Welcome to beautiful Charleston, South Carolina! Life as a resident in this charming city is always full of fun opportunities, of which we take full advantage. Whether recreational, educational or cultural in nature, as a group or as an individual, you’ll find plenty of things to do here.

For those who would like to explore the history and culture of the south, start with a visit to one of our local plantations like Boone Hall, Middleton Place or Magnolia Gardens. Many of these places host events year round, including bluegrass festivals, A Taste of Charleston, chili and barbecue cook offs, Charleston Pops concerts and civil war reenactments. In the spring and fall the Preservation Society of Charleston hosts their annual Tour of Homes, allowing the pubic to view privately owned, historic homes in the downtown area. Walk the beautiful downtown streets at dusk or visit the local museums. The French Quarter of Charleston hosts a quarterly art walk through the downtown galleries, providing an opportunity to peruse the local art scene, meet artists, have a glass of wine and munch on hors d’oeuvres. Wander through one of the cemeteries, home to a number of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Stroll past Rainbow Row to the beautiful Battery and spend the afternoon in the park or join the folks fishing off of the Battery wall. If shopping is more your style, head to the market area and peruse the wares after a light lunch at one of the many outstanding restaurants in the market area.

In the spring, select from a wide array of cultural events at the annual Spoleto Festival USA. Or find more resident-wallet friendly events through Piccolo Spoleto. The local colleges, ballet companies, theater groups and comedy groups contribute to a diverse array of performances annually. Catch one of the Broadway Series performances that come five times a year to the area, or become a season ticket holder (it’s actually affordable!). Visit our About Charleston page for more details and links to information about Charleston's culture and history.

If you’re looking for an outdoorsy adventure, head to James Island County Park and climb the rock wall, kayak or have an outdoor barbecue. Bike or hike the well-preserved trails of the local parks. Visit one of the area water parks with the family. Choose from a number of the family-oriented beaches in the Charleston area and spend the day in the warm ocean water (May through October at least).  Fish off the Folly Beach pier where you may pull up a small dogfish. Join one of the local sports leagues, or form a team for MUSC’s intramural sports program (our department has had a good showing in softball, basketball and flag football).   If you’d prefer to be a spectator, tickets are always available for our minor league baseball team (Charleston Riverdogs), the Eastern Conference Hockey League team (SC Stingrays) or the semi-pro soccer team (The Battery).

If you’re more of a night owl, Charleston has its fair share of clubs. Whether it’s psychedelic 70’s, excellent 80’s, flamenco or club music you’re looking for, you’ll find a club or lounge catering to your needs. Pedi cabs will happily transport you between locales. Enjoy karaoke? Our residents have been known to belt out a few tunes on stage in local spots. Or perhaps you like to flex your mental muscle after hours? We have residents who partake in trivia challenges at area restaurants. And of course, there are the frequent happy hours, barbecues, dinners, Halloween parties, cookie exchanges, Christmas parties, bridal and baby showers, camping trips, salsa dance classes, boat trips, game nights and poker games.

Residents top off the end of a year of hard work and learning with our annual retreat. A beach house on Folly is reserved for the week, with the retreat taking place on a Thursday and Friday. During this time, all clinical duties (including call!) are covered by the attending physicians. The retreat is an opportunity to relax, reconnect with peers outside of work, listen to fun, low-key lectures, play in the sand and unwind. Karaoke, family feud games (psychiatry style of course), fishing, swimming, relay races and the like are enjoyed by both residents and their families.

Our residents work hard, but they know how to have a good time. Whatever your interest, you’re sure to find it in Charleston and you’re more than likely to find a resident to share the fun with.

Where to Live

Most residents choose to live off of the Charleston peninsula in one of the surrounding areas. Residents are fairly equitably distributed among James Island, West Ashley and Mount Pleasant. Each has its own character, as well as price ranges:

James Island is a nice locale for those who wish to be close to Folly Beach. For the most part, the commute to MUSC is fairly short (15-20 minutes) depending on how far down Folly Road you live. Traffic can be fierce there in the summer with tourists heading to and from the beach, but overall traffic tends to move well there. Condos, town homes, apartments and houses are all within the price range for residents.

West Ashley is an area that continues to expand, especially along the US61 corridor. Traffic has increased there over the years as new developments are created, but they have the benefit of two major roads that lead into downtown Charleston (US17 and US61). Shopping is good as the Citadel Mall and various national chain stores are located there.

Mount Pleasant is arguably the nicest of the suburbs in which to live. The housing tends to be a bit more upscale and new. Traffic can be bothersome at certain times of day, although with the widening of US17 and the recent completion of the Arthur Ravenel Bridge, commuting times have been greatly reduced. Shopping is great there, especially at the Towne Center, a major shopping complex.

Some residents also live in Downtown Charleston (on the peninsula itself), or in Summerville, North Charleston or John's Island. Most residents choose the location that best fits their needs when it comes to desired commute time, spouse’s place of work, the school system, daycare availability and affordability. Charleston is a relatively affordable place to live and most residents own their own homes.

For more information on housing, education, household income, tax rates, population characteristics, weather, leisure/culture and quality of life in these areas (West Ashley and James Island are considered part of Charleston, but Mt. Pleasant and the other areas are separate townships), please go to the following links: