 11, 2012: Home prices finished the year on an up note. The Median Sales Price increased 3.7 percent to $186,664. Days on Market increased 12.8 percent to 123 days. Absorption rates improved as Months Supply of Inventory was down 26.0 percent to 8.6 months.
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