Charleston is a city in the county of Charleston with some incorporated areas located within the boundaries of Berkeley County and Dorchester County in the U.S. state of South Carolina; the city serves as the county seat and largest city of Charleston County. The city proper consists of five distinct areas: the Peninsula/Downtown, West Ashley, Johns Island, James Island, Daniel Island, and the Cainhoy Peninsula. The city was founded as Charlestown or Charles Towne, Carolina in 1670, and moved to its present location in 1680; it adopted its present name in 1783. In 1690, Charleston was the fifth largest city in North America, and remained among the ten largest cities in the United States through the 1840 census. Charleston is known as The Holy City due to the prominence of churches on the low-rise cityscape, particularly the numerous steeples which dot the city's skyline. Charleston apartments for rent comparison page shows most up to date rent information on Charleston apartments and houses. Rent information is obtained from multiple rental sources but we cannot guarantee their accuracy.