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Major Employers Charleston SC Metro Area
| Employer |
Product/Service |
Full time Employees |
| US Navy |
Various naval commands |
16,219 |
| Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) |
Healthcare, research, post-secondary education |
8,200 |
| Charleston Air Force Base |
United States Air Force |
5,594 |
| Charleston County School District |
Primary & secondary education |
5,000 |
| Roper St. Francis Healthcare |
Healthcare (Roper & Bon Secours St Francis Hospitals) |
4,000 |
| Berkeley County School District |
Primary & secondary education |
3,414 |
| Piggly Wiggly Carolina Co., Inc |
Grocery headquarters & 23 area stores |
2,500 |
| Charleston County |
County government |
2,243 |
| Robert Bosch Corporation |
Fuel injection & braking systems |
2,243 |
| Wal Mart Stores |
Retail general merchandise (8 area stores) |
2,153 |
| Trident Health System |
Trident and Summerville Medical Centers |
2,082 |
| Dorchester County School District II |
Primary & secondary education |
2,000 |
| Santee Cooper |
Electric utility |
1,725 |
| MeadWestvaco |
Specialty paper, packaging, chemicals, lumber, etc. |
1,596 |
| City of Charleston |
Municipal government |
1,470 |
| Bi-Lo Inc. |
15 area grocery stores |
1,300 |
| U.S. Postal Service |
Postal service |
1,200 |
| R.H. Johnson Dept. of Veterans Affairs Hospital |
Healthcare |
1,100 |
| Cummins Engine Divisions & Joint Ventures |
Automotive products |
1,062 |
| OSI |
Billing & accounts receivable services |
1,000 |
| SCANA/SC Electric & Gas Company |
Electric & gas utility |
1,000 |
| College of Charleston |
Post secondary education |
990 |
| City of North Charleston |
Municipal government |
850 |
| Nucor Steel |
Steel roll and beam manufacturing complex |
831 |
| Berkeley County |
County government |
750 |
| Food Lion Stores |
23 area grocery stores |
700 |
| Verizon Wireless |
Cellular telephone services / customer service center |
700 |
| Prudential Carolina Real Estate |
Real estate |
697 |
| Blackbaud |
Software development and design |
685 |
| Lowes |
Retail home improvement stores |
675 |
| Charleston Place Hotel |
Lodging |
630 |
| East Cooper Regional Medical Center |
Healthcare |
610 |
| Williams Technologies |
Remanufacture automotive transmissions |
608 |
| McDonalds Corp |
Restaurants |
600 |
| South Carolina State Ports Authority |
Operator of state ports |
600 |
| American LaFrance |
Fire truck and ambulance manufacturing; Corp HQ |
570 |
| Dorchester County |
County government |
550 |
| Trident Technical College |
Post-secondary & continuing education |
530 |
| BellSouth |
Telecommunications |
525 |
| Detyen's Shipyard |
Boat building and repair |
522 |
| ANCRental System Inc., Div. HQ |
Auto rental reservations center |
500 |
| Coastal Center (SC Dept of Mental Health) |
Mental health services |
500 |
| First Federal of Charleston |
Banking and financial services |
500 |
| Trident Public Health District (SCDHEC) |
State government; health and environmental control |
500 |
Source: Center for Business Research, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, 2004 |
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Charleston's location on the beautiful South Carolina coastline and its semi-tropic year-round climate offer the outdoor-minded individual a variety of activities. Water sports dominate the recreation schedules of most Charlestonians.
Fresh-Water Fishing: Fishing is a major sport in the trident area. Lakes Marion and Moultrie are the home of the Land Locked Striped Bass and the Annual Striper Rodeo. These man-made lakes attract thousands annually. License fees for visiting fresh-water fishermen are nominal. Government agencies throughout the tri-county area construct and maintain public boat landings and facilities to attract fishermen and boating enthusiasts.
In-Shore Fishing: The Low Country's reputation for trout, snapper, bass, whiting and king mackerel attract fishermen to the thousands of miles of rivers, creeks and sounds which are prevalent in the Trident area. Shrimpers also enjoy the plentiful bounty available to them.
