Charleston

What "Bigbelly Bins" in Charleston Mean for the City!

Have you noticed the new trash cans downtown? Before Hurricane Dorian made its appearance in early September, the City placed 100 new solar-powered trash cans around downtown, and more will be placed in West Ashley and the East Side soon. These new "Bigbelly Bins" are projected to save the City $200,000 a year. There has already been a noticeable difference for the sanitation workers who no longer have to conduct routine trash checks and can instead focus more time on street sweeping. These cans are designed so that once trash is thrown into them, they compact the items to allow more trash to be accumulated than can be by "air-exposed...

Back in 2009 I wrote a blog post on the top 10 reasons some people may not like Charleston, SC (read below) which got more than 17,000 views! Ten years later, it's time to update this list. What would I change now? 

1. Charleston is now a larger "small" city (pop. est. 850,000) and it has become a little more diverse, although it is experiencing growing pains that are reflected in increased traffic issues.

2. Hurricanes have become more common (a common issue in Florida, the Gulf and the East Coast of the US)

3. Employment opportunities and salaries have improved, with the arrival of Boeing, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz manufacturing plants, and the growth of technology companies like Boomt...

Charleston County's Academic Magnet High School is No. 1 in National Ranking of Public High Schools

On April 30th, U.S. News & World Report announced that the Academic Magnet High School (locally referred to as "The Magnet" or AMHS) led the rankings in a pool of about 17,000 public high schools in the nation.  Academic Magnet is frequently ranked in the Top 100 of various websites and publications and is known for not only its rigorous course loads but also for having some of the most academically gifted students in Charleston County. As a state that falls among the worst-performing academically in the nation, The Magnet really stands out and there is a reason why. Almost all of its co...

College of Charleston Gets a New Innovative Course of Study

While the College of Charleston teaches many disciplines, its main objective is to be innovative. Yet the most innovative career option is engineering and the college does not offer this program ... at least not until next year! To help meet the strong demand for engineers which has been outpacing supply in South Carolina and elsewhere, the College of Charleston will be introducing a new interdisciplinary program of study - Systems Engineering - that will be "the only one of its kind in South Carolina at the undergraduate level". College President Andrew Hsu has been working with Boeing, Bosch, the Charleston County Economic...

Reboot YOUR Commute to Reduce Traffic

Many local businesses - representing more than 39,000 total employees combined - are encouraging what they call "Reboot the Commute" in an effort to help mitigate area traffic affecting quality of life for many people daily. This business-led campaign spearheaded by the Charleston Regional Development Alliance (CRDA) is challenging employees to help lower traffic congestion by staggering work hours, ride sharing, using public transit, and other means. Well over half of employees drive alone to work (80%) or drive to work between the peak congestion period of 6:00-8:30AM (60%). Reboot the Commute is trying to educate employees about alternative wa...

Bye, Bye Hominy Grill!  So Sad to See You Go!

Hominy Grill was one of the first restaurants we "experienced" when we moved to Charleston nearly 15 years ago.  Bet that's true for many newcomers.  It was also one of our "go to" restaurants when we had visitors.  Probably also true for many locals.  So we are very sad to see it go.  But we can certainly appreciate owner and James Beard Award-winning chef Robert Stehling's reasons.  Read more here ... and if you are looking for new restaurants to try, check out Eater Charleston's Spring 2019 list here.

Want to Learn to Code for Free?

The S.C. Department of Commerce’s Office of Innovation and Build Carolina officially launched SC Cod...

Area farmers markets are getting back into full swing again!  We are fortunate to have so many from which to choose!  Here are some of our more popular seasonal and year-round farmers markets (with links) and their 2019 schedules:

Charleston Farmers Market 
Marion Square, 329 Meeting St.
Saturdays, April 13 – November 30, 8am – 2pm

Folly Beach Farmers Market
Folly River Park, Center St., Mondays, 4pm – 8pm
& Joe Richardson Park, Saturdays, 11am – 4pm

Hanahan Family Farmers Market
Reservoir Hall, 1601 Eagle Landing Blvd.
Thursdays, 3pm – 7pm

Isle of Palms Farmers Market
Isle of Palms County Park, 1 14th Ave.
Thursdays, September – October, 3pm – 7pm

James Island Farmers Market (Sunday Brunc...

Strong Growth Projected for Charleston in the 2019 Economic Forecast

Last month, the Charleston Metro Chamber presented the 2019 Economic Forecast at their 28th Annual Economic Outlook Conference.  On the positive front, highlights included continued economic expansion, ongoing growth in jobs and a strong continued military presence.  However, it also recognized the housing attainability crisis the region is facing.  Read more here ...

USS Charleston Latest to Join US Naval Fleet

A ceremony was held on March 2nd at the South Carolina Ports Authority Columbus Street Terminal to commission the USS Charleston, the US Navy's latest vessel to join its reinvigorated fleet.  The USS Charlesto...

Charleston's Regional Economy Ranked 16th Best in Nation

The Milken Institute, a think tank based in Santa Monica, California, has ranked the Charleston-North Charleston area economy 16th among the nation’s 200 largest metro areas in 2018, up from 22nd in 2017, and considers our area to be less vulnerable to a potential national downturn.  Leading factors cited include our diverse economic base, cargo growth at the port, over $1.6 billion in auto-related manufacturing investment, growth in the high-tech sector, strong population and income growth, and well-established infrastructure.  The main liability it identifies is the U.S.-China trade war which could be detrimental to our export-...

