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1986 Map of James Island

Name: 1986 Topographic Map of James Island
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1986
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1986

About this map

The confluence of the Ashley River, Cooper River, and Wando River defines this coastal landscape, where the urban density of Charleston meets the expansive salt marshes and barrier islands of the Lowcountry. In the mid-1980s, the region's military and maritime significance is evident through the US Naval Reservation and the presence of Fort Sumter Natl Mon guarding the entrance to Charleston Harbor. Commercial and industrial patterns are traced via the Southern RR and the Intracoastal Waterway, which snakes behind the coastline.

Residential growth is visible across James Island, Mount Pleasant, and North Charleston, while smaller, established communities like Scanlonville and Secessionville maintain their distinct identities. To the northeast, the developed shoreline of Isle of Palms gives way to the protected environments of the Francis Marion National Forest and the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, showcasing the transition from a growing metropolitan center to a wild, marsh-dominated coast.