Mount Pleasant

From CharlestonWiki

Mount Pleasant is a town located in Charleston County, w:South Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2005 Special Census, the town had a total population of 59,104.

1 History
2 Modern-day Mount Pleasant
3 Geography
4 Notable Mount Pleasantian
5 External links

History

Mount Pleasant is separated from Charleston, by the Cooper River. For many years it was primarily populated seasonally by Charleston residents wealthy enough to afford summer homes across the river from the Charleston peninsula. The population of Mount Pleasant was centered in an area of the town now known as "The Old Village."

It was determined in 1928 that a bridge from the Charleston Peninsula to Mount Pleasant was needed. Spanning Town Creek and the Cooper River and crossing the uninhabited Drum Island, the two-lane Grace Memorial Bridge opened for traffic as a toll bridge 17 months later. A second and larger bridge, the Silas N. Pearman Bridge, opened in 1966, further connecting Mount Pleasant to its mother city.

The county seat for Berkeley County was located in Mount Pleasant from 1882 until 1895, when it was moved to Moncks Corner.

On July 16, 2005, the brand new, eight-lane Arthur Ravenel, Jr., bridge opened for automotive traffic, replacing the two aging bridges. A week before the bridge officially opened, pedestrians were allowed to cross the bridge, and commerative coins were distributed. Also, a $250,000 fireworks display was a part of the ceremonies leading up to the actual opening of the bridge. A number of cars from the same time period as the Grace Memorial Bridge, including several restored Model A Fords, will make a final crossing of the old bridges in the near future. The old bridges will be torn down within a year.

Modern-day Mount Pleasant

At the foot of the Cooper River Bridge lies Patriots Point, a naval and maritime museum, home to the World War II w:aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, which is now a w:museum ship.

In 2004 Mount Pleasant became one of the first cities in the United States to pass a "pay-before-you-pump" gas ordinance. [1] [2]

Geography

Location of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Mount Pleasant is located at 32°49'23" North, 79°50'44" West (32.823189, -79.845477).

According to the w:United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 128.3 square kilometers (49.5 square miles). 108.5 km² (41.9 mi²) of it is land and 19.8 km² (7.7 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 15.44% water.

There were 19,025 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 35.3% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $61,054, and the median income for a family was $71,165. Males had a median income of $50,673 versus $31,640 for females. The per capita income for the town was $30,823. 5.0% of the population and 3.2% of families were below the poverty line. 5.3% of those under the age of 18 and 6.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.