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{{Infobox Settlement|official_name = Charleston, South Carolina|motto = Aedes Mores Juraque Curat (She cares for her temples, customs, and rights)|settlement_type = City.|image_map1 =|mapsize1 =|map_caption1 =|subdivision_type = [List of countries|subdivision_type1 = Political divisions of the United States|subdivision_type2 = List of counties in South Carolina|subdivision_name = United States|subdivision_name2 = [Charleston County, South Carolina, Berkeley County, South Carolina|government_type =|leader_title = Mayor|established_date =|area_magnitude = 1 E8|area_total_sq_mi = 178.1|area_land_sq_mi = 147.0|area_water_sq_mi = 17.1|area_total_km2 = 376.5|area_land_km2 = 361.2|area_water_km2 = 44.3|population_footnotes =|population_note = (city proper- 2007 city estimates)|population_as_of = 2006|population_metro = 603,178|population_total = 107,844|population_density_km2 = 384.7|population_density_sq_mi = 996.5|timezone = [North American Eastern Time Zone|utc_offset = -5|timezone_DST = Eastern Daylight Time|utc_offset_DST = -4|postal_code_type =|postal_code =|area_code = Area code 843|latd = 32 |latm = 47 |lats = 00 |latNS = N|longd = 79 |longm = 56 |longs = 00 |longEW = W|elevation_m = 4|elevation_ft = 20|website = http://www.charlestoncity.info/|blank_name = Federal Information Processing Standard|blank_info = 45-13330|blank1_name = Geographic Names Information System feature ID|blank1_info = 1221516|footnotes =-->Charleston is a city in the county of Charleston County, South Carolina with some incorporated areas located within the boundaries of Berkeley County and Dorchester County in the U.S. state of South Carolina; the city serves as the county seat and largest city of Charleston County. The city proper consists of five distinct areas: the Peninsula/Downtown, West Ashley, Johns Island, South Carolina, James Island (South Carolina), Daniel Island, and the Cainhoy Peninsula. The city was founded as Charlestown or Charles Towne, Carolina in 1670, and moved to its present location in 1680; it adopted its present name in 1783. In 1690, Charleston was the fifth largest city in North America, and remained among the ten largest cities in the United States through the 1840 census. Charleston is known as The Holy City due to the prominence of churches on the low-rise cityscape, particularly the numerous steeples which dot the city's skyline.

As of July 2006, the estimated population of the city proper is 107,845, making it the second most populous city in South Carolina behind the state capital Columbia, South Carolina. Current trends put Charleston as the fastest growing central city in South Carolina. The United States metropolitan area population of Charleston and North Charleston, South Carolina, which includes the entire populations of Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties, was estimated to be 603,178 in 2007. This ranks Charleston-North Charleston as the second largest 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).

The city of Charleston is located just south of the mid-point of South Carolina's coastline, at the junction of the Ashley River (South Carolina) and Cooper River (South Carolina) Rivers. Charleston's name is derived from Charles Towne, named after King Charles II of England.

America's most-published etiquette expert, Marjabelle Young Stewart, has recognized the city since 1995 as the "best-mannered" city in the U.S, "Charleston best-mannered city", CNN.com, January 17, 2004. Accessed May 9, 2007. a claim lent credibility by the fact that it has the only Livability Court in the country.

History home in Battery Park (Charleston). Early colonization After Charles II of England (1630-1685) was restored to the Great Britain throne following Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate, he granted the chartered Carolina territory to eight of his loyal friends, known as the Lords Proprietor, in 1663. It took seven years before the Lords could arrange for settlement, the first being that of Charles Town. The community, Kaylie Gallagher, was established by English settlers in 1670 on the west bank of the Ashley River, a few miles northwest of the present city. It was soon chosen by Anthony Ashley-Cooper, one of the Lords Proprietor, to become a "great port towne", a destiny which the city fulfilled. By 1680, the settlement had grown, joined by others from England, Barbados, and Virginia, and relocated to its current peninsular location. The capital of the Carolina colony, Charleston was the center for further expansion and the southernmost point of English settlement during the late 1600s.

