Mount Pleasant was originally founded as a fishing village; today, however, it has developed as a modern suburb of Charleston. With the completion of the Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge, the largest cable-stayed bridge in the Americas, traveling into Mount Pleasant from downtown Charleston is now easier then ever.
With a current population of more than 60,000 people, the town operates its own police and fire departments, and it has a recreation department with facilities that include seven parks, two public swimming pools, 17 tennis courts, 23 ball fields, and one public track. It is also Charleston's only access to the barrier island beaches of Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms.
Mount Pleasant has many attractions that continue to draw new residents and tourists each year. Check out Boone Hall Plantation, which features nine original slave cabins, a cotton gin house and the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site. The site includes archeological discoveries, an 1820s tidewater cottage, and interpretations of African-American life and contributions during the colonial era.
Neighborhoods feature a wide array of diverse residential choices: suburban cul-de-sacs, exclusive resort properties, and upscale apartments. Older neighborhoods exist as well, including the historic Old Village, which is home to both colonial and antebellum period homes as well as many historic churches.