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Useful Information for New Residents of Charleston

Congratulations, you’re moving to Charleston! Charleston is a gorgeous city full of history, culture, and its own unique identity. If you’ve never lived by the coast or in the Lowcountry, you may be questioning what to do if you see an alligator, why we’re so obsessed with the tides, and why on earth traffic is so bad on I-26! Thankfully, we’re here to help you better understand the Charleston way of life.

Alligators 

We’ve got a pretty simple rule here in Charleston: leave the alligators alone. These unique animals are exciting to see but it is important not to get too close! Aside from the dangers of approaching an alligator, South Carolina has strict laws regarding our ancient friends. According to South Carolina law, it’s unlawful to feed or entice any alligators with food. If caught doing so, you could face fines of up to $200 and imprisoned for no more than 30 days. All in all, stay away from the ‘gators!

Tide Charts 

It’s a fairly common experience to hear local television and radio news stations talk about our tides. Since we’re located in the Lowcountry, and are not much above sea level, high tides can cause some issues around town, particularly in downtown Charleston. After a heavy rainfall, or a full moon, tides can rapidly rise and cause flooding around the city. We saw a large disaster after Hurricane Matthew and during the 1000 year flood. To better understand tide charts, you can check out the infographic below that explains everything!

Tides are also important to understand if you want to kayak, paddleboard, or canoe in our various beautiful waterways. No one wants to get stuck for hours out in the marsh or battle an especially rough tide to come back to shore! Charleston Gateway is an excellent resource to check each day if you’re anticipating hitting the water. It’ll show the various times we can expect low and high tide throughout the day including the height of the water.

Traffic in Charleston 

Traffic isn’t always an issue in Charleston, but when it hits, it’s never fun! With bridges connecting much of Charleston together, if there’s an accident on one bridge, you can almost guarantee that it’ll cause backups throughout the city. You’ll experience the most amount of traffic during morning and evening commute times between Summerville and downtown Charleston. Some drivers can anticipate delays up to an hour during their commute if there’s an accident!

Below is a list of standard drive times in Charleston:

Daniel Island to North Charleston: 15 minutes (traffic times increase to 45 minutes during high traffic times in the morning and evening)

Daniel Island to Downtown Charleston: 20 minutes

Daniel Island to Mount Pleasant: 10 minutes

Daniel Island to Isle of Palms: 20 minutes

Daniel Island to Sullivan’s Beach: 15 minutes

West Ashley to Downtown Charleston: 20 minutes

Mt. Pleasant to Downtown Charleston: 10 minutes

Mt. Pleasant to West Ashley: 30 minutes

Mt. Pleasant to North Charleston: 20 minutes

Summerville to Downtown Charleston: 40 minutes

 

 

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