West Ashley is one of the six distinct areas of the city proper of Charleston, South Carolina, with an estimated 2007 population of 54,001. It's name is derived from the fact that the land is west of the Ashley River. Several battles took place there in the Revolution and the Civil War. West Ashley is noted as the birthplace of Charleston as English colonists established the first permanent settlement in the Carolinas there in 1670. The area where the settlers first stepped ashore along the banks of the Ashley River has been preserved as a state historic site known as blank">Charles Towne Landing which features Charleston's only zoo, beautiful gardens and a reproduction seventeenth century sailing vessel among other historical and educational amenities.
Flanked by the scenic waterfront vistas and marshes of the Ashley and Stono Rivers and ancient moss draped oak trees, West Ashley's initial neighborhoods were developed in the 1950's with its largest growth occurring throughout the 1970's and 80's. As Interstate 526 was built in the early 1980's and the Glenn McConnell Parkway was built in the 1990's to help alleviate traffic on the historic Ashley River Road (SC Hwy. 61) corridor, the area saw explosive residential and commercial growth. Major retailers located in the community as land needed for "big box" stores was not available on the historic downtown Charleston peninsula.
West Ashley's original neighborhoods line Savannah Highway (US Hwy. 17) in an area closest to the historic Charleston peninsula. Its first retail district, built in the 1950's, is seeing a revitalization with many art and design oriented businesses having located there in recent years.
The community is served by one public high school, West Ashley High School with 2017 students and 135 full-time teachers. There are also five public elementary schools, three public middle schools and numerous private schools in the West Ashley area including _Porter-Gaud School, a K-12 grade college preparatory school founded in 1867.
The community's major arteries include Sam Rittenberg Boulevard (SC Hwy. 7), Ashley River Road (SC Hwy. 61), Savannah Highway (US Hwy. 17) and Interstate 526. It is also home to the region's largest indoor shopping mall, Citadel Mall and the area's newest hospital, blank">Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital which along with the mall is also one its largest employers. _ WCSC-TV Channel 5, the area's CBS affiliate and first television station to sign on the air in Charleston in 1953 moved to a newly constructed broadcast facility in West Ashley in 1997. West Ashley also has an independent community newspaper called West Of, which publishes news pertaining to the area on a weekly basis.
West Ashley is not a self-governed city or town. The majority of the West Ashley area is located within the city limits of Charleston with a few remaining pockets in unincorporated Charleston County that are served by the Saint Andrews Public Service District who provides municipal services for those outside the city limits. All residents of West Ashley are recognized as being in Charleston, South Carolina by the United States Postal Service for address purposes.
