Living on
Berkeley County
James Island & Folly Beach
Dorchester County
Looking for the beauty of nature? You'll find it here.
Charleston County
Photo/Leslie Burdern
J
ames Island and Folly Beach, located just south of Charleston, represent a distinctly independent streak in the Lowcountry character. Long a semi-rural area, James Island has seen its population boom since the early 1990s and the opening of the James Island Connector, a bridge that links the island directly to the Charleston peninsula. James Island is bounded by Wappoo Creek, Charleston Harbor and the Stono and Folly rivers. Its network of marshes, inlets, sounds and creeks gives it one of the most scenic natural environments in the region. It was a strategic key to Charleston during the Revolutionary and Civil wars. The Confederate attack on Fort Sumter began in 1861 with a shot from the island's Fort Johnson, modern-day home of a stateof-the-art government marine science research facility. McLeod Plantation, with its alley of slave cabins visible from Folly Road near the foot of the Wappoo Bridge, stands near the entrance to the private Country Club of Charleston. The Riverland Terrace neighborhood, located between Maybank Highway and Wappoo Creek, features enormous live oaks and deeply shaded lanes. A nearby commercial district offers fine restaurants, antiques and the Terrace Theatre, the area’s only art-house cinema. Recreational options include the Charleston Municipal Golf Course and James Island County Park, a 643-acre facility with trails, fishing docks, a 50-foot climbing wall, kayak rentals, picnic areas and a campground. The park’s Splash Zone water park is extremely popular with fami-
Shrimp boats line the Folly River at sunset.
“A distinctly independent streak in the Lowcountry character.” lies during summer months, and the county park’s annual Holiday Festival of Lights attracts motorists on winter nights. James Island ends where Folly Road enters a marsh marked by the landmark “Folly Boat,” an abandoned hull that was deposited on the roadside by Hurricane Hugo. Locals have been painting messages on it ever since. Another treasured local landmark – Bowen’s Island Restaurant – sits
James Island’s enormous live oaks and deeply shaded lanes lead into Folly Beach, which is also called "The Edge of America." 54 | INTRO
Moving In
(all phone numbers are 843 area code unless otherwise noted) Town of James Island: .............................795-4141 www.jamesisland.sc.us City of Folly Beach: ...................................588-2447 www.cityoffollybeach.com Charleston County School District: ........937-6300 UTILITIES Building permits (Charleston): ................795-4141 Charleston Water System: .......................727-6800 S.C. Electric & Gas: ........................... 800-251-7234 James Island trash and recycling: .........795-9060 City of Folly Beach Public Works: ..........588-2447 Folly Beach trash and recycling: ............588-2447