The settlement was often subject to attack from sea and from land. Periodic assaults from Spain and France, who still contested England's claims to the region, were combined with resistance from Native Americans in the United States, as well as pirate raids. Charleston's colonists erected a fortification wall around the small settlement to aid in its defense. Two buildings remain from the Walled City, the Powder Magazine, where the city's supply of gunpowder was stored, and the Pink House, believed to have been an old colonial tavern. "Chalmers Street," Charleston County Public Library, Accessed June 11, 2007.

A 1680 plan for the new settlement, the Grand Modell, laid out "the model of an exact regular town," and the future for the growing community. Land surrounding the intersection of Meeting and Broad Streets was set aside for a Civic Square. Over time it became known as the Four Corners of the Law, referring to the various arms of governmental and religious law presiding over the square and the growing city. St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Charleston's oldest and most noted church, was built on the southeast corner in 1752. The following year the Capitol of the colony was erected across the square. Because of its prominent position within the city and its elegant architecture, the building signaled to Charleston's citizens and visitors its importance within the British colonies. Provincial court met on the ground floor, the Commons House of Assembly and the Royal Governor's Council Chamber met on the second floor.

Ethnic and religious diversity While the earliest settlers primarily came from England, colonial Charleston was also home to a mixture of ethnic and religious groups. In colonial times, Boston, Massachusetts, and Charleston were sister cities, and people of means spent summers in Boston and winters in Charleston. There was a great deal of trade with Bermuda and the Caribbean, and some people came to live in Charleston from these areas. French people, Scottish people, Irish people, and Germans migrated to the developing seacoast town, representing numerous Protestant denominations, as well as Roman Catholicism and Judaism. Sephardi migrated to the city in such numbers that Charleston eventually was home to, by the beginning of the 19th Century and until about 1830, the largest and wealthiest Jewish community in North America "A 'portion of the People'," Harvard Magazine, January - February 2003. Accessed June 11, 2007. "The Jews of South Carolina," NPR.org, March 25, 2002. Accessed June 11, 2007. The Jewish Coming Street Cemetery, first established in 1762, attests to History of the Jews in Charleston, South Carolina. The first Anglican church, St. Philip's Episcopal Church, was built in 1682, although later destroyed by fire and relocated to its current location. Slaves also comprised a major portion of the population, and were active in the city's religious community. Free black Charlestonians and slaves helped establish the Old Bethel United Methodist Church in 1797, and the congregation of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church Church stems from a religious group organized solely by African Americans, free and slave, in 1791. The first American museum opened to the public on January 12, 1773 in Charleston.From the mid-18th century a large amount of Immigration to the United States was taking place in the upcountry of the Carolinas, some of it coming from abroad through Charleston, but also much of it a southward movement from Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, until the upcountry population was larger than the coastal population. The Upcountry people were viewed by Charlestonians as being not as polished in many ways, and had different interests, setting the stage for several generations of conflicts between the Upcountry and the Charleston elite.

Major Atlantic port By the mid-18th century Charleston had become a bustling trade center, the hub of the Atlantic trade for the southern colonies, and the wealthiest and largest city south of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By 1770 it was the fourth largest port in the colonies, after only Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, with a population of 11,000, slightly more than half of that slaves. Rice and indigo dye had been successfully cultivated by slave-owning planters in the surrounding coastal low-country. Those and longleaf pine were exported in an extremely profitable shipping industry. It was the cultural and economic center of the South.

American Revolution As the relationship between the colonists and England deteriorated, Charleston became a focal point in the ensuing Revolution. In protest of the Tea Act of 1773, which embodied the concept of taxation without representation, Charlestonians confiscated tea and stored it in the Exchange and Custom House. Representatives from all over the colony came to the Exchange in 1774 to elect delegates to the Continental Congress, the group responsible for drafting the United States Declaration of Independence; and South Carolina declared its independence from the crown on the steps of the Exchange. Soon, the church steeples of Charleston, especially St. Michael's, became targets for British war ships causing rebel forces to paint the steeples black to blend with the night sky.

