Charleston is a city in the center of Charleston County with some incorporated areas located within the boundaries of Berkeley County and Dorchester County. The city serves as the county seat and largest city of Charleston County. The city proper consists of five distinct areas: the Peninsula/Downtown, West Ashley, Johns Island, James Island, and Daniel Island.

As of July 2006, the estimated population of the city proper is 107,845, making it the second most populous city in South Carolina behind the state capital Columbia. The population of Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties, was estimated to be 603,178 in 2007. Charleston has several large suburbs. North Charleston is nearly as populous as Charleston itself and ranks as the third largest city in the state; Mount Pleasant and Summerville are the next largest suburbs.

The traditional parish system persisted until the Reconstruction, when counties were imposed. Nevertheless, traditional parishes still exist in various capacities, mainly as public service districts. The city of Charleston proper was originally defined by the limits of the Parish of St. Philip & St. Michael. It now also includes parts of St. James' Parish, St. George's Parish, St. Andrew's Parish, and St. John's Parish, although the last two are mostly incorporated rural parishes.

The city of Charleston is located roughly at the mid-point of South Carolina's coastline, at the junction of the Ashley (west) and Cooper (east) Rivers. Charleston is a notable tourist destination, with streets lined with grand live oaks draped with Spanish moss. Along the waterfront in an area known as Rainbow Row are many beautiful and historic pastel-colored homes.

The city is also an important port, boasting the second largest container seaport on the East Coast and the fourth largest container seaport in North America. It is also the second most productive port in the World behind Hong Kong.

Many cultural events and fairs are native to Charleston. Spoleto Festival USA is a 17-day art festival featuring over 100 performances by individual artists in a variety of disciplines. Charleston's "other" festival is the MOJA Arts Festival, which is a major, two-week celebration of African-American and Caribbean arts, music, and culture. The Southeastern Wildlife Exposition is also held in the city, as well as the Food + Wine Festival, Family Circle Tennis Cup, Cooper River Bridge Run and the Maritime Festival, which is held annually in May and features tall ships, boatbuilding, and the Charleston to Bermuda Race. In 2007 Charleston Fashion Week made its first appearance and was a huge success. It is held by the fashion publication Charleston Magazine and now will be an annual event in the city. It is modeled after major fashion weeks in other major cities.

As an old colonial city, Charleston has a wide variety of museums and historical attractions. The Old Exchange and Customs House in downtown Charleston, finished in 1771, is arguably the third most important Colonial building in the nation (behind Faneuil Hall in Boston, Massachusetts and Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). The building features a dungeon which held various signers of the Declaration of Independence, and also hosted events for George Washington in 1791, and the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1788. It has also served as a U.S. post office, the first Confederate post office, and was used by the United States Coast Guard.

Not far from Charleston is the location of Fort Moultrie, which was instrumental in delivering a critical defeat to the British in the American Revolutionary War, and Fort Sumter, the reputed site of the "first shot" of the American Civil War. Patriot's Point, located across the river in nearby Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, is also home to the USS Yorktown as well as several other naval vessels. There are also several former plantations in the area, including Boone Hall Plantation, Drayton Hall, Magnolia Plantation, and Middleton Place. Charleston's premier art museum is the Gibbes Museum of Art, one of the country's oldest art organizations and home to over 10,000 works of fine art. Also the Charleston Museum was the first Museum in the Americas. Other attractions include the South Carolina Aquarium, the Audubon Swamp Garden, Cypress Gardens, and Charles Towne Landing.

Charleston is home to a number of professional minor league sports teams. The Charleston Battery, a professional soccer team, plays in the USL First Division at Blackbaud Stadium.

The Charleston RiverDogs, a Minor League Baseball team, play in the South Atlantic League, and are an affiliate of the New York Yankees. The RiverDogs play at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. The South Carolina Stingrays are an ice hockey team that play in the ECHL and are an affiliate of the Washington Capitals. The Stingrays play at the North Charleston Coliseum. The newest addition to the city are the Carolina Sandsharks of the American Indoor Football Association, and this team also plays at the coliseum.

Other notable sports venues in the Charleston area include Family Circle Magazine Stadium (home of the WTA Tour affiliated professional tennis tournament for women, the Family Circle Cup) and Johnson Hagood Stadium (home of the The Citadel Bulldogs football team).