AIR
Charleston International Airport is a facility and military air service to more than a million passengers each year. Five commercial airlines which provide service are: Continental, Delta, Midway Connection, United Express and U.S. Air. In addition, six private airports throughout the region accommodate both corporate and private aircraft.
Charleston International Airport 767-1100, www.chs-airport.com

BUS
The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) (www.ridecarta.com) operated by the City of Charleston serving: City of North Charleston, Isle of Palms, James Island, Mt. Pleasant and West Ashley. DASH serves the peninsula with four routes. Passes are available at City-owned garages and the Visitor’s Center. All equipment is fully accessible for the disabled. Call 747-0922 for schedule information.
DASH Shuttle 724-7420

CLIMATE
Temperate to sub-tropical. Average daily temperature: High: 75° Low: 54°
Rainfall: 52 inches (annual average)
Snowfall: very infrequent
Elevation: 0 to 80 feet above
mean sea level
Average Humidity: 86%
www.weather.com/weather/local/29401

DMV SC DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLE SERVICES:
1-800-442-1368
www.scdmvonline.com
* 180 Lockwood Dr.
Charleston, SC 29403
* 1189 Iron Bridge, Ste. 500
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
* Ladson-135 Wemberly Drive
843-572-7854
* 3790 Leeds Avenue
N. Charleston, SC 29405

DRIVERS LICENSE & TAGS
New residents to SC may use a valid driver’s license from their former state of residence for 45 days. After 45 days, the new resident must apply for a new license. Contact DMV for more information. All SC residents must file a vehicle tax return in the country of residence. After taxes are paid, tags may be obtained. Proof of liability insurance & title required.

EDUCATION
For information about the schools in a particular county either log on to their websites or call the following number:

PUBLIC SCHOOLS
School District:
Berkeley County ……….(843) 723-4627
www.berkeley.k12.sc.us
Charleston County ………(843) 937-6300
www.Charleston.k12.sc.us
Dorchester District II ……… (843) 873-2901
www.dorchester2.k12.sc.us
Dorchester District IV ……… (843) 563-4535
www.dorchester.k4.12.sc.us

The school year is 180 days long and begins at the end of August/early September and concludes at the end of May/early June. School bus service is available for students who live more than ½ mile from the school where they are assigned. All children entering first grade must present a birth certificate and must be six years of age by September  1st of the current school year. All children entering South Carolina  schools for the first time must present a vaccination certificate.

PRIVATE SCHOOLS
Twenty-five private and parochial schools serve the Charleston area. For more information contact:
Tricounty Admissions Council
P.O. Box 39612
Charleston, SC 29407


ELECTRIC & GAS
Charleston Region Electric & Gas Power Contacts

Santee Cooper (South Carolina Public Service Authority)
One Riverwood Drive
P.O. Box 398
Moncks Corner, SC
29461-0398
(843) 761-7010
www.santeecooper.com

SCE&G (SCANA Corp.)
www.scana.com/sceg
In Charleston –
(843) 576-8243
PO Box 764
Columbia, SC 29218
(803) 376-8537

Berkeley Electric Cooperative
PO Box 1234
Moncks Corner, SC 29461
(843) 553-5020
www.becsc.com

Edisto Electric Cooperative
PO Box 738
St. George. SC 29477
(843) 563-3292
www.edistoelectric.com

EMERGENCY
EMERGENCY- RELATED PHONE NUMBERS
Protection is provided by a complex network of cities, towns,  Counties and public districts. To assure immediate response to an emergency in Berkeley County, Charleston County, Goose Creek, or Summerville, dial 911. The 911 service number gives callers access to fire, rescue and emergency medical services, as well as police, sheriff and SC State Highway Patrol.

TDD for the Deaf- Police Emergency Charleston County  744-3200

Dial 911 for all fire and police emergencies.

Emergency Medical Services
Hanahan 744-4073
Summerville 873-5111
Moncks Corner. 723-3800

Other Emergency Numbers:

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Helpline: (800) 252-6465 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week
Careline Hotline (info/referral for pregnant women) (800) 868-0404
Child Abuse Hotline – 24 hr. (800) 422-4453
Crime Stoppers of the Lowcountry – 554-1111 or (800) 452-1111
Drug Abuse Hotline – 24 hr.  (800) 662-4357
HOTLINE – (24 Hour Confidential Telephone Counseling) 744-HELP (4357) OR (800) 922-2283
Poison Control Center – 24 hr. (800) 922-1117
South Carolina Highway Patrol 740-1660
Teenline (counseling) 747-TEEN or (800) 273-TALK

