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Charleston, South Carolina

18 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1919 and the latest in 1994. It stands in the Charleston Central census division. It lies in ZIP code area 29401. It stands on Ashley River. The Survey maps it on the Charleston quadrangle. 150,227 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 20 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Charleston within Charleston County

On record in Charleston

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 12 of 110 shown

Every listing in Charleston County

Surveyed buildings and structures 12 of 399 shown

Every surveyed structure in Charleston County

Population over time

2 figures

Charleston grew from 120,083 to 150,227 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
2010120,083
2020150,227+30,144 (+25%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 18 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Photographs

8 of 59 photographs shown, 1936 to 1938

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

St. Michael's Alley, Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina
St. Michael's Alley, Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina
Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1937. Library of Congress
Bank of United States, Broad & Meeting Street, n.e. Corner, Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina
Bank of United States, Broad & Meeting Street, n.e. Corner, Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina
Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1937. Library of Congress
Rutledge Ave., Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina
Rutledge Ave., Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina
Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1937. Library of Congress
Queen St., Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina
Queen St., Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina
Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1937. Library of Congress
Christ Church, Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina
Christ Church, Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina
Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1938. Library of Congress
Drayton Hall, Charleston vic., Charleston County, South Carolina
Drayton Hall, Charleston vic., Charleston County, South Carolina
Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1938. Library of Congress
William Blacklock House, Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina
William Blacklock House, Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina
Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1937. Library of Congress
65 and 67 Vanderhorst Street, Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina
65 and 67 Vanderhorst Street, Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina
Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1936. Library of Congress

Every photograph of Charleston County

Fires near this place

8 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 8 fires within 5 miles of Charleston between 1993 and 2012, burning about 61 acres in total. None started naturally. 4 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Arson/incendiarism4
Recreation and ceremony1
Debris and open burning1
Missing data/not specified/undetermined1
Fireworks1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
12 September 1999Arson/incendiarism4.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
7 July 2012Fireworks8.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
11 June 2000Arson/incendiarism5.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
5 April 2006Arson/incendiarism7.5 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
11 April 2012Recreation and ceremony1.4 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
1 March 2006Arson/incendiarism3.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
25 December 2000Debris and open burning30 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
26 January 1993Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Charleston County

Mines and quarries near this place

7 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Charleston: 3 producers, 2 unknowns, 1 plant, 1 past producer. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, REE, Thorium, Iron. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
(Facility) Charleston SmelterChromiumPlant
Airco AlloysIronUnknown
Charleston County MineREE, ThoriumProducer
Fort Moultrie QuadrangleZirconium, Titanium, Iron, ThoriumUnknownPlacer , Modern , Beach
Cross Country MineSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Cross Creek MineSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Mt Pleasant PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary

