The
Charleston metropolitan area is the
metropolitan area centered on
Charleston, South Carolina. The U.S.
Office of Management and Budget designates the area as the
Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, a
metropolitan statistical area used for statistical purposes only by the
United States Census Bureau and other federal agencies. The OMB defines the area as comprising
Berkeley,
Charleston and
Dorchester counties, an area with 664,607 in the
2010 census (though a July 1, 2012 estimate placed the population at 697,439). Principal cities include Charleston,
North Charleston, and
Summerville. The area is commonly referred to as the
Tri-County Area or the
Lowcountry, though the
latter term has historically referred to South Carolina coast in general.