GARBAGE
* Municipalities provide garbage disposal to homes in the Metro Region.
* The cost of disposal is levied in your taxes or simply included in water and sewer service fees.
* Several isolated rural areas depend on private garbage collection services.
Information on garbage collection service is available from the following city and town departments.:
City of Charleston Public Service Department – (843) 724-3754
Goose Creek Streets and Sanitation Department – (843) 824-2300
Hanahan Public Works and Sanitation Department – (843) 529-3413
Isle of Palms Office of Public Works – (843) 886-8956
James Island Public Service Department – (843) 795-9060
Mt. Pleasant Public Service Department – (843) 849-2022
City of North Charleston- Sanitation – (843) 745-1026
St. Andrew’s Public Service District Commission – (843) 556-6310
Sullivan’s Island Town Hall – (843) 883-3198
Summerville Street Dept. –  (843) 871-6000


GOVERNMENT - STATE
Highway Patrol 740-1650
Social Services – Information
740-0400
Child Protective Services
740-0422
Child Support – 740-0700
Unemployment Claims Office –
792-7070

FEDERAL
Air Force Base – Information 963-1110
Federal Bureau of Investigation 722-0135
IRS – Federal Tax Information 1-800-829-1040
Naval Hospital Information
743-7000
Social Security Administration
1-800-772-1213
Veterans Center 747-8387


INFORMATION

Charleston Area Convention And Visitors Bureau
P.O. Box 975
Charleston, S.C. 29402
853-8000, or toll free
(800) 868-8118
www.charlestoncvb.com

Local chambers of commerce provide information to aid new residents relocating to the Metro area.
Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce
Nesbitt House, 1004 Old 52
P.O. Box 905
Moncks Corner, S.C. 29641
577-9549 or (800) 882-0337

Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce
81 Mary St.
P.O. Box 975
Charleston, S.C. 29402
577-2510

Greater Summerville/ Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce
106 East Doty Avenue, 29483
P.O. Box 670
Summerville, S.C. 29484
873-2931

This is not an all-inclusive list of phone numbers and organizations.

LOCATION

The Lowcountry of South Carolina’s Atlantic Coast is halfway between New York City and Miami, Florida.

Distance to major cities from Charleston, SC:
Atlanta, GA - 291 miles
Chicago, Il - 906 miles
Los Angeles, CA -2,458 miles
Miami, FL - 590 miles
New York, NY - 768 miles
Washington, DC - 532 miles


MAIL

POST OFFICE
www.usps.com
Bulk Mail 760-5303
Claims & Inquiries 760-5301
Express Mail Tracking 1-800-222-1811
Express/Priority Information 760-5323
Passport Services 722-3624
Postmaster 760-5400
Zip Code/General Information 760-5300
7075 Cross County Road
Air Force Base 963
—3686 Simpson St.
Ashley River St. 763-0113
1964-B Ashley River Rd.
Cross County 760-5421
7075 Cross County Rd.
East Bay Station 722-3624
557 East Bay St.
James Is. Station 795-5006
579 Folly Road
N. Chas. Branch 569-2610
6401 Rivers Ave.
Oakbrook Station 821-0298
10070 Dorchester Rd.
Old Main Station 577-0690
83 Broad Street
Pinehaven Branch 744-7810
2180 McMillan Ave.
St. Andrew St. 766-4031
78 Sycamore St.

Nearby Post Offices
Folly Beach 588-2244
Goose Creek 553-0321
Hollywood 889-2624
Isle of Palms 886-6536
Johns Island 559-0622
Ladson 787-1989
Moncks Corner 761-8455
Mt. Pleasant 884-8221
Sullivans Island 883-3461
Summerville 873-3571


MEDIA

NEWSPAPERS
The Post and Courier is the daily newspaper in the metropolitan area. For subscription information call (843) 853-POST (7678) or write, 134 Columbus Street, Charleston, SC 29403. There are also a number of non-daily and weekly newspapers in communities throughout the tri-county area.

TELEVISION AND RADIO
* 4VHF stations
(TV-2, 4, 5 & 7)
* 2 UHF stations
(For affiliate WTAT & SCETV-WITV, EDTV)
* 25 Radio stations
* Cable TV
Comcast (843) 554-4100
U.S. Cable (843) 559-2424


PORT
SC State Ports Authority.
www.port-of-charleston.com
The Port of Charleston is the second largest container port on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, handling over 9 million tons of cargo annually.

RAILROAD

AMTRAK
Amtrak connects the region with other cities throughout the nation via rail. For more information about AMTRAK:
Reservations (800) 872-7245
Passenger station 744-8264
www.amtrak.com

RAIL SYSTEM
Travels to more major cities than any other Southern port.
Main line railroads serving the area include the CSX System and Norfolk Southern.