Every working recorded in Charleston County

Storms near this place

60 of 176 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Charleston in 176 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 74 flash flood, 52 thunderstorm wind, 36 hail, 4 lightning. The reports record 3 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 2006Flash FloodNorth Charleston3 hurtEmergency Management reported a large concrete commercial building at Goer industries experienced a 40 X 40 foot section of collapsed roof. 3 people had minor injuries.
August 2012Flash FloodCharleston$750,000The College of Charleston Emergency Manager reports that twenty three buildings on campus have sustained damage from flash flooding. Flood waters are still in place across much of the campus.
October 2015Flash FloodCharleston$728,550Law enforcement and firefighters reported widespread flooding in downtown Charleston resulting in several water rescues and numerous road closures. Roads and intersections closed due to flooding included Beaufain Street between Lockwood Boulevard and Coming Street, Washington Street between Calhoun Street and Hassell Street, Morris Street between Coming Street and Smith Street, Huger Street between Senate Street and Benson Street, Rutledge Avenue and Ashely Avenue between Calhoun Street and Bennett Street, Vanderhorst Street between Rutledge Avenue and Coming Street, Rutledge Avenue between Fishburne Street and Sheppard Street, President Street between Highway 17 and Fishburne Street, Pinckney Street between Meeting Street and Church Street, Highway 17 between Cannon Street and Coming Street, the Crosstown Expressway, Calhoun Street at the intersection of Smith Street and Lockwood Boulevard at the intersection of Broad Street.
October 2015Flash FloodCharleston$728,550A Charleston County emergency manager and law enforcement reported numerous roads closed due to flooding in downtown Charleston. Roads closed included Hasell Street between Meeting Street and Washington Street. Interstate 26 exits to Meeting Street and East Bay Street were also closed due to flooding. Water was also reported entering homes and businesses at the intersection of Tradd Street and Council Street. Swift water rescues were also being reported by broadcast media in downtown Charleston.
September 1998Flash FloodNorth Charleston$413,500no account filed
August 2000Thunderstorm WindCharleston$200,000A container crane at a loading dock was blown into two other cranes causing several large shipping containers to be thrown into the water.
June 1997Flash FloodCharleston$125,000no account filed
August 1998Thunderstorm WindNorth Charleston$80,000Winds blew a 60-foot yacht off its stand and into a shed causing considerable damaga to the yacht.
July 2013Flash FloodCharleston$50,000Police reported numerous streets in Downtown Charleston were closed due to flooding...King, Line, Cannon, St Philips, President, Cross, Market, Felix, Radcliffe, Smith, Fishburne, Moultrie, Vanderhorst, Ogier Streets, along with Ashley Ave.
September 1994Thunderstorm WindNorth Charleston$50,000At Parc Circle in North Charleston, trees down, bleachers damaged, fence mangled, and scoreboard destroyed. The damage was $25,000.
October 2008Flash FloodCharleston$15,000City officials in Charleston reported that widespread flooding was occurring in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Numerous motorists were stranded in vehicles along with several road closures.
March 2024Flash FloodCharleston$10,000An employee at the Gold Creations store in the Charleston City Market provided a picture showing a high water mark of 10 inches of inundation from inside the enclosed store building.
July 2012Flash FloodCharleston$10,000Tabbuli Grill on North Market Street flooded with several inches of water inside the building. Numerous side streets near the market were flooded with a half foot of water. Flooding was also reported at East Bay and Calhoun Streets. They were not officially closed, but were impassable in spots.
December 2009Flash FloodCharleston$10,000Law enforcement reported 10 to 15 automobiles stalled in downtown Charleston due to flooding. At least 1 automobile had water flowing into its doors.
April 2006Thunderstorm WindNorth Charleston$10,000Wind damaged observed at the Hess Terminal near the base of the Don Holt Bridge. Hess sign bent parallel to the ground. SC DOT portable lighted sign blown down. Rail crossing gate damaged.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindNorth Charleston$10,00060 foot tall oak tree fell and crushed car and did damage to small shed at Midland Park on Stall Road. Numerous large trees down on buildings at midland park. Powerlines down on Stall Road.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindNorth Charleston$10,000Numerous large trees down on Rivers Ave. Sign down on Dunlap Street. Pool furniture blown into pool at Summit Place Apartments. One trailer blown over.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindNorth Charleston$10,000A 40x80 foot section of the roof at the ABF Freight System, Inc was blown off .
April 2006Thunderstorm WindCharleston$6,000Trees down on power lines on Bees Ferry Road in West Ashley.
April 2006Thunderstorm WindCharleston$6,000Trees and power lines down along Ashley River Road.
July 2014Flash FloodCharleston$5,000Numerous reports of road closures due to flash flooding in and around downtown Charleston. South Market Street was closed between Meeting Street and State Street due to flooding. North Market Street was closed between East Bay Street and Meeting Street due to flooding. The roadway was closed due to flooding at the intersection of Ashley Avenue and Fishburne Street. The road was closed due to flooding on Bennett Street between Ashley Avenue and Rutledge Avenue. The road was closed due to flooding at the intersection of King Street and Huger Street. Ogier Street was flooded and impassable due to flooding with water surrounding homes. President Street north of the Crosstown was also closed due to flooding.
May 2006Thunderstorm WindNorth Charleston$5,000Trees down on several homes in the Park Circle area.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindNorth Charleston$5,000Large tree down in bank parking lot at intersection of Rivers and Ashley Phosphate. Street light pole down at Northwoods mall.
June 1995Thunderstorm WindCharleston$5,000Power outages to over 2,500 homes and very heavy rain.
January 2006Thunderstorm WindCharleston$3,000Thunderstorm winds knocked down trees on Chadwick Drive and Windermere Blvd. in the West Ashley section of Charleston. Two trees were also blown down on Sullivan's Island.