Charleston, SC typically receives national recognition for its historic charm and tourism appeal, but increasingly, attention is being given to its recent and anticipated growth (and how to help manage it) as exemplified by the following news items:

CHARLESTON RANKED 4TH BIGGEST "BOOMTOWN" AMONG TOP 100 U.S. METROS
Magnify Money
August 6, 2018

Magnify Money has ranked Charleston 4th - among top 100 metros and just behind Austin TX, Provo UT, and Raleigh NC - for having experienced the biggest business growth, work opportunity expansion and influx of talent over the 2011-2016 period, based on the most recently available information from US Census American Community Survey and County Busi...

Here are some of the news items that appeared in different media about Charleston, SC:

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EXPERTS PRAISE COUNTY, REGION FOR EXAMPLE OF INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY
The Summerville Journal Scene
Jenna-Ley Harrison
August 30, 2018

Foreign companies are flocking to South Carolina, specifically the Charleston Metro region—and Dorchester County is one place reaping the benefits.
But the Palmetto State has roots in foreign trade relationships dating back to the 17th century so it’s really no surprise...

Read More...

GOOGLE INVESTING AN ADDITIONAL $600 MILLION IN ITS BERKELEY COUNTY OPERATIONS
South Carolina Department of Commerce
August 29, 2018

Google today confirmed plans to f...

Charleston SC In The News

How Fast is Charleston's population Growing?

The Charleston Regional Development Alliance updated their population growth analysis blog to include the latest Census Data. As of 2017, the Charleston SC Metro Area population is 775,831, growing at 3X the U.S. population average. 

The official number of new people moving (net new arrivals) into the Charleston metro is: 28 people a day.  These numbers reflect the in-migration into the three-county region: Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties.

You might have heard 38, based on the population change between 2016-2017, however; this statistic includes the number of ‘net’ new births of 10 each day. So if you...

As the very cold and snowy month of January is put behind us, February is looking up with great activities! With the SE Wildlife Expo in town, continuing Oyster Roasts, and the start of the Charleston Wine+Food Festival, we are looking forward to a month full of fun events and better weather. Here is your February calendar of events...

1: Night at the Brewseum, Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry
2: Good Catch Oysterfest, SC Aquarium
3: Groundhog Day Movie, Chas Music Hall
3: 18th Annual Downs Byrd Memorial Paws and Pearls Oyster Roast,Summerville Country Club

3: 7th Annual Shuck-a-Rama for the Brain Injury Assoc of SC, Runnymede Plantation
3: Shuckin’ for Shelter Oyster Roast, Oakley Far...

MUSC approves new 128-bed, $325 million hospital project to move forward

After 30 seconds of discussion during a Board of Trustees meeting Friday morning, the Medical University of South Carolina agreed to move forward with plans to build a new $325 million hospital somewhere in the tri-county area.

Hospital leaders have not been specific about where it might be built, but if approved, it would rival the cost of the new MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital. 

No board members asked questions or commented on the 128-bed project before unanimously agreeing to move forward Friday.

The board's approval is a preliminary step that allows MUSC staff to apply for a Certificate of Need, whi...

The Post & Courier reported today that for the first time ever, readers of Travel + Leisure Magazine voted Charleston the No. 1 city on the planet in the tourism periodical’s World’s Best City ranking. It’s also the first time a U.S. destination earned the honor. Here is the Post & Courier article, written by Warren Wise: 

"For the first time ever, readers of Travel + Leisure Magazine voted the Holy City No. 1 on the planet in the tourism periodical’s World’s Best City ranking. It’s also the first time a U.S. destination earned the honor. Readers also selected Charleston as the No. 1 city in the U.S. and Canada for the fourth consecutive year.

Charleston took top marks in the categories...

I read this article on Facebook and thought it was interesting to share:

CHARLESTON IS A TALENT AND WORKFORCE MAGNET

By Katie Holba
“The best part of the Lowcountry is the people. I love living in a place where people are nice to each other.”
It seems light-hearted, but often we forget how crucial this asset is to a community. If you spend any time at all in Charleston, it doesn’t take you long to come to the conclusion on your own. You can also see it through the latest numbers – more people are coming to and staying in the Charleston region than are leaving – in fact we’re adding 11,000 new residents annually.

In the past two months, the Charleston Regional Development Alliance (CRDA) ...

Thank you to our colleague Michelle Melton for putting this guide together:

In South Carolina have just experienced what Governor Haley has described as a 1,000 year event - the flood of 2015.

It's sunny today and the waters are starting to recede however there is said to be more water coming our way with the dams that have been breached and rivers still on the rise. Its a good time to give your home a quick inspection and be prepared.

Follow the instructions below:

• Whether a flood is caused by ground water, falling water, or home water system malfunction, there are some best practices you’ll need to employ as soon as possible after the flood to ensure the safety of your home and ...

Never Get Bored in Charleston, SC - December Events

No matter how you spell it, the holiday season is special for everyone. The Lowcountry takes its holidays seriously. Take part in all that we have to offer and fill your hearts with the joy of the season.

With Thanksgiving falling so late in November, there’s a slight pause before the holiday celebrations begin. Between the neighborhood drop-ins, the office parties and friendly get-togethers, there are some large scale gatherings planned throughout the area. 

Right out of the gate, we have Hanukkah from the 16th through the 24th. Christmas falls on a Thursday, the 25th. Boxing Day is the 26th, also the first day of Kwanzaa which runs ...