TAXES

PROPERTY TAXES
South Carolina has no state property tax. Real and personal property taxes are levied by local taxing authorities (real at 4 or 6% & personal at 10.5%).

There is no intangible personal property tax in South Carolina. The local millage rate (set at the local level) is applied to the assessed value to determine the annual tax.

Beginning in 1995, South Carolina homeowners received an additional homestead exemption from property taxes for school operating costs. The maximum amount is the location’s school operating levy on $100,000 in 1995. The average tax savings in 1996 was $210 per home in S.C. In addition, Charleston and Berkeley counties receive a further reduction in such locality’s real property tax as a result of the local option sales tax.

For more information on county property taxes, contact your county treasurer’s office.

SALES TAX
There is a 5% state sales tax imposed in Dorchester county on the purchase of food, personal effects, and other items.

There is a 6% sales tax rate (5% state and 1% local option) imposed in Charleston and Berkeley counties.

INCOME TAXES
South Carolina levies taxes on the net income of individuals, trusts and estates.

Residents and non-residents earning income from South Carolina-based sources are subject to this tax.

State income tax rates for 1998 are as follows:
-2.0% gross income up to $2,000
-3.0% from $2,000 to $4,000
-4.0% from $4,000 to $6,000
-5.0% from $6,000 to $8,000
-6.0% from $8,000 to $9,000
-7.0% all income above $10,000

Residents are taxed on 100 percent of their net taxable income, but are permitted to file credit for taxes paid in other states.

Part-time residents are taxed only on net income from South Carolina-based sources.

Income taxes are not levied by municipal governments.

For more information:
Berkeley County
Treasurer’s Office
223 North Live Oak Dr.
Moncks Corner, S.C. 29461
723-3800 Ext. 4040

Charleston County
Treasurer’s Office
P.O. Box 878
Charleston, S.C., 29402
958-4360

S.C. Dept. of Revenue
3 South Park, Ste. 202
Charleston, S.C. 29407
852-3600


TELEPHONE
BellSouth provides telephone service for the majority of the region. To order home services or city directories call (843) 780-2355 (collect if necessary), or outside South Carolina 1-800-336-0014.
www.bellsouth.com


TRANSPORTATION
HIGHWAYS
3 Interstates:
U.S. I-26, I-526, I-95
5 U.S. Primary Highways:
17, 52, 78, 176, 701
14 S.C. Primary Highways:
6, 7, 27, 41, 45, 61, 162, 165, 171, 174, 517, 642, 700, 703


VOTER REG.
For voter registration information, call or write one of the following offices:
Berkeley County Voter Registration –
223 North Live Oak Dr.
Room B-3
Moncks Corner, S.C. 29461
(843) 761-6900, Ext. 4056
Charleston County Voter Registration –
3360 Rivers Avenue
P.O. Box 71419
Charleston, S.C. 29415
Phone: (843) 744-8683
Dorchester County Board of Registration –
101 Ridge Street County Courthouse
St. George, SC 29477
Phone: (843) 832-0132

WATER
CHARLESTON COUNTY
Commissioners of Public Works – City of Charleston
P.O. Drawer B
103 St. Philip Street
Charleston, SC 29402
(843) 727-6800

Folly Beach Water Dept. – (843) 588-2447
Isle of Palms Water Dept. – (843) 886-6148
Mount Pleasant Waterworks and Sewer Commission –
1619 Rifle Range Road
P.O. Box 330
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29465-0330
(843) 884-9626
email: admin@cleanh20.com
North Charleston Sewer Dist
7225 Stall Road
P.O. Box 63009
North Charleston, SC 29419 - (843) 764-3072
St. John’s Water Co. (843) 559-0186
Sullivan’s Island Water Dept., Town Hall - (843) 883-3198

DORCHESTER COUNTY
Dorchester County Water and Sewer
2120 East Main St., PO Box 9
Dorchester, SC 29437
(843) 832-0070
St. George Water & Sewer
Department - (843) 563-3321
Summerville Commissioners
Of Public Works -
P.O. Box 817
Summerville, SC 29484
(843) 875-8754

BERKELEY COUNTY
Berkeley County Water & Sanitation Authority -
(BCW&SA)
2111 Redbank Road
Goose Creek, SC 29445
(843) 572-4400
City of Goose Creek –
P.O. Drawer 768
Goose Creek, SC 29445
(843) 797-6220
Jamestown Water Dept. – (843) 257-2233
Moncks Cor. Water Wks - P.O. Box 266
Moncks Corner, SC 29461
(843) 761-8041
Town of St. Stephen – (843) 567-3597

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