It was twice the target of British attacks. At every stage the British strategy assumed a large base of Loyalist supporters who would rally to the King given some military support. On June 28, 1776 General Henry Clinton with 2,000 men and a naval squadron tried to seize Charleston, hoping for a simultaneous Loyalist uprising in South Carolina. It seemed a cheap way of waging the war but it failed as the naval force was defeated by the Continental Army, specifically the 2nd South Carolina Regiment at Fort Moultrie under the command of William Moultrie. When the fleet fired cannonballs, the explosives failed to penentrate the fort's unfinished, yet thick palmetto log walls. Additionally, no local Loyalists attacked the town from behind as the British had hoped. The loyalists were too poorly organized to be effective, but as late as 1780 senior officials in London, misled by Loyalist exiles, placed their confidence in their rising.

Clinton returned in 1780 with 14,000 soldiers. American General Benjamin Lincoln was trapped and surrendered his entire 5400 men force after a long fight, the Siege of Charleston was the greatest American defeat of the war (see Henry Clinton (American War of Independence)#Commander in Chief for more). Several Americans escaped the carnage, and joined up with several militias, including those of Francis Marion, the 'Swampfox,' and Andrew Pickens. The tactics of these militias were hit and run. Eventually, Clinton returned to New York, leaving Charles Cornwallis with 8000 Redcoats to rally Loyalists, built forts across the state, and demand oaths of allegiance to the King. Many of these forts were taken over by the outnumbered guerilla militias. At one point, the infamous British cavalry leader, Banastre Tarleton pursued the Swampfox, (Francis Marion). The British retained control of the city until December 1782. After the British left the city's name was officially changed to Charleston in 1783.

Commerce and Expansion By 1788, Carolinians were meeting at the Capitol building for the Constitutional Ratification Convention, and while there was support for the Federal Government, division arose over the location of the new State Capital. A suspicious fire broke out in the Capitol building during the Convention, after which the delegates removed to the Exchange and decreed Columbia the new State Capital. By 1792, the Capitol had been rebuilt and became the Charleston County Courthouse. Upon its completion, the city possessed all the public buildings necessary to be transformed from a colonial capital to the center of the antebellum South. But the grandeur and number of buildings erected in the following century reflect the optimism, pride, and civic destiny that many Charlestonians felt for their community.

As Charleston grew, so did the community's cultural and social opportunities, especially for the elite merchants and planters. The first theater building in America was built in Charleston in 1736, but was later replaced by the 19th-century Planter's Hotel where wealthy planters stayed during Charleston's horse-racing season (now the Dock Street Theatre, known as the oldest active theatre in the United States). Benevolent societies were formed by several different ethnic groups: the South Carolina Society, founded by French Huguenots in 1737; the German Friendly Society, founded in 1766; and the Hibernian Society, founded by Irish immigrants in 1801. The Charleston Library Society was established in 1748 by some wealthy Charlestonians who wished to keep up with the scientific and philosophical issues of the day. This group also helped establish the College of Charleston in 1770, the oldest college in South Carolina and the 13th oldest in the United States.

Charleston became more prosperous in the plantation-dominated economy of the post-Revolutionary years. The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 revolutionized this crop's production, and it quickly became South Carolina's major export. Cotton plantations relied heavily on slave labor. Slaves were also the primary labor force within the city, working as domestics, artisans, market workers or laborers. Many black Charlestonians spoke Gullah language, a language based on African American structures which combined African, French, German, English, and Dutch words. In 1807 the Charleston Market was founded. It soon became a hub for the African-American community, with many slaves and free people of color staffing stalls.

By 1820 Charleston's population had grown to 23,000, with a black majority. When a massive slave revolt planned by Denmark Vesey, a free black, was discovered in 1822, such hysteria ensued amidst white Charlestonians and Carolinians that the activities of free blacks and slaves were severely restricted. Hundreds of blacks, free and slave, and some white supporters involved in the planned uprising were held in the Old Jail. It also was the impetus for the construction of a new State Arsenal in Charleston. Recently, research published by historian Michael P. Johnson of Johns Hopkins University has cast doubt on the veracity of the accounts detailing Vesey's aborted slave revolt.

