Hanahan: Historic Lowcountry Meets Affordability and Accessibility
- CHSMLS
- May 2
- 4 min read
Updated: May 21
Located just north of North Charleston’s Park Circle and south of Goose Creek, Hanahan is a popular “bedroom community” that is easily accessible to I 26 and every community and amenity in the Lowcountry. Hanahan is populated by several subdivisions, both new and mature, as well as parks, tech and industrial jobs, shopping, and dining.
The city of Hanahan has nearly 30,000 residents and is bounded to the south by North Charleston/Remount Road, east by North Rhett and Goose Creek (watercourse and town), north by Goose Creek Reservoir and Foster’s Creek Road, and west by US 78 and Railroad Avenue. Its history includes plantations, an early twentieth century rail and public service district inspired boom, and continued growth due to its prime location. Hanahan is today part of Charleston County. The plantation lands that became Hanahan were used to cultivate rice in the eighteenth century. The area was known by historic plantation names, then as Saxon for the nearby rail stop, and then was renamed for businessman and industrialist James Ross Hanahan.
Hanahan was well suited to rice cultivation because it is in the watershed of Goose Creek. The Middleton and Yeamans families received colonial era land grants and established Yeshoe (now Otranto) plantation along Goose Creek and Yeamans Hall downriver closer to the Cooper. Otranto Plantation’s masonry residence with its grand columns was constructed by 1778. Though suffering a fire in 1934, it has since been fully restored and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Yeamans later became a prestigious golf club.
The American Civil War emancipated the majority enslaved population of future Hanahan, though the area remained rural and agricultural. Modernization began in 1901 with a rail line connecting Goose Creek and the Cooper River just as the new Navy Base was being established in North Charleston.
In 1903, the Hanahan Steam Pumping Station opened as part of a vast waterworks network that was reorganized in 1917 under the guidance of chairman of the Public Works of Charleston James Ross Hanahan (namesake of the town) and which operates as the Hanahan Water Treatment today. Goose Creek Reservoir was created as part of the plant, and Atlantic Coastline added another rail line to the site with a stop called Saxon to service the facility. The reservoir was short lived due to a hurricane and droughts damaged the dam, and was transformed from part of the water system to a beautiful recreational lake.
Hanahan attracted affluent residents as well as hardworking military and public services workers. Located on land of Lady Margaret Yeamans and her husband, Royal Governor John Yeaman, the Yeamans Hall Club opened in 1924. Developer W.E. Durant attracted northern elites with house sites, an 18-hole golf course, Olmsted Brothers landscapes, and an expansive clubhouse by noted architect James Gamble Rogers.
Highland Park and Yeamans Park were created in the early 1940s and were the first residential developments. Hanahan began to grow during World War II because of its proximity to the Navy Base. The city’s website notes that, “The US military continued to be a major employer in the area, as the US Navy acquired, in 1954, a large tract of land east of Hanahan known as the Weapons Station Annex, which has become the site for the Atlantic Polaris Missile Facility and Nuclear Power Training School.” The area grew rapidly, and Senator Robert Dennis and State Representative Robert Helmly laid the groundwork for Hanahan to be incorporated as a city in 1973, which was officially approved by the state in 1976.
Hanahan’s other subdivisions include Oak Pointe by Stanley Morgan (one of the newest), Dominion Hills. Berkeley Hills, Belvedere, Highland Park, Lakeview, and Tanner Plantation. Lot and house sizes (and prices) vary by proximity to the water, but a common theme for Hanahan real estate is large yards along suburban roads and courts within pedestrian-friendly residential communities.
The City of Hanahan has been adding new parks as the community grows. Hawk’s Nest was opened in 2023, and Stewart Street Park is set to open before summer 2025. Pet enthusiasts can visit Hanahan Dog Park while Hanahan Recreation Center encompasses 53 acres of trails and sports courts. Bessenger Park, Roma Road Park, and Neighborhood Park near the Goose Creek Reservoir offer other greenspace options near several residential enclaves. Goose Creek Reservoir is a haven for fishing, swimming, and boating. Hanahan Elementary, Middle, and High are well-performing Charleston County public schools with sports facilities.
Hanahan historian B. Earl Copeland captures Hanahan’s draw well in his new historic photo book about the city: “Military installations and housing, thriving businesses, and schools began to meet the needs of the developing community. Hanahan would grow over the years and incorporate into a city in 1973, known for its beautiful landscape and community culture. Today, Hanahan is the heart of the Lowcountry in location and, most importantly, in spirit. Despite its growth, it maintains the original small-town feel, drawing and keeping people into this community that they love.”
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