June 2006Tornado (F0)Charleston$3,000NWS damage survey confirms brief F0 tornado touch down near the Medical University of South Carolina Hospital. Storm track was 1 mile long with tornado path 30 yards. Tree damage was observed at the MUSC Hospital parking lot as well as numerous cars damaged from flying debris at the hospital and nearby hotel parking lot. The tornado crossed Highway 17 and produced additional tree damage off Lockwood Blvd and damaged police cars at the Charleston Police station motorpool. Winds estimated at 60 to 70 mph.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindCharleston$2,000Trees down along Highway 61 near Drayton Hall.
July 2019LightningCharleston$1,000A social media post reported that lightning struck St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Downtown Charleston near the corner of King Street and Vanderhorst Street.
July 2009Flash FloodCharleston$1,000The public reported around 2 feet of standing water near Market and Meeting Streets, making portions of the roads impassable in downtown Charleston, South Carolina.
April 2006Thunderstorm WindCharleston$1,000Trees down near intersection of Sam Rittenburg and Ashley Road.
August 2025Flash FloodCharleston-Law enforcement reported the intersection of Ogier Street and Calhoun Street closed due to flooding.
August 2025Flash FloodCharleston-Law enforcement reported Ashley Avenue closed between Calhoun Street and Bull Street due to rainfall around high tide.
August 2025Flash FloodCharleston-Law enforcement reported the intersection of Barre Street and Montagu Street closed due to rainfall around high tide.
August 2025Flash FloodCharleston-Emergency management reported Ogier Street closed between Calhoun Street and Vanderhorst Street due to flooding.
August 2025Flash FloodCharleston-Emergency management reported Calhoun Street closed between Pitt Street and Ashley Avenue due to flooding.
August 2025Flash FloodCharleston-Emergency management reported Washington Street closed between Laurens Street and Society Street due to flooding.
August 2025Flash FloodCharleston-Emergency management reported 29 different road closures across the city of Charleston due to flooding.
August 2025Flash FloodCharleston-Emergency management reported Concord Street and Charlotte Street closed due to flooding.
August 2025Flash FloodCharleston-Emergency management reported Ogier street closed due to flooding.
August 2025Flash FloodCharleston-Emergency management reported the intersection of Washington Street and Society Street closed due to flooding.
August 2025Flash FloodCharleston-Emergency management reported the intersection of Ashley Avenue and Calhoun Street closed due to flooding.
August 2025Flash FloodCharleston-The Charleston Police Department reported the intersection of Calhoun Street and Ogier Street closed due to flash flooding.
August 2025Flash FloodCharleston-The Charleston Police Department reported a large section of Washington Street closed due to flash flooding near the intersection of Washington Street and Society Street.
August 2025Flash FloodCharleston-A member of the public reported water entering businesses and the bottom floors of a few homes along Calhoun Street near the intersection with Ogier Street.
August 2025Flash FloodCharleston-The Charleston Police Department reported Broad Street closed between Ashley Avenue and Rutledge Avenue due to flash flooding.
September 2025Flash FloodCharleston-Charleston Police Department reported that Ashley Avenue was closed between Calhoun Street and Bennett Street due to flooding.
September 2025Flash FloodCharleston-Charleston Police Department reported that the intersection of Ogier Street and Calhoun Street was closed due to flooding.
September 2025Flash FloodCharleston-Charleston Police Department reported that the intersection of Bennett Street and Barre Street was closed due to flooding.
September 2025Flash FloodCharleston-Charleston Police Department reported that Washington Street was closed between Laurens Street and Society Street due to flooding.
September 2025Flash FloodCharleston-Charleston Police Department reported that the intersection of Barre Street and Wentworth Street was closed due to flooding.
January 2024Thunderstorm WindCharleston-The Weatherflow site at Shutes Folly in Charleston Harbor measured a peak wind gust of 67 mph (58.2 knots).
May 2023HailCharleston-Hail ranging from the size of nickels up to quarters was reported in downtown Charleston near Meeting Street and Cumberland Street. The hail lasted for about 10 minutes.
May 2023Thunderstorm WindCharleston-The Weatherflow site at Shutes Folly measured a 54.5 knot (63 mph) wind gust due to a thunderstorm.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindCharleston-The Weatherflow site located at Shutes Folly in Charleston Harbor measured a peak wind gust of 53 knots.
December 2023Flash FloodCharleston-A video shared via social media showed water entering a business along South Market Street. Saltwater flooding approximately 18 inches deep was also reported in a business inside the City Market.
December 2023Flash FloodCharleston-A video relayed via social media showed water inside a building along Drake Street.
April 2022Thunderstorm WindCharleston-The public reported several aircraft on the USS Yorktown moved by high winds and three trees down at the Cold War Memorial.
April 2022Thunderstorm WindCharleston-The Shutes Folly Weatheflow sensor recorded a peak wind gust of 67 mph at 659 PM.
April 2022HailCharleston-Broadcast media relayed a video via social media of pea to nickel size hail along Church Street in downtown Charleston.
June 2021Flash FloodCharleston-Emergency management and social media indicated several businesses along Market Street flooded with 8 to 16 inches of standing water inside buildings. Additionally, rainfall amounts around 3.5 inches resulted in the following streets, intersections, and areas in downtown Charleston to be closed due to flooding: Calhoun Street between Rutledge Avenue and Smith Street, Chisolm Street between Broad Street and Tradd Street, Colonial Street between Broad Street and Tradd Street, Hagood Avenue at Fishburne Street, King Street at Huger Street, Market Street between Meeting Street and East Bay Street, Romney Street at North Nassau Street, Smith Street at Marion Street, Tradd Street between Chisholm Street and East Bay Street, the Crosstown Expressway between Coming Street and Norman Street, Washington Street and Concord Street between Laurens Street and Queens Street, the Harleston Village area and the White Point Gardens area.

