North Charleston, SC
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
North Charleston is the third largest city in the State of South Carolina with incorporated areas in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties. On June 12, 1972 the city of North Charleston incorporated and was the 9th largest city in South Carolina. According to the 2010 Census, North Charleston has a 2012 population estimate of 101,989 with a current area of more than 76.6 square miles (198 km2). As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, for use by the U.S. Census Bureau and other U.S. Government agencies for statistical purposes only, North Charleston is included within the Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville metropolitan area and the Charleston-North Charleston urban area. The city is considered one of the state's major industrial cities and it is the state's major retail center.
Birth of a city (1901–1972)
Since the early 20th century, the section of unincorporated Charleston County that later became the city of North Charleston had been designated by Charleston business and community leaders as a place for development of industry, military and other business sites. The first industry started in this area was the E.P. Burton Lumber Company. In 1901, the
Charleston Naval Shipyard was established with agreements between the Federal Government and local Charleston city leaders. Shortly thereafter, the General Asbestos and Rubber Company built the world's largest asbestos mill under one roof.
In 1912, a group of businessmen from the city of Charleston formed a development company that bought the E.P. Burton Lumber Company tract and began to lay out an area for further development. The Park Circle area was one of the first to be designed and developed, allocating sections for industrial, commercial, and residential usage. Park Circle was planned as one of only two English Garden Style communities in the US and most of the original planning concept remains today. Some of the streets in the area still bear the names of these original developers: Durant, Buist, Mixon, Hyde, and O'Hear. During World War II, substantial development occurred as the military bases and industries expanded and people moved to the region to be closer to where they worked.
North Charleston today
With the arrival of Boeing Aircraft, the city has gained international importance and stature as one of only four places in the world for the manufacture and assembly of wide-body commercial aircraft. The other three places are in and around
Everett, Washington (
Boeing),
Toulouse, France (
Airbus) and
Voronezh, Russia (
Ilyushin).
North Charleston continues to be the State’s leader in retail sales for the twenty-first consecutive year. In calendar year 2012, gross retail sales exceeded $6.15 billion and surpassed its nearest competition, Columbia, South Carolina, by over $2 billion.

The city continues to expand its inventory of 4-star hotel accommodations. By the end of 2009, North Charleston had 7,246 rooms available for visitors to this region of South Carolina.
North Charleston is the home to the Global Financial Services – Charleston (US State Dept), located at the old Naval Station. Global Financial Services – Charleston is responsible overall for more than 200 bank accounts in over 160 countries and 169 different currencies. In 2005, it disbursed over $10 billion and purchased over $3 billion in foreign currency.
Check out the official Boeing Charleston Page - CLICK HERE!
See what TripAdvisor recommends about North Charleston -
CLICK HERE!
See what GROUPON deals are in North Charleston -
CLICK HERE!