If you’re considering moving to the Charleston, SC, it’s helpful to understand the different neighborhoods and towns in the area so you can start narrowing down your home search. One excellent choice is “Charleston’s Island Town,” Daniel Island. This brief guide will help you get to know Daniel Island so you can determine if it’s a good fit for you and your family.
Named after Robert Daniell, the former colonial governor of the Carolinas, Daniel Island is located in Berkeley County, east of the Charleston peninsula. It connects to Mount Pleasant to the east over the Wando River and to North Charleston and I-20 to the west over the Cooper River via the I-526 interstate spur, the main access route in and out of the island.
When you’re there, Daniel Island feels like a vacation town separated from the rest of the world. Yet it’s a short drive to where you want to go. Average drive times from Daniel Island:
Daniel Island is a master planned community that saw development begin in the mid 1990s. Everything has been carefully thought out to create a cohesive community where you can live, work, and play. You can see the care and attention in the results: the pristine roads, green spaces, commercial buildings, and beautiful residences blend together seamlessly. It’s simply a beautiful place to live.
When it comes to recreation and fun, Daniel Island has it all. There are plenty of restaurants and bars, shops, parks, miles of hiking trails, entertainment venues, and sports facilities, including the Volvo Car Stadium and the Family Circle Tennis Center. Water sports are popular here, and residents take advantage of the many waterways for boating, sailing, kayaking, fishing, crabbing, paddle boarding, kayaking, swimming, and more. Community events bring residents together throughout the year, and many clubs and groups offer chances to connect with your neighbors.
Families interested in schools should know that while Daniel Island is in the City of Charleston, it’s part of Berkeley County (rather than Charleston County), so students are zoned for Berkeley County schools. This includes the public Daniel Island School for K-8. There are also two private schools in Daniel Island, Bishop England High School and the Daniel Island Academy for children ages 1-4.
Many people move here to be close to their work. With office buildings, stores, and two big companies – Blackbaud and BenefitFocus – that employ lots of people, it means you can live, work, and play all here on Daniel Island.
Real estate on Daniel Island is highly desirable. The average real estate price is $274 per square foot, compared to $220 per square foot for Mount Pleasant and $211 for average city of Charleston (which also includes Daniel Island), according to Zillow.
Daniel Island is distinct from other areas and neighborhoods in the greater Charleston area because, as stated above, it wasn’t until the mid 1990s that development started, while many surrounding areas had seen development for hundreds of years at that point.
One consequence of this is that you won’t find the big mix of old and new homes or wildly different architectural styles. The homes here are all relatively new – many are brand new, some are just a few decades old – and most are built in an architectural style that pays homage to classic Lowcountry aesthetics. They’re gracious, elegant, and timeless. You’ll find streets of single-family homes with double porches and welcoming front stairways painted in gentle island colors, both capturing and reflecting the beauty of the area.
Development is still going on, so if you have always wanted to design and build your dream house, you have the opportunity to do that on Daniel Island. But don’t take too much time – with development coming to an end in the near future, and available lots running out, you should act soon if your plan is to build.
For buyers interested in something other than single family homes, there are also townhouses and condos, as well as apartment complexes, here, too.
To summarize, if you love the look of Lowcountry architecture and find the idea of a living in a master planned community appealing, Daniel Island could be the place for you.
The Charleston area has many wonderful neighborhoods to live in, full of natural beauty and Southern charm. What sets Daniel Island apart is its harmonious beauty and feeling of community. Being relatively small (about 4,000 acres, or just 6 square miles) and separated from the rest of Charleston by water, it feels like a world of its own. Here you find gracious living and old-time friendliness, where you stop to chat with a neighbor, walk to work or school, and leave your bike unlocked.
This is a place to come see for yourself and what makes it special. The beautiful homes, easy living, great facilities, and proximity to the beach, the airport, and the culture of downtown Charleston, all come together for a truly exceptional quality of life.
As a Realtor® and Daniel Island resident myself, I can help you find your new home here. Give me a call at 843-806-7222 or email me here. I would love to be your guide to buying in the Charleston area, and I look forward to hearing from you.
11,108 people live in DANIEL ISLAND, where the median age is 43 and the average individual income is $73,597. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
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DANIEL ISLAND has 4,904 households, with an average household size of 2. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Here’s what the people living in DANIEL ISLAND do for work — and how long it takes them to get there. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. 11,108 people call DANIEL ISLAND home. The population density is 3,414.318 and the largest age group is Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
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I know what it means to call the Lowcountry home. And it’s my mission to help you call it home too. It’s why we work so hard to make your real estate dreams come true. It’s why we build relationships, not databases. It’s why we treat everyone like a neighbor, because it’s our intention that one day you will be.