Every storm recorded in Charleston County

Newspapers printed here

54,202 digitised pages

6 papers published in this town, digitised by the Library of Congress and free to read: 7,778 issues, 54,202 pages. Every page is searchable, so a name or a street can be looked for directly in what the town printed about itself at the time.

NewspaperPublished
The Charleston Daily News1865 to 1873
Missionary Record1868 to 1879
The Afro-American Citizen1899 to 1902
South Carolina Leader1865 to 18??
The Charleston Advocate1867 to 1868
The Free Press1868 to 186?

What the paper printed

69,301 words

Front pages of the local paper, read from the Library of Congress scans: 12 issues spread across its run from 1865 to 1900, 69,301 words in total. Each is reproduced on its own page, exactly as the recogniser returned it.

These pages read less well than anything else here, and the number is worth stating: about three words in four come through cleanly, against nine in ten for the building records. An 1896 broadsheet sets eight-point type in seven columns on microfilm, which is the hardest thing in this archive to read by machine. We tested our own recognisers against the Library's and they were not better, so the Library's text is what appears, with the wholly unreadable columns removed. Read it as a guide to what the paper covered, and follow the link to the scan before quoting anything.

IssuePaper Length
1873-07-05Missionary Record4,801 words
1876-04-01Missionary Record4,447 words
1900-01-17The Afro-American Citizen7,389 words
1865-10-07South Carolina Leader6,129 words
1865-10-28South Carolina Leader4,849 words
1865-12-16South Carolina Leader6,023 words
1868-04-05The Free Press5,878 words
1868-04-11The Free Press6,585 words
1865-08-29The Charleston Daily News5,653 words
1865-10-12The Charleston Daily News4,266 words
1865-11-22The Charleston Daily News5,306 words
1873-04-05The Charleston Daily News7,975 words

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Anson Borough Homes0.8 miles18
Wragg Borough Homes1.1 miles18
Gadsden Green Homes1.5 miles18
Harbor View1.9 miles18
Wappo Heights2.0 miles18
Lakeview of Lawton Bluff2.0 miles15
The Crescent2.1 miles18
Country Club Estates2.3 miles18

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on CharlestonAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q47716The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1221516. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.