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Place Name
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Charleston
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Place Status (Type)
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city
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Capital Of
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Charleston County
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Population
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80,414 (1990)
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Location
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Charleston County, South Carolina (SC), United States, North America
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Latitude
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32°47'N
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Longitude
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79°56'W
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Charleston
, city (1990
pop. 80,414),  Charleston co., SE S.C.,
85 mi/137 km NE of Savannah, Ga., on low,
narrow peninsula in Charleston Harbor, formed by the confluence of the
Ashley and Cooper rivers, 32°47'N 79°56'W. Founded in 1680 and inc.
as a city in 1783, Charleston is the oldest city in the state and one
of the chief ports of entry in the SE U.S. Charleston Internatl.
Airport to NW. In the bay, or bordering on it, are Sullivans Isl., site
of Fort Moultrie; James Isl.; Morris Isl., with a lighthouse; Fort
Sumter; and Castle Pinckney. Many transportation routes converge at
Charleston, and through its excellent, sheltered harbor off
the Atlantic Ocean, an extensive coastal and foreign trade is
conducted. Diverse mfg. includes chemicals, steel, motor vehicle parts,
pulp and paper, textiles, bottling machinery, and clothing. Charleston
is hq. for the 6th U.S. naval dist. and for the U.S. Air Force defense
command. Extensive mil. facilities include a Polaris submarine base and
a huge navy yard (est. 1901); Charleston Airforce Base. The English
settled at Albemarle Point (1670), on the W bank of Ashley R., c.
7mi/11km from modern Charleston. They later moved to Oyster
Point, where their capital, Charles Town (the city's original name),
had been laid out. The city became the most important seaport in the
Southern colonies and the leading center of wealth and culture in the
South. Non-Eng. immigrants, among whom the Fr. Huguenots were most
prominent, added a cosmopolitan touch. Charleston's Dock Street
Theatre (1736) was one of the first theaters to be established in the
U.S. In the Revolutionary War, Charleston was defended successfully
against the British in 1776 and 1779; however, the city was surrendered
in 1780 to the British, who held it until 1782. The capital of S.C. was
moved from Charleston to Columbia in 1788, but Charleston remained a
regional economic and social center. The city was the scene of the
first hostile act of the Civil War, the firing on Fort Sumter (April
12, 1861), not long after a S.C. convention had met here in Dec. 1860
and voted to secede from the Union. The city had its harbor blockaded
by Union forces and was under seige for more than 2 years before it
fell in Feb. 1865. A violent earthquake, Aug. 31, 1886, and periodic
tornadoes and hurricanes, such as Hurricane Hugo in 1989, have caused
much damage to the city and surrounding area; however, many outstanding
colonial bldgs. and historic sites survive. Of note are St. Michael's
Episcopal Church, Miles Brewton house, Old Slave Mart Mus. and Gallery,
and Charleston Mus. (1773), one of oldest mus. in U.S. The waterfront,
called the Battery, and the Grace Memorial Bridge over the Cooper R.,
are famous landmarks. Tourists are attracted by the city's unique
charm, mild climate, nearby beaches, and gardens. Annual events include
an azalea festival and Spoleto. Educational institutions include the
Citadel, the Medical Univ. of S.C., Charleston Southern Univ., and the
Col. of Charleston, the first municipal col. in the country. Nearby is
Isle of Palms, a noted resort.
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