Deep-Sea Fishing: Charter and head boats are available to take deep-sea enthusiasts to the world famous blackfish banks off Charleston Harbor. The Gulf Stream is 60 miles off the coast where dolphin and sailfish are plentiful. All boats are Coast Guard approved and licensed.
Marinas: Charleston maintains some of the finest marinas along the inland waterway. Service is available in Charleston for large yachts and other boats. Water skiing and pleasure boating are widespread. There are several marinas with which your Agent Owned Sales Associate will be happy to assist you.
Sailing: The beautiful Charleston Harbor and offshore area boast some of the finest sailing on the entire Atlantic Seaboard. Five area Yacht Clubs promote sailing with planned instruction for the beginner and racing for the old salts. Fifteen regularly scheduled regattas are held in Charleston annually as well as many National and Regional Championships.
Beaches: Charleston County's coastline affords plenty of open public beach front for swimming, sunning, surfing and fishing. The primary beaches are Isle of Palms, Sullivan's Island, Folly Beach, Edisto Beach, Seabrook and Kiawah Islands.
Parks: Francis Marion National Forest covers thousands of acres in Charleston and Berkeley Counties. Facilities for the camping enthusiast are available. Privately operated campsites are available near Folly Beach, Highway 17 and Highway 178. Two historic forts have been restored by the National Park Service, Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter, the latter accessible only by boat. There is an admission for the boat ride to Fort Sumter. The city maintains a park known as Hampton Park and also the Water Front Park in downtown Charleston. A "must" for the tourist is the Tricentennial Exposition at Charles Town Landing on S.C. Highway 171 which features exhibition areas, an animal forest and landscaped gardens.
College Athletics: The Citadel fields teams in major sports and many minor sports in the Southern Conference. The College of Charleston and Charleston Southern also participate in inter-collegiate athletics. The games of both Clemson and the University of South Carolina are within motoring distance via convenient interstate highways. Atlanta, with turn-around jet flights, provides professional spectator sports. Charleston also has its own minor league baseball team in the Charleston Rainbows.
Golf: The Trident area's mild climate provides golfing opportunities the year round. There are also many challenging golf courses in the Tri County area, some of which were designed by professional golfers such as Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus and golf architects Tom Fazio and Robert Trent Jones. A more detailed description of these courses may be obtained by contacting the Trident Chamber of Commerce.
Tennis: There are numerous public and private tennis courts throughout the area. |
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| Location: Comprised of three counties�Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester�the Charleston Metropolitan Area stretches along the central and southern South Carolina coast. The region includes over 90 miles (145 km) of Atlantic coastline and reaches some 50 miles (80 km) inland towards the intersection of Interstates 26 & 95.
Distance to major U.S. cities
| Atlanta, GA |
291 miles |
468 km |
| Los Angeles, CA |
2,485 miles |
3,999 km |
| Miami, FL |
590 miles |
950 km |
| New York, NY |
768 miles |
1,236 km |
Geography (land and water area)
| Berkeley County |
1,229.23 sq. miles |
3,184 km2 |
| Charleston County |
1,357.14 sq. miles |
3,515 km2 |
| Dorchester County |
576.74 sq. miles |
1,494 km2 |
| Metro Area |
3,163.11 sq. miles |
8,192 km2 |
Climate
| Average annual temperature |
65.6ºF |
18.7ºC |
| Average daily maximum |
75.5ºF |
24.2ºC |
| Average daily minimum |
55.7ºF |
13.2ºC |
| Average annual rainfall |
51.53 inches |
131 cm |
| Average relative humidity(7 a.m.) |
86% |
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| Population |
1990 |
2003 |
| Berkeley County |
