Tale of the Tape:
Charleston Pop. 2008: 111,978 (City); 630,100 (Metro) - (incorporated in 1670)
Jacksonville Pop. 2008: 807,815 (City); 1,313,228 (Metro) - (incorporated in 1832)
City population 1950: Jacksonville (204,517); Charleston (70,174)
Metropolitan Area Growth rate (2000-2008)
Charleston: +14.78%
Jacksonville: +16.97%
Urban Area Population (2000 census)
Charleston: 423,410 (ranked 75 nationwide)
Jacksonville: 882,295 (ranked 43 nationwide)
Urban Area Population Density (2000 census)
Charleston: 1,833.4 people per square mile
Jacksonville: 2,149.2 people per square mile
City Population Growth from 2000 to 2008
Charleston: +15,328
Jacksonville: +72,312
Convention Center Exhibition Space:
Charleston: Charleston Area Convention Center (1999) - 135,000 square feet*
Jacksonville: Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center (1986) - 78,500 square feet
*- Charleston's convention center is located in the suburb of North Charleston
Attached to Convention Center:
Charleston: Embassy Suites North Charleston - Airport Hotel & Convention Center (225 rooms)
Jacksonville: N/A
Tallest Building:
Charleston: St. Matthew's Lutheran Church - 297 feet
Jacksonville: Bank of America Tower - 617 feet
Downtown Fortune 500 companies:
Charleston: There are no Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Charleston.
Jacksonville: CSX (240)
Urban infill obstacles:
Charleston: Incorporating fixed mass transit into the urban core and extending sustainable development to the "Neck."
Jacksonville: State & Union Streets cut off Downtown Jacksonville from Springfield.
Downtown Nightlife:
Charleston: The French Quarter, King Street
Jacksonville: East Bay Street, located between Main Street and Liberty Street.
Common Downtown Albatross:
A lack of fixed mass transit options that connect downtown with other neighborhoods and districts.
Who's Downtown is more walkable?
Charleston: 94 out of 100 (Downtown Charleston as keyword)
Jacksonville: 95 out of 100, according to walkscore.com (Downtown Jacksonville as keyword)
The French Quarter
Charleston's French Quarter is home to many fine historic buildings, among them, the Pink House Tavern, built around 1712, and the Slave Mart, built by Z.B.Oakes in 1859. Also in the French Quarter are the Dock Street Theatre, arguably the first site of theatrical productions in the United States, and the French Huguenot Church, a beautiful Gothic-style church which houses the sole-surviving French Calvinist Congregation in the United States.
South of Broad
Quote
The Antebellum mansions with gated European-style gardens and historic landmarks such as Rainbow Row, The Battery and White Point Gardens are distinctly "South of Broad." Anyone who has ever seen the real estate and streetscapes located South of Broad Street, understands why it is among the most photographed places in the greater Charleston, South Carolina area. Renovations and new construction South of Broad must be approved by Charleston's architectural review board and comply with stringent historic preservation standards ensuring the Holy City's character remains unchanged.
South of Broad homes are highly sought after for their unique historic characteristics. The various architectural styles exhibited in South of Broad homes include Victorian, Italianate, Colonial and Greek Revival influences that have been collected over centuries.
Any resident living South of Broad street is within walking distance to some of the best shops, restaurants and entertainment on the Charleston peninsula. The theatres, King Street shops, parks and world famous restaurants found South of Broad are as unique as the homes.
http://www.trulia.com/blog/bestdowntowncharlestonrealestate/2009/08/south_of_broad_living_inSouth of Broad homes are highly sought after for their unique historic characteristics. The various architectural styles exhibited in South of Broad homes include Victorian, Italianate, Colonial and Greek Revival influences that have been collected over centuries.
Any resident living South of Broad street is within walking distance to some of the best shops, restaurants and entertainment on the Charleston peninsula. The theatres, King Street shops, parks and world famous restaurants found South of Broad are as unique as the homes.
College of Charleston
Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, the College of Charleston is the oldest institution of higher education in South Carolina, and the 13th oldest in the United States.
Several of the College’s founders played key roles in the American Revolution and in the creation of the new republic. Three were signers of the Declaration of Independence and another three were framers of the U.S. Constitution.
The College of Charleston has restored numerous historical houses which house classrooms.
Port of Charleston
The Port of Charleston consists of five terminals. Three are on the Harbor and the other two are on the Cooper River just north of Charleston's bustling harbor. The port is ranked number one in customer satisfaction across North America by supply chain executives. Port activity, behind tourism, is the leading source of Charleston's revenue.
A new terminal is being built on the former Naval Station, in the City of North Charleston, to accommodate the growing needs of the port.