As Charleston's government, society and industry grew, commercial institutions were established to support the community's aspirations. The Bank of South Carolina, the second oldest building constructed as a bank in the nation, was established here in 1798. Branches of the First and Second Bank of the United States were also located in Charleston in 1800 and 1817. While the First Bank was converted to City Hall by 1818, the Second Bank proved to be a vital part of the community as it was the only bank in the city equipped to handle the international transactions so crucial to the export trade. By 1840, the Market Hall and Sheds, where fresh meat and produce were brought daily, became the commercial hub of the city. The slave trade also depended on the port of Charleston, where ships could be unloaded and the slaves sold at markets.

Pre-Civil War Political Changes In the first half of the 19th century, South Carolinians became more devoted to the idea that state's rights were superior to the Federal government's authority. Buildings such as the Marine Hospital ignited controversy over the degree in which the Federal government should be involved in South Carolina's government, society, and commerce. During this period over 90 percent of Federal funding was generated from import duties, collected by custom houses such as the one in Charleston. In 1832 South Carolina passed an ordinance of nullification, a procedure in which a state could in effect repeal a Federal law, directed against the most recent tariff acts. Soon Federal soldiers were dispensed to Charleston's forts and began to collect tariffs by force. A compromise was reached by which the tariffs would be gradually reduced, but the underlying argument over state's rights would continue to escalate in the coming decades. Charleston remained one of the busiest port cities in the country, and the construction of a new, larger United States Custom House began in 1849, but its construction was interrupted by the events of the Civil War.

Prior to U.S. presidential election, 1860, the United States Democratic Party convened in Charleston. Hibernian Hall served as the headquarters for the delegates supporting Stephen A. Douglas, who it was hoped would bridge the gap between the northern and southern delegates on the issue of extending slavery to the territories. The convention disintegrated when delegates were unable to summon a two-thirds majority for any candidate. This divisiveness resulted in a split in the Democratic Party, and the election of Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate.

American Civil War and Reconstruction

On December 20, 1860, the South Carolina General Assembly made the state the first to ever secede from the Union (American Civil War). They asserted that one of the causes was the election to the presidency of a man "whose opinions and purposes are hostile to slavery", but there are other numerous causes as well.

On January 9, 1861, The Citadel (Military College) cadets fired the first shots of the American Civil War when they opened fire on the Union ship Star of the West entering Charleston's harbor. On April 12, 1861, shore batteries under the command of General Pierre G. T. Beauregard opened fire on the Union-held Fort Sumter in the harbor. After a 34-hour bombardment, Major Major Robert Anderson surrendered the fort. Officers and Cadets from The Citadel were assigned to various Confederate batteries during the bombardment of Fort Sumter. Although the Citadel continued to operate as an academy during the Civil War, cadets were made a part of the South Carolina military department along with the cadets from the Arsenal Academy in Columbia, to form the Battalion of State Cadets. Cadets from both institutions continued to aid the Confederate army by helping drill recruits, manufacture ammunition, protect arms depots, and guard Union prisoners. In December of 1864 Citadel and Arsenal Cadets were ordered to join Confederate forces at Tullifinny Creek, South Carolina where they engaged in pitched battles with advancing units of General W. T. Sherman's army, suffering eight casualties. In all, The Citadel Corps of Cadets earned eight battle streamers and one service streamer for its service to South Carolina during the War. The city under siege took control of Fort Sumter, became the center for blockade running, and was the site of the first successful submarine warfare on February 17, 1864 when the H. L. Hunley (submarine) made a daring night attack on the USS Housatonic (1861). "H. L. Hunley, Confederate Submarine," Department of the Navy -- Naval Historical Center, Accessed June 13, 2007. In 1865, Union Army troops moved into the city, and took control of many sites, such as the United States Arsenal, which the Confederate army had seized at the outbreak of the war. The War department also confiscated the grounds and buildings of the Citadel Military Academy, which was used as a federal garrison for over 17 years, until its return to the state and reopening as a military college in 1882.

