Neighborhood Spotlight: Daniel Island

What does the Guggenheim family, cattle ranching, and a Tom Fazio championship golf course have in common? They’re all part of the history of Daniel Island, now an award-winning master planned community just 20 minutes and a world away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Charleston.

Daniel Island was once owned by the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, founded in 1929 by business leader and philanthropist Harry Frank Guggenheim. In its undeveloped state, the 4,000-square-foot island was used mostly for cattle ranching, farming, and hunting.

That all changed in the early 1990s when Interstate-526 was completed. I-526 linked Daniel Island with Mount Pleasant, North Charleston, and Charleston’s downtown. In 1991, the City of Charleston annexed Daniel Island.

Two years later, the Mark Clark Expressway opened. The Mark Clark spans Daniel Island from the Cooper River to the Wando River and brought profound changes to the island, making it about 25 minutes from everything. In 1997, the Daniel Island Company bought the island and started the development of the master planned community we see today.

Daniel Island Highlights

The development plan for Daniel Island created a community of traditional neighborhoods centered around eight main parks. The eight parks are Barfield Park, Center Park, Cochran Park, Codner’s Ferry Park, Daniel Island Park, Etiwan Park, Pierce Park, and Smythe Park. A downtown center forms a convenient location for restaurants, retail stores, businesses, and condominiums.

Although the Mark Clark Expressway gives Daniel Island residents easy access to all of Charleston, residents have all the community services and amenities they need right on the island. Daniel Island is home to medical offices, churches, a branch of the Berkeley County Public Library, a K–8 public school, and a private Roman Catholic school.

The K–8 public school is the Daniel Island School, part of the Berkeley County School District. Bishop England High School is the largest private high school in South Carolina. Until 1998, Bishop England was located in downtown Charleston. Since then, its home is a 40-acre campus on Daniel Island.

Homes for sale on Daniel Island range from single-family homes, condos, apartments, and luxury estates. The community’s spectacular natural setting provides many homes with breathtaking river, marsh, and coastal views.

Landmarks on the Island

Surrounded by water and crisscrossed with creeks, marshes, and live oaks, Daniel Island is blessed with an impressive natural landscape. While the entire island forms its own spectacular landmark, there are a few properties that make the community unique.

One of these is the Family Circle Tennis Center that drivers see as they pass by on the Mark Clark. Owned by the City of Charleston, this public tennis facility is open year round and hosts numerous tournaments. Its stadium has been the site of live summer concerts for over 15 years, with such performers as Bob Dylan, Hootie and the Blowfish, Alabama Shakes, and Willie Nelson.

Another Daniel Island landmark is the Daniel Island Club with not one, but two championship golf courses. Tom Fazio designed the Beresford Creek Golf Course and Rees Jones designed the Ralston Creek Course. This private country club is the only one in the country with a pairing of golf courses by these two acclaimed golf architects. Both courses are known for their spectacular natural settings.