Tides & Towns
Lowcountry · SC

Charleston

Founded in 1670, on the peninsula where the Ashley and Cooper rivers meet.

Population
150,227 (2020 census)
Founded
1670, as Charles Town
Rivers
Ashley and Cooper
Tides
Two highs, two lows a day

Then

  1. Before 1670

    The Cusabo peoples, including the Kiawah, live along these rivers and marshes.

  2. 1670

    English settlers sent from Bermuda and Barbados found Charles Town at Albemarle Point on the Ashley River, naming it for King Charles II.

  3. 1680

    The town moves to the peninsula between the Ashley and Cooper rivers. By 1690 it is the fifth-largest town in North America.

  4. 1700s

    Rice and indigo plantations make the colony rich, worked by enslaved Africans. Charleston becomes a major port of the Atlantic slave trade. In 2018 the city formally apologizes for its role.

  5. 1780

    After a siege that begins April 1, the Patriot army under Benjamin Lincoln surrenders the city to the British on May 12. The British leave in December 1782.

  6. 1861

    On April 12, Confederate batteries fire on Fort Sumter in the harbor, the first battle of the Civil War. The fort surrenders after a 34-hour bombardment.

  7. 1886

    On August 31, an earthquake estimated at magnitude 7.0 damages some 2,000 buildings.

  8. 1989

    Hurricane Hugo, a Category 4 storm, strikes on September 21 and damages about three-quarters of the homes in the historic district.

Now

Charleston is South Carolina's oldest city. Its economy runs on tourism, one of the country's busiest ports, aerospace and a growing tech scene that has earned it the nickname “Silicon Harbor.” It is also home to the College of Charleston and The Citadel.

Visitors walk past Rainbow Row and along the Battery, the seawall promenade at the tip of the peninsula. The city's many church spires are often credited for its nickname, “the Holy City.”

Gullah Geechee culture, which grew among enslaved Africans and their descendants on the Sea Islands, shapes the city's food, from Carolina Gold rice to okra and benne seeds, and its music.

On the water

From NOAA's predictions for Charleston, SC over the next 365 days. Heights are in feet above mean lower low water (MLLW).

Pattern
Two highs and two lows a day, close in size
Typical daily range
5.5 ft
Biggest swing
7.8 ft on Jan 23
Smallest swing
3.6 ft on Mar 30
Highest high
6.9 ft, Oct 1 at 9:31 AM
Lowest low
−1.5 ft, Jan 23 at 2:01 AM

Tide stations around Charleston

Sources