After the eventual and destructive defeat of the Confederacy, Federal forces remained in Charleston during the city's reconstruction. The war had shattered the prosperity of the antebellum city. Freed slaves were faced with poverty and discrimination. Industries slowly brought the city and its inhabitants back to a renewed vitality and growth in population. As the city's commerce improved, Charlestonians also worked to restore their community institutions. In 1867 Charleston's first free secondary school for blacks was established, the Avery Institute. General William Tecumseh Sherman lent his support to the conversion of the United States Arsenal into the Porter Military Academy, an educational facility for former soldiers and boys left orphaned or destitute by the war. Porter Military Academy later joined with Gaud School and is now a K-12 University-preparatory school, Porter-Gaud School. The William Enston Homes, a planned community for the city's aged and infirmed, was built in 1889. An elaborate public building, the United States Post Office and Courthouse, was completed in 1896 and signaled renewed life in the heart of the city.

In 1886 Charleston was Charleston earthquake by an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter Scale that was felt as far away as Boston, Massachusetts and Bermuda. It damaged 2,000 buildings and caused $6 million worth of damage ($133 million(2006 United States dollar)) , while in the whole city the buildings were only valued at approximately $24 million($531 million(2006 United States dollar).

Yet, through many fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, several wars, and urban renewal in the 20th century, many of Charleston's historic buildings remain intact to this day.

Modern-day Charleston is a notable tourism destination, with streets lined with grand Southern live oak draped with Spanish moss. Along the waterfront in an area known as Rainbow Row are many beautiful and historic pastel-colored homes. The city is also an important port, boasting the second largest container seaport on the East Coast and the fourth largest container seaport in North America. North American Container Traffic (2005), Port Ranking by TEUs as reported by the American Association of Port Authorities. It is also the second most productive port in the World behind Hong Kong. Charleston is becoming a prime location for information technology jobs and corporations, most notably Blackbaud, Modulant, CSS, and Benefitfocus. In the city's downtown area, the medical district is experiencing rapid growth of biotechnology and medical research coupled with substantial expansions of hospital facilities at the Medical University of South Carolina and Roper Hospital.

Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston in 1989, and though the worst damage was in nearby McClellanville, the storm damaged three-quarters of the homes in Charleston's historic district. The hurricane caused over $2.8 billion in damage.

In 1993, the world's first squadron of the significant C-17 Globemaster III aircraft was established at Charleston Air Force base.

In 2004, SPAWAR (United States Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command) became the largest employer in the Charleston metropolitan area. Until 2004, the Medical University of South Carolina was the largest employer.

Charleston is the home of a Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP). It is part of an initiative by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide mail order prescriptions to veterans using computerization at strategic locations throughout the United States.

Government Charleston has a mayor-council government with a strong mayor. The mayor is the chief administrator and the executive officer of the municipality. The mayor also presides over city council meetings and has a vote, the same as other council members. Mayor Council members Emergency services City of Charleston Fire Department The City of Charleston Fire Department consists of 237 firefighters in 19 companies located throughout the city. "Investigation examining Charleston firefighters' handling of deadly blaze," KSLA News 12, Accessed June 21, 2007. The department operates on a 24/48 schedule, and has a Class I ISO rating. "Fire department overview," City of Charleston Official Website, Accessed June 20, 2007. Fire chief June 2007 Warehouse Tragedy In an unprecedented tragedy for the City of Charleston Fire Department, 9 firefighters were killed on June 18, 2007 in a furniture warehouse fire, while searching for possible trapped occupants and attempting to extinguish the blaze.Bruce Smith, "Nine Charleston Firefighters Perish in Blaze," Associated Press article at Firehouse.com, June 19, 2007. Accessed June 19, 2007. It was the greatest single loss of firefighters in the United States since 343 firefighters were lost in the collapse of the World Trade Center which resulted from the September 11, 2001 attacks, and the greatest loss of firefighters in the history of the Charleston Fire Department. One station lost all but one of its firefighters.