128,776 |
146,449 |
| Charleston County |
295,039 |
321,014 |
| Dorchester County |
83,060 |
104,168 |
| Metro Area |
506,875 |
571,631 |
Racial Composition (Metro Area)
| White or Caucasian |
63.9% |
| Black or African-American |
32.1% |
| Asian |
1.2% |
| American Indian & Alaska Native |
0.4% |
| Native Hawaiian & Other Pacific Islander |
0.0% |
| Other |
0.8% |
| Two or more races |
1.6% |
| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) |
2% | Source: 2003 American Community Survey, US Census Bureau
Total Retail Sales (Metro Area)
| 2000 |
$13,000,000,000 |
| 2001 |
$12,700,000,000 |
| 2002 |
$13,000,000,000 |
| 2003 |
$13,700,000,000 |
| 2004 |
$14,100,000,000 | |
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Labor Force & Employment � 2004
| Labor Force |
306,186 |
| Total Employment |
291,948 |
| Unemployment Rate |
4.7% |
Employment by Sector (NAICS)
| Construction/Mining |
8% |
| Manufacturing |
8% |
| Trade, Transportation, Utilities |
20% |
| Information (Print & broadcast media; telecommunications; internet � related; data processing; etc.) |
1% |
| Financial Activities (Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental and Leasing) |
4% |
| Professional and Business (Professional, Scientific and Technical Services; Mgmt of Companies & Enterprises) |
13% |
| Education and Health Services |
11% |
| Leisure & Hospitality Industries (Incl Food Services) |
12% |
| Other Services not elsewhere classified |
3% |
| Government/Public Admin. |
20% |
| Total Nonagricultural Employment |
100% |
Major Employers � 2004
| US Navy |
16,219 |
| Medical University of SC |
8,200 |
| Charleston Air Force Base |
5,594 |
| Charleston County School District |
5,000 |
| Roper St. Francis Healthcare |
4,000 |
| Berkeley County School District |
3,414 |
| Piggly Wiggly Carolina Co. Inc. |
2,500 |
| Robert Bosch Corp.-Automotive Group |
2,243 |
| Charleston County |
2,243 |
| Wal Mart Stores |
2,153 |
| Trident Health System & HCA Div HQ |
2,082 |
| Dorchester County School District II |
2,000 |
| Colleges & Universities |
Enrollment |
| American College of the Building Arts |
NA |
| Charleston School of Law |
125 |
| Charleston Southern University |
2,900 |
| City Colleges of Chicago |
175 |
| College of Charleston/Univ. of Charleston |
11,607 |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University |
300 |
| Johnson & Wales University |
1,300 |
| Limestone College |
500 |
| Lowcountry Graduate Center |
233 |
| Medical University of South Carolina |
2,434 |
| Miller � Motte Tech College |
540 |
| Southern Illinois University |
91 |
| Southern Wesleyan |
350 |
| Springfield College at Charleston |
120 |
| The Citadel |
3,138 |
| Trident Technical College |
11,791 |
| Univ. of South Carolina (Extended Graduate Campus) |
NA |
| Voorhees College |
800 |
| Webster University |
616 |
| Total Enrollment |
37,020 | |
Source: Center for Business Research, Charleston Metro Chamber |
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Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
| Temp |
Max |
59.8 |
61.9 |
67.8 |
76.2 |
83.1 |
87.7 |
89.1 |
88.6 |
84.5 |
77.1 |
68.4 |
60.8 |
75.4 |
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Min |
37.3 |
39.0 |
45.1 |
53.0 |
61.1 |
68.1 |
71.2 |
70.6 |
65.9 |
55.1 |
44.1 |
37.7 |
54.0 |
| Precipitation |
2.9 |
3.3 |
4.8 |
3.0 |
3.8 |
6.3 |
8.2 |
6.4 |
5.2 |
3.1 |
2.1 |
3.1 |
52.1 |
| Prevailing Winds |
SW |
NNE |
SSW |
SSW |
S |
S |
SW |
SW |
NNE |
NNE |
N |
NNE |
NNE |
| Wind Speed |
9.2 |
10.2 |
10.3 |
9.9 |
8.9 |
8.5 |
8.0 |
7.4 |
8.0 |
8.1 |
8.2 |
8.8 |
8.8 |
| % Possible Sunshine |
57 |
61 |
66 |
71 |
71 |
66 |
67 |
64 |
62 |
67 |
65 |
59 |
65 |
| Humidity |
1:00 AM |
81 |
79 |
81 |
83 |
88 |
90 |
91 |
91 |
91 |
88 |
84 |
82 |
86 |
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1:00 PM |
56 |
51 |
50 |
49 |
54 |
59 |
63 |
63 |
63 |
55 |
51 |
55 |
56 |
Source: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Nat'l Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin., Environmental Data Service |
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