CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA (SC), USA
Charleston bed and breakfast accommodation in the “Holy City”
Charleston bed and breakfast visitors are surprised to learn that Charleston is sometimes called The Holy city due to the high number of church steeples along the city’s skyline. It is a short step from there for Charleston B&B, lodge and inn visitors to start enquiring into the history of this beautiful Southern city. It was founded in 1670 and was quite a liberal place for its time. It was reputedly the only city in the original 13 colonies to be tolerant of the French Huguenots. There is still a French Huguenot Church in the city. It was also one of the first colonial cities to grant complete freedom of religion to Jews. Brith Shalom Beth Israel is the oldest orthodox shul in the South. It was founded by Ashkenazi Jews in the mid 19th century. Many Charleston bed and breakfast visitors are researchers into Judeo-Christian subjects. But not all B&B guests are academics, for Charleston has become something of a tourist destination. The streets are lined with oak trees draped with Spanish moss. The abundant Cabbage Palmetto, which is the state tree of South Carolina, adds another distinctive Southern flavor to the city. Many Charleston bed and breakfast establishments are to be found in the waterfront area, which is known as Rainbow Row, a reference to the beautiful and historic pastel-colored homes. And of course people involved in commerce also stay in Charleston bed and breakfasts, for Charleston is a major port city, the second largest container seaport on the East Coast and the fourth largest in North America.
Shipping is not the only industry represented in Charleston. Bed and breakfast visitors are interested to learn that this gracious Southern city is fast becoming a prime location for information technology companies. Some of the cleverest people on the planet are relocating to Charleston to work for famous firms such as Blackbaud, Modulant, Benefitfocus, CSS and Google. There are also aeronautical engineering firms in Charleston. The Boeing 787 fuselage is fabricated and assembled in Charleston. There are also high-tech companies in the biotechnology and medical research fields located in Charleston. The largest employer in the Charleston metropolitan area is the US Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR). The second largest employer is the Medical University of South Carolina. Obviously, bed and breakfasts, lodges and inns have also sprung up, leading to the establishment of a lively service industry in Charleston.
