Glenn Rourk

Located on the coast of South Carolina in the area known as the "Lowcountry", Charleston is a place where residents feel lucky to live where others come to play.

Boasting an agreeable climate, endless coastline, beautiful architecture, and a rich history, the Charleston area is one of the best places to live in the nation. In the midst of a unique mix of growing business and an appreciation for history and the arts, this city truly has something for everyone.

With venues such as the South Carolina Aquarium, the Joe Riley and Blackbaud Stadiums, the North Charleston Performing Arts Center and the Gibbes Art Museum, Charleston plays host to an innumerable amount of concerts, events and exhibits. And with such enriching events as the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, the Cooper River Bridge Run, and the Piccolo-Spoletto arts festival, residents' calendars are always full.

Charleston is home to over 3,500 historical buildings and houses dating from the 1600s. Typical Downtown Charleston architecture boasts a colorful exterior, all-encompassing porches, and an overall charming and historical style. As a result, this city's architecture is an eclectic and unique conglomerate of old and new, charm and functionality, and detail and simplicity. And therefore, tourists flock to the city to view its overwhelming beauty. So, if you have an unrelenting appreciation for history and beauty, have deep enough pockets to live in a central area, and are interested in always being a tourist in your own town, Downtown is the perfect place live.

Once slightly outside the city; however, Charleston takes on a very different look in the south-eastern suburb of James Island. This island is a large triangular sea island that is framed by Wappoo Creek and Charleston Harbor on the north, Morris Island and Folly Beach on the east, and the Stono River and Johns Island on the west. With all these bodies of water, one can imagine that there are many ocean-front and marsh front properties existing in this area. And, even more appealing about this quaint island, is the fact that very little development has occurred on James Island; and therefore there is much existing and untapped close-to-downtown real estate options, at very reasonable prices.

Mount Pleasant is located about 4 miles north-east of downtown Charleston, over the Cooper River bridges. Like downtown, this area is a vast mix of old and new architecture, surrounded by beautiful nature and historic influences. Also like downtown, the area is on the pricy side. However if you can afford the price per square foot, you will definitely find the premium worth every penny, because like many other Charleston suburbs, Mount Pleasant is bordered by numerous bodies of water. Nested between the Atlantic Ocean, the Cooper River, and various creeks such as Shem Creek, any sea-loving person would find Mt. Pleasant a very agreeable place to live and raise a family.

It was less than 10 years ago that Daniel Island was merely a small marshy island where boaters went to go shrimping and crabbing. However, when the Guggenheim family of New York sold their ranching island to a development company in 1997, one of Charleston's most well-planned and self-sufficient towns was born. With its own schools, grocery stores, golf courses, restaurants and more, this island (which has mastered the charlestonesque architecture), truly is a wonderful family community. It should also be mentioned; however that many others have taken note of the uniqueness of Daniel Island as well, and therefore the real estate prices in this area are comparable to that of Downtown or Mt. Pleasant despite the distance of about 15 miles due west of central Charleston.