Why locals love it
It's why people move here. Walk Broad Street, eat on King, run the Battery in the morning.
What locals are saying
Downtown Charleston is widely admired by locals for its walkability, world-class food scene, and unmatched historic character — but long-timers are increasingly frustrated by the consequences of its own popularity. Overtourism (7M+ annual visitors in a city of 150K), skyrocketing housing costs, chronic traffic and parking gridlock, and rapid gentrification that has displaced longtime — especially Black — residents from the peninsula dominate local complaints. The consensus is that downtown is a beautiful place to visit or live if you can afford it, but the version locals loved a decade ago has been steadily eroded by overdevelopment and commercialization.
