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James Island is a sea island only five minutes from downtown Charleston with easy access via the James Island Connector. The convenient location to both downtown and Folly Beach has made James Island a popular residential choice in recent years. Many students and faculty at the College of Charleston and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) choose James Island as their home because of the easy access. Mostly residential, James Island offers a wide variety of neighborhoods and homes surrounded by oaks, creeks and marsh, and some with waterfront views of Charleston Harbor, Wappoo Creek or the Stono River.
  
The Civil War began on James Island on the morning of April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces at Fort Johnson fired on Union-occupied Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Today, families can choose from a number of recreational opportunities, including those available at the popular James Island County Park. This amazing 643-acre park offers picnic areas, biking and hiking trails, a climbing wall, playgrounds, kayaking, lagoons, fishing and a crabbing dock. Splash Zone, a water playground is also located inside the park. Finally, James Island County Park is host to the Holiday Festival of Lights which begins on Thanksgiving and runs through New Year’s Day.
One of the most interesting neighborhoods is Riverland Terrace, especially homes on Wappoo Drive, also known as the Avenue of Oaks (see the picture above, upper right).
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