854 Area Code 🌍☎️

Charleston, South Carolina's most populous city, is located on Charleston Harbor at the confluence of the Ashley, Cooper, and Wando rivers and had a population of 150,227 in the 2020 census, with its metropolitan area comprising Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties reaching approximately 870,000 residents and ranking as the 71st-most populous in the U.S. Founded by the English in 1670 as Charles Town in honor of King Charles II, the settlement relocated in 1680 to its present location and became the fifth-largest city in North America by the 1690s, remaining in the top 10 U.S. cities by population through 1840. Charleston's economy is anchored by tourism, the Port of Charleston (one of the nation's busiest), aerospace through Boeing, and information technology, earning the nickname "Silicon Harbor" for its growing tech sector. The city played a central and tragic role in the Atlantic slave trade, with almost one-half of all enslaved people imported to the United States arriving there, for which Charleston formally apologized in 2018. Charleston is renowned for its well-preserved antebellum architecture, historic landmarks including Fort Sumter National Monument and Rainbow Row, vibrant Gullah cultural heritage, and thriving culinary and arts scenes. Hilton Head Island is a barrier island resort town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, located 20 miles northeast of Savannah, Georgia, with a year-round population of 37,661 that swells to 150,000 during summer and serves as the principal city of a 232,523-person metropolitan area. Named after Captain William Hilton, who identified the headland in 1663, the island has a rich history beginning with Native American occupation thousands of years ago, including shell rings over 4,000 years old, followed by European exploration and the sea island cotton trade before becoming a Union Army base during the Civil War. Home to the Gullah people, descendants of ex-slaves who maintain their ethnic and cultural identity, Hilton Head attracts 2.5 million visitors annually to its 12 miles of Atlantic Ocean beachfront and is renowned for hosting the RBC Heritage PGA Tour tournament at Harbour Town Golf Links. Incorporated as a municipality in 1983, the island is nationally recognized for eco-friendly development enforced through its Land Management Ordinance, resulting in unusual tree cover relative to development levels. The town maintains public beach access despite approximately 70% of the island being located within gated communities, with residents approving multimillion-dollar land-buying bonds to control commercial growth. Florence is the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, located at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95 in the historical Pee Dee region of northeastern South Carolina, with a 2020 population of 39,899 making it the 10th-most populous city in the state. Founded as a railroad hub in 1871 by General William Harllee, who named it after his daughter, Florence became the junction of three major railroad systems - the Wilmington and Manchester, the Northeastern, and the Cheraw and Darlington - and served as a crucial Confederate supply and repair center during the Civil War, hosting the Florence Stockade that held 12,000 to 18,000 Union prisoners. Recognized as an All-American City in 1965 by the National Civic League, Florence evolved economically from cotton and timber production to become known for textiles, pharmaceuticals, paper, and manufacturing, with healthcare becoming a major industry driver by the 20th century. The city functions as a higher education hub, home to Francis Marion University and Florence-Darlington Technical College, and has a vibrant cultural scene anchored by the Florence Little Theater Guild, which celebrated 100 years of performances in 2023. Since 2010, Florence has undergone significant downtown revitalization, transforming a 70-square-block district into a redevelopment area that has expanded to include over 600 acres including the historic Timrod Park.