City of Charleston Police Department The City of Charleston Police Department is South Carolina's largest Police Department. Their procedures on cracking down on drug use and gang violence in the city are used as models to other cities to do the same. With a total of 382 sworn officers, 137 civilians and 27 reserve police officers, it is South Carolina's largest Police Department. According to the final 2005 FBI Crime Reports, Charleston crime level is worse than the national average in almost every major category. "2005 FBI Crime Reports" Police chief Previous police chief

Infrastructure and economy Transportation Airport The Charleston area is served by Charleston International Airport , which is the busiest passenger airport in the state of South Carolina.

Interstates and highways Interstate 26 enters the city from the north-Ordinal directions, and connects the city to its airport, Interstate 95 in South Carolina, and Columbia, South Carolina. It ends at the Septima Clark Expressway downtown, which travels across two-thirds of the peninsula before merging into the Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge. The bridge and Septima Clark Expressway are part of U.S. Route 17, which travels east-west through the cities of Charleston and Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Interstate 526, or the Mark W. Clark Expressway, forms a half-circle around the city. U.S. Route 52 is Meeting Street and its U.S. Route 52 Spur (Charleston, South Carolina) is Morrison Drive, which becomes East Bay Street after leaving the Eastside. This highway merges with King Street in the city's Neck area (Industrial District) to form Rivers Avenue. U.S. Route 78 is King Street in the downtown area, eventually merging with Meeting Street to form Rivers Avenue.

The metropolitan area is served by several other U.S. highways. U.S. Route 17 Alternate (South Carolina) travels through the upper portions of the urban area, going Ordinal directions-Ordinal directions through the suburban cities of Summerville, South Carolina and Goose Creek, South Carolina. U.S. Route 176 begins in Goose Creek and leaves the city to the northwest.

The Charleston area is also served by several state highways including:

Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge The Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge across the Cooper River opened on July 16, 2005, and is the largest cable-stayed bridge in the Americas. The bridge links Mount Pleasant, South Carolina with downtown Charleston, and has eight lanes and a 12-foot lane shared by pedestrians and bicycles. It replaced the Silas N. Pearman Bridge (built in 1966) and the John P. Grace Memorial Bridge (built in 1929). They were considered two of the most dangerous bridges in America, and demolished after the Ravenel Bridge opened., is the longest cable-stayed bridge in the Western Hemisphere.

Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority The city is also served by a bus system, operated by the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA). However rural parts of the city and metropolitan area are served by a different bus system, operated by Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Rural Transportation Management Association (BCD-RTMA).

The Port The Port of Charleston consists of five terminals. Three are on the Harbor and the other two are on the Cooper River just north of Charleston's bustling harbor. The port is ranked number one in North America by Supply Chain Execs.http://port-of-charleston.com/community/press_room/pressroom.asp?PressRelease=162 Port activity, behind tourism, is the leading source of Charleston's revenue. Piers

A new terminal is being planned on the former Naval Shipyard Grounds to accommodate the growing needs of the port.

Major Companies in the Charleston Metropolitan Area

Geography and climate Coordinates Charleston is located at . Racial makeup The racial makeup of Charleston is 65.2% White Americans, 31.6% African Americans, 1.6% Asian Americans, and 2.4% Hispanics in the United States

Topography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of . of it is land and (15%) of it is water. The old city is located on a peninsula at the point where, as Charlestonians say, "The Ashley and the Cooper Rivers come together to form the Atlantic Ocean." The entire peninsula is very low, some of it is landfill material, and as such, it frequently floods during heavy rains, storm surges and unusually high tides. The city limits have expanded across the Ashley River from the peninsula encompassing the majority of West Ashley as well as James Island and some of Johns Island. The city limits also have expanded across the Cooper River (South Carolina) encompassing Daniel Island and the Cainhoy area. North Charleston blocks any expansion up the peninsula, and Mount Pleasant occupies the land directly east of the Cooper River.

