Charleston SC Real Estate Overview
Charleston Real Estate Offers Life in the Heart of the Old South
For over two centuries, Charleston SC has been called “the heart of the Old South.” Located where the Cooper River and the Ashley River flow together into Charleston Harbor, Charleston SC real estate combines natural beauty with history, charm and style. Today, the peninsular city of Charleston is the very heart of a thriving multi-faceted community; a place where the range of lifestyles and home styles available among the Charleston SC real estate market are as varied as you will find in the country. In fact, the choices of Charleston SC real estate are practically limitless.
Take the beach, for example. Folly Beach, only 15 minutes from Charleston, is defined by its natural beauty, history, rare birds, fishing, surfing and true Southern hospitality. If there is a wave breaking along Charleston’s shore, it is likely at Folly, and this translates into a relaxed and casual attitude amongst its residents and inturn much-coveted Charleston SC real estate. The island is long and narrow (about three streets wide) with many older, more rustic cottages composing the Charleston SC real estate near the waterfront. A number of paths provide public access to the beach.
In contrast to Folly’s “surf’s up” style is Kiawah Island, its immediate island neighbor to the south. Kiawah Island is an immaculately developed resort island that holds some of the best of Charleston SC real estate, the houses all set back 200 feet from the high tide line and a place where each residence merges tastefully with an immaculate environment. Kiawah Island boasts more than 10,000 acres of maritime forest and 10 miles of private pristine beach, but this barrier island is probably best known for its five world-class golf courses including the Ocean Course, the proud host of the 2007 Senior PGA and the 2012 PGA Championship. Kiawah Island is also home to The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, one of the finest oceanfront hotels built on the East Coast in the last 20 years.
Farther south, Edisto Beach is a favorite of “treasure hunters” seeking pristine Charleston real estate. Its fertile ground gives rise to fossilized sharks’ teeth and petrified bones from long-extinct sea animals. The Charleston SC real estate on Edisto Beach ranges from beach homes of weathered cottages to newer, larger homes. Antebellum estates, dating back to when Sea Island cotton brought great wealth to Edisto, also sprinkle the Charleston SC real estate market of Edisto Beach.
On the other side of the Ashley River from downtown Charleston is an area referred to as West Ashley. The Charleston SC real estate of West Ashely is composed of older traditional neighborhoods of charming brick bungalows combined with a burgeoning number of new communities. Southward, West Ashley spills into a string of interior islands, each with its own personality and set of attributes. From James Island, a bustling family community, to John’s Island, a rural island where majestic estate homes subtly dot the shores of rivers and estuaries; to Wadmalaw Island, the area’s most rural and least developed, the lifestyle options available among the many regions of Charleston SC real estate are innumerable.
Just east of the Cooper River from downtown Charleston sits the town of Mount Pleasant, a growing city with old fashioned hometown character. Beginning with the Old Village, the town’s original neighborhood, Mount Pleasant has literally exploded to the east with dozens of neighborhoods and various Charleston SC real estate developments popping up over the last decade to accommodate the growing number of families desirous of the Mount Pleasant life. The town’s awarding-winning I’On, which broke ground in June of 1997, was the first in the area to return to the traditional neighborhood design, including streets lined with sidewalks, a close proximity of homes to each other, and easy access to conveniences such as shopping.
The Barrier Islands North of Charleston
Tracing the coastline north, just minutes from Mount Pleasant, lies Sullivan’s Island. Considered one of the nation’s most prestigious zip codes, Sullivan’s boasts a pace that is slower, slower and slowest among the Charleston SC real estate market. Children ride their bikes in the streets and play until sundown at the community park. Beach cottages built in the early 1900s mingle with the current day two- or three-story beachfront homes, making the “look” and real estate of Sullivan’s Island distinctive in the Charleston real estate market.
Just across Breach Inlet from Sullivan’s Island, the Isle of Palms is home to one of the Lowcountry’s first resorts and most desired of Charleston SC real estate. Wild Dunes has plenty to offer, including two and one-half miles of private beach, a “Top 50” tennis center, 20 swimming pools, great restaurants, a fitness center, full-service conference facilities and a magnificent oceanfront Grand Pavilion. The resort also features a full-service marina and two Tom Fazio-designed golf courses. With such amenities it's no wonder why so many people looking for Charleston SC real estate decide to make their new home at the Isle of Palms.
The newest and fastest growing community among Charleston SC real estate is Daniel Island. Located on 4,000 acres along Interstate 526, Daniel Island is home to distinctive Charleston SC real estate that features a mixture of home styles and prices. Traditional landscaped streets lined with sidewalks encourage evening walks and interaction among neighbors, while tennis and soccer facilities draw local families and owners of Daniel Island real estate to participate in these popular sporting activities. Daniel island is also home to the Family Circle Tennis Tournament and Blackbaud Stadium, the home field of the area’s own A-League soccer team, the Charleston Battery.
Just north of Charleston SC lies the city of North Charleston, South Carolina’s third largest municipality. Considered the hub of the Lowcountry, North Charleston boasts a 13,500-seat coliseum, a convention center, a performing arts center, excellent shopping facilities, and beautifully planned neighborhoods. For nearly 100 years, the Charleston Naval Complex served as the region’s economic engine. Today the grounds of the old navy base are is targeted for integrated restoration. When complete, this 3,000-acre city within a city dubbed “Noisette” will support a racially and economically diverse population of 13,000 people, and will include a wide mix of neighborhoods, retail areas, industries, schools, municipal buildings and parks.
Located northeast of Charleston SC is Goose Creek, the only city in South Carolina’s massive Berkeley County. Established in 1961, the city has achieved a balance between growth, the environment and the preservation of the small town character. Residents and owners of Goose Creek Charleston SC real estate live, work, and raise their families surrounded by the rich historic and natural treasures of the South Carolina Lowcountry. In late 2006, Google Inc. purchased 520 acres of land in Goose Creek and plans to make a $750 million expansion that will ultimately employ some 400 workers in high-paying positions, all of which is bound to help appreciate Charleston SC real estate.
Dubbed “the Flower Town in the Pines,” Summerville, S.C. is steeped in the history and traditions of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Located about 20 miles north of Charleston, Summerville has over 700 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Founded in the 1600s, this Southern village is a town of delightful contrasts: sophisticated shopping and old-fashioned neighborliness; one of South Carolina’s only AAA Five Diamond dining rooms and a Southern specialties restaurant that closes at 7 p.m. Home styles among the Summerville section of Charleston SC real estate vary from new custom and spec construction to re-sale homes featuring quality craftsmanship and detailing to historic homes preserved through the centuries.
The Charleston SC real estate market is robust with people buying retirement homes, vacation homes, and investment homes in various combinations. Nowhere is early Colonial history surrounded by so much clean air and water, or so many modern conveniences. Charleston SC is a place where the arts are revered, cultural activities abound, and the medical facilities are among the best in the Southeast. All this set in a semi-tropical climate which offers the best of all seasons most of the year. Charleston SC is one of the most fascinating cities on earth – an urban resort surrounded by the most beautiful waterfront in the world. And it is all the result of very real natural and historical forces, authentic to the core, helping to make Charleston SC real estate some of the world's most coveted.
