Surrounded by Peninsula Charleston, West Ashley, John’s Island and Folly Beach, James Island truly is Charleston’s most centrally located suburb.
With the opening of the James Island Connector in 1993 the drive from downtown Charleston to James Island was cut from half an hour to three minutes and what had been a very rural community began to grow exponentially. The island is dotted with many historic sites. Fort Johnson, where the first shots of the American Civil War were fired is located at the end of Fort Johnson Road.
McLeod Plantation overlooking the Wappoo Cut remains virtually unchanged as one of the most intact examples of pre-war Lowcountry plantation life. With both the vibrant city life of downtown and the relaxed atmosphere of the beach less than ten minutes from its center, James Island offers the best of both worlds.