The tidal rivers (Wando, Cooper, Stono, and Ashley) are evidence of a Submergent coastline or drowned coastline. In other words, the original rivers had a lower base line, but as the ocean rose or the land sank, the landform was changed. There is a submerged river delta off the mouth of the Charleston Harbor, and the rivers are deep, affording a good location for a port. The rising of the ocean may be due to melting of glacier ice during the end of the ice age.

In recent decades, the urban area of the city has become elongated along Interstate 26, while being fairly short from east to west. Today areas with a population density of over 1,000 people per square mile extends continuously from the tip of the peninsula out to the Summerville area.

Climate Charleston has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa in the Köppen climate classification system), with mild winters, hot, humid summers, and significant rainfall all year long. Summer is the wettest season; almost half of the annual rainfall occurs during the summer months in the form of thundershowers, which is an effect similar to the monsoons found in Southern Asia. Fall remains relatively warm through November. Winter is short and mild, and is characterized by occasional rain. Snow flurries rarely occur. The highest temperature recorded was , on June 2, 1985, and the lowest temperature recorded was on January 21, 1985.Maximum and minimum temperatures from Yahoo! Weather

{| class="wikitable" "text-align:center;font-size:90%;"|| colspan="13" style="text-align:center;font-size:120%;"|Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures|-! style="background: #E5AFAA; color: #000000" height="17" | Month! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Jan! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Feb! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Mar! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Apr! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | May! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Jun! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Jul! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Aug! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Sep! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Oct! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Nov! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Dec|-! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Rec High °F| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 83| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 87| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 90| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 95| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 98| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 104| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 103| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 103| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 102| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 94| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 88| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 83|-! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Norm High °F| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 58.9| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 62.3| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 69.3| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 76.1| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 82.9| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 87.9| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 90.9| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 89.4| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 85| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 77| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 69.6| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 61.6|-! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Norm Low °F| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 36.9| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 39.1| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 46| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 52.2| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 61.3| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 68.5| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 72.5| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 71.6| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 67.1| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 55.3| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 46.4| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 39.3|-! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Rec Low °F| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 10| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 17| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 22| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 29| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 44| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 53| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 65| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 56| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 42| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 36| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 27| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 16|-! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Precip (in)| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 4.08| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 3.08| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 4| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 2.77| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 3.67| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 5.92| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 6.13| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 6.91| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 5.98| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 3.09| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 2.66| style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 3.24|-| colspan="13" style="text-align:center;font-size:90%;"|Source: USTravelWeather.com |}

Metropolitan area The Charleston Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of three counties: Charleston County, South Carolina, Berkeley County, South Carolina, and Dorchester County, South Carolina. As of 2006, it was estimated that the metropolitan area had a total population of about 603,178 people. Charleston has several large suburbs. North Charleston is nearly as populated as Charleston itself and ranks as the third largest city in the state; Mount Pleasant and Summerville are the next largest suburbs. The traditional parish system persisted until the Reconstruction, when counties were imposed. Nevertheless, traditional parishes still exist in various capacities, mainly as public service districts. The city of Charleston proper, which was originally defined by the limits of the Parish of St. Philip & St. Michael. It now also includes parts of St. James' Parish, St. George's Parish, St. Andrew's Parish, and St. John's Parish, although the last two are mostly still incorporated rural parishes.

In the more detailed results of Census 2000, the Charleston-North Charleston metropolitan area had a population of 549,033, of which about 78% lived inside the central city and its surrounding urban area. At that time, the Charleston-North Charleston Urbanized Area proper consisted of 423,410 people (including the suburbs listed below). This population makes Charleston-North Charleston and Columbia essentially tied as the two largest individual urbanized areas within the state. The Charleston MSA also includes a separate and much smaller urban area within Berkeley County, Moncks Corner, South Carolina (2000 pop.: 9,123).

Culture Charleston is well-known across the United States and beyond for its unique culture, which blends West African, traditional southern American and French elements.

