This article is about the city in South Carolina. For other uses of the word, see Charleston.
Charleston is a city in the counties of Berkeley and Charleston in the U.S. state of South Carolina; the city serves as the county seat of Charleston County. The city was founded as Charlestown or Charles Towne, Carolina in 1670, and moved to its present location in 1680. Up until 1800, Charleston was the fifth largest city in North America, behind Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, and Quebec City. It adopted its present name in 1783. Also known as The Holy City (due to the numerous steeples which dot the city's skyline), Charleston brims with the culturally unique, such as the joggling board.
As of 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population of the city proper as 115,540, making it the second most populous city in South Carolina behind Columbia. Current trends put Charleston as the fastest growing city in South Carolina. The metropolitan area population of Charleston and North Charleston was estimated at 604,224 by the U.S. Census Bureau, 72nd largest in the country.
The city of Charleston is located roughly at the mid-point of South Carolina's coastline, at the junction of the Ashley and Cooper Rivers. Charleston's name is derived from Charles Town, 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, a claim that lent credence by the fact that it has the only Livability Court in the country.
As of the census of 2000, there are 110,483 people in the city, organized into 47,791 households and 24,149 families. The population density is 384.7/km2 (996.5/mi2). There are 44,563 housing units at an average density of 177.4/km2 (459.5/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 63.08% White, 34.00% Black or African American, 1.24% Asian American, 0.15% Native American, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.54% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 1.51% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 40,791 households out of which 23.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.0% are married couples living together, 15.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 45.7% are non-families. 33.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.23 and the average family size is 2.92.
In the city the population is spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 17.2% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $35,295, and the median income for a family is $48,705. Males have a median income of $32,585 versus $26,688 for females. The per-capita income for the city is $22,414. 19.1% of the population and 13.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 24.3% of those under the age of 18 and 13.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
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Charleston, SC
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