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge
The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge across the Cooper River opened on July 16, 2005, and is the longest cable-stayed bridge in the Americas. The bridge links Mount Pleasant with downtown Charleston, and has eight lanes and a 12-foot lane shared by pedestrians and bicycles. It replaced the Grace Memorial Bridge (built in 1929) and the Silas N. Pearman Bridge (built in 1966). They were considered two of the more dangerous bridges in America and were demolished after the Ravenel Bridge opened.
Marion Square
The Square is the home to many monuments, including a Holocaust memorial and a statue of John C. Calhoun atop a giant pillar. During the summer the square is also the home to a farmers market on Saturdays and various festivals such as the Food and Wine Festival and the renowned Spoleto Arts Festival.
Photos by Daniel Herbin
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vicupstate
September 21, 2009, 07:35:19 AMGreat Pics.
heights unknown
September 21, 2009, 10:11:00 AMIt's a shame Charleston is a much smaller city and has more convention space, and, it appears more things to do. And I love the appearance and "old world charm" of Charleston; this is a City I could live in or possibly fall in love with. Is the downtown filled with things to do?
Heights Unknown
Cliffs_Daughter
September 21, 2009, 10:19:26 AMI was just there this weekend - We did the Friday evening out with the kids and walked over from the college area to Waterfront Park and back, then the Saturday night pub crawl. If I didn't have In-laws up there to nag me endlessly, I could easily live there.
And yes, Heights, there are LOTS of things to do there. They have an aquarium & Fort Sumter, among other things.
Captain Zissou
September 21, 2009, 11:20:01 AMI have been to Charleston twice and loved it. I was just off King Street and was able to walk everywhere I needed to go.
Forgive my ignorance, but what factors go into the Population density calculation that makes our score so high?? We are often higher than many cities where I would have not thought that to be the case.
cdb
September 21, 2009, 11:26:55 AMI love Charleston.... Have been there at least 4-5 times for long weekends or full weeks... Charleston is St. Augustine on steroids.... Also the pics are great.... Reading this article has already got me thinking about my next trip up there....
Cliffs_Daughter
September 21, 2009, 01:34:25 PMYou know, that's exactly what I thought!
I just mapped the hike we took with the kids, and we started at King/Liberty going through the French quarter down to Waterfront Park. And long a walk as it was, it was not boring. Every turn had something to see, hear, or smell.
Overstreet
September 21, 2009, 01:45:49 PMMy sister in law was well into her 30s before she'd drive across the Cooper River Bridge with out a life jacket on. Strangest thing to see her driving with an orange life jacket across that old Grace Memorial Bridge (built in 1929).
Personally though, I prefered Mount Pleasant for some reason. Best shrimp grits I've ever had was in Mount Pleasant. Best place to stay was small hotel on piling on Shem Creek. But I like a little less urban than y'all.
vicupstate
September 21, 2009, 02:19:20 PM^^ A Life Jacket wouldn't have done any good over most of that old Bridge, the impact would have killed her if she crashed through the railing. It wasn't for the faint of heart, to be sure.
Keith-N-Jax
September 21, 2009, 06:53:59 PMLooks very nice and clean.
charlestondxman
September 22, 2009, 03:49:09 PMThose pictures are very good of Charleston and the area. The Dock Street Theater has been under renovations for the last couple of years, and is opening back up late this year. South of Broad is mostly the rich area, where all the high-end Charleston families live.
There are some bad things about Charleston, but they're getting better. The bus system, the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) has gotten much better over the last few years, compared to just a few years ago, when they were thinking about cutting service altogether.
Now, they have express buses that travel between major business areas of Charleston. One bus goes from James Island to North Charleston, hitting all of the major hospitals and going right thru downtown heading toward the mall, and the other goes from Mt. Pleasant to West Ashley.
http://www.ridecarta.com/shared/docs/589/carta%20express%20effective%204_2008.pdf
Charleston is also getting its first year-round cruise ship line, as Carnival is doing 5-7 day voyages to the Bahamas and Key West starting next May, 70 a year. This will bring $70 million into the local economy. This was helped by our mayor, Joe Riley, who has been mayor since 1975. What do you think about Charleston?
vicupstate
September 22, 2009, 04:19:05 PMOne thing that I would like to see on the next Charleston profile is the more 'off the beaten path' areas, specifically the areas on the Peninsula but not the landmarks of Rainbow Row, Battery etc., but instead Ansonborough, Harleston village, Waggoner Terrace, etc. There are some buildings on Upper Bay St, Huger St., Rutledge Ave. Ashley Ave. etc. that are very urban, historic and attractive. They aren't considered 'landmarks' just because there are so many other landmarks already.
If Joe Riley could be cloned and made Mayor of every major city, the US would be an urban utopia in about 10-20 years, in much the way that Europe is considered now. He wrote the book on implementing virtually everything that we talk about on this forum.