Dialect Charleston's unique but vanishing dialect has long been noted in the South and elsewhere, for the singular attributes it possesses. Alone among the various regional Southern dialects, Charlestonian speakers inglide long mid vowels, such as the raising for /ay/ and /aw/. Some attribute these unique features of Charleston's speech to its early settlement by the French Huguenots and Sephardic Jews, both of which played influential parts in Charleston's development and history. However, given Charleston's high concentration of African-Americans that spoke the Gullah language, the speech patterns more than likely were majorly influenced by the dialect of the Gullah African-American community.

Today, the Gullah language and dialect is still spoken among African-American locals. However rapid development, especially on the surrounding sea islands, is slowly diminishing its prominence.

Two important works which shed light on Charleston's early dialect are "Charleston Provincialisms" and "The Huguenot Element in Charleston's Provincialisms," both written by Sylvester Primer. Further scholarship is needed on the influence of Sephardic Jews to the speech patterns of Charleston.

Religion The city has long been noted for its numerous churches and denominations. It is the seat of both the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston and the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. One of the only remaining Huguenot congregations in America is located in the city. The city is home to many well known churches, cathedrals, and synagogues. The churchtower spotted skyline is one of the reasons for the city's nickname, "The Holy City." Historically, Charleston was one of the most religiously tolerant cities in the New World. Recently, the conservative Episcopal diocese of South Carolina, headquartered in Charleston, has been one of the key players in potential schism of the Anglican Church. Charleston is home to the only African-American Seventh Day Baptist Church congregation in the Seventh Day Baptist General Conference of the United States and Canada. The First Baptist Church of Charleston is the oldest Baptist church in the South and the first Southern Baptist Church in existence. It is also used as a private K-12 school.

Charleston also has a large and historic Jewish population. The Judiac Reform movement was founded in Charleston at Synogouge Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim. It is the fourth oldest Jewish congregation in the continental United States (after New York, Newport and Savannah).

Annual cultural events and fairs Charleston annually hosts Spoleto Festival USA, a 17-day art festival featuring over 100 performances by individual artists in a variety of disciplines.Charleston's "other" festival is the MOJA Arts Festival, which is a major, two-week celebration of African-American and Caribbean arts, music, and culture.The Southeastern Wildlife Exposition is also held in the city, as well as the Food + Wine Festival, Family Circle Tennis Cup, Cooper River Bridge Run and the Maritime Festival, which is held annually in May and features tall ships, boatbuilding, and the Charleston to Bermuda Race. In 2007 Charleston Fashion Week made its first appearance and was a huge success. It is held by the fashion publication Charleston Magazine and now will be an annual event in the city. It is like most of the major fashion weeks in other major cities.

Museums and historical attractions As an old colonial city, Charleston has a wide variety of museums and historical attractions. The Old Exchange and Customs House in downtown Charleston, finished in 1771, is arguably the third most important Colonial building in the nation (behind Faneuil Hall in Boston, Massachusetts and Independence Hall (United States) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). The building features a dungeon which held various signers of the Declaration of Independence, and also hosted events for George Washington in 1791, and the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1788. It has also served as a U.S. post office, the first Confederate post office, and was used by the United States Coast Guard.Not far from Charleston is the location of Fort Moultrie, which was instrumental in delivering a critical defeat to the British in the American Revolutionary War, and Fort Sumter, the reputed site of the "first shot" of the American Civil War. Patriot's Point, located across the river in nearby Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, is also home to the USS Yorktown (CV-10) as well as several other naval vessels. There are also several former plantations in the area, including Boone Hall Plantation, Drayton Hall, Magnolia Plantation, and Middleton Place. Charleston's premier art museum is the Gibbes Museum of Art, one of the country's oldest art organizations and home to over 10,000 works of fine art. Also the Charleston Museum was the first Museum in the Americas. Other attractions include the South Carolina Aquarium, the Audubon Swamp Garden, Cypress Gardens, and Charles Towne Landing.

Sports

Charleston is home to a number of professional minor league sports teams:





 

Charleston South Carolina



 
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