Within South Carolina, Charleston City was made the county seat of Charleston County in the year 1901. The original name of the city was Charles Towne from as far back as 1670, when it was name after King Charles II of England. During 1680, the town moved to Oyster Point, its existing location, from Albemarle Point on Ashley River's west bank. The new name of "Charleston," was utilized in the year 1783. Charleston City was the 5th biggest city in North America in the year 1690. The city of Charleston remained among the 10 biggest cities within the USA through the 1840 census.
Due to the prominence of churches in the city's low-rise cityscape, the city of Charleston has been called the "Holy City." The city was once part of the first 13 colonies which provided religious tolerance, which was limited to just non-Catholics. As a result, lots of Huguenots found their way to Charleston. Numerous steeples dot the skyline of the city of Charleston.
Charleston is located just south of the mid-point of the South Carolina coast. The city of Charleston lies at the confluence of the Ashley and Cooper Rivers. These two rivers merge together and flow into the Atlantic Ocean. The Charleston Harbor is found between downtown Charleston and the Atlantic Ocean.
The city boasts several hotel chains, bed and breakfasts, luxury hotels and inns in the vicinity due to it being a major tourist location for South Carolina. The city of Charleston is renowned for its quality retail shopping stores and award-winning restaurants. There are two shipping terminals within the city of Charleston. They are both owned and operated by the South Carolina Ports Authority. As well, they are part of the 4th biggest container seaport on the East Coast and in the year 2009, also the 13th largest container seaport in North America.
The area itself is home to distribution, industry, retail trade as well as being a centre for finance. These have become key economic assets because of the transportation systems in the region. Other vital economic sectors for the city of Charleston include healthcare, finance, telecommunications, tourism, professional and automotive services.
The chemical industry has been a major economic component for the area for years. Various chemical companies in the region include Monsanto, FMC, E.I. du Pont de Nemours, Union Carbide Corporation, Clearon Corp and Union Carbide Corporation. There are various businesses in the area which essentially contribute to the economy of the region like glass manufacturing, steel fabricating and energy development.
Due to its early origins as a colonial city, there are scores of historical museums and attractions all over Charleston. Downtown Charleston features the Old Exchange and Customs House that rivals both Faneuil Hall within Boston and Independence Hall in the city of Philadelphia. These are three of the most significant Colonial buildings in the United States.
The first shots of the Civil War were fired in Fort Sumter, a place Charleston is home to. The city is also home to Fort Moultrie which was an important spot during the Revolutionary War as it was the place of a critical British defeat. Across the river within nearby Mount Pleasant, Patriot's Point is situated. It is home to several naval vessels like for example the USS Yorktown.
In the region, there are quite a few other historical sites and museums such as Karpeles Manuscript Museum, the Children's Museum of the Lowcounty and the Charleston Museum. The city of Charleston is also home to the American Military Museum, Postal Museum, Edisto Island Museum, Summerville Dorchester Museum, the Confederate Museum, the Citadel Museum and the Shem Creek Maritime Museum.