7/1/07 - Daniel Island Again Recognized as One of America’s 100 Best Master-Planned Communities by Where to Retire Magazine

CHARLESTON, S.C. –Daniel Island recently added to its growing list of accolades. For the second time in two years, Where to Retire magazine has selected this ten-year-old island town as one of “America’s 100 Best Master-Planned Communities,” as announced in the magazine’s July/August issue. Editors evaluated several hundred residential developments across the country to identify communities offering today’s retirees a well-rounded, active lifestyle. In the process, they identified several significant retirement and development trends that have long been showcased on Daniel Island.

“For all their variety, these communities share a commonality: a neighborly ambience that many residents say they had found lacking where they lived and worked many years previously,” the article states. “Residents say they feel a true ‘sense of community’ in their new homes.”

This sense of community has long been a primary attraction on Daniel Island, which was designed to foster a close-knit community.
“It’s beautifully designed,” says Daniel Island resident Chat Whitmore, who relocated here from Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife, Jean. “It has a nice, eclectic mix of families – it’s a real community.” The couple says they have met “150 or so really good friends” since moving here, far more than they had when living in Ohio.

Where to Retire editors also found that communities are dedicating increasing acreage to parkland and nature preserves, and nearly all of the communities highlighted on this year’s list incorporated walking trails. On Daniel Island, more than 400 acres are dedicated to a network of parks and open greenspace, and 12 miles of trails (with more to come) link parks and neighborhoods with downtown Daniel Island’s shops, restaurants and conveniences.

Where to Retire is the authoritative source of useful information for more than 380,000 Americans who move across state lines to retire every year. Where to Retire educates readers on topics such as who’s moving where, how to buy and sell a home, and how to get involved in a new community. Established in 1992, Where to Retire is published six times a year.

Located in the historic city of Charleston, South Carolina, Daniel Island is one of the nation’s most successful and highly regarded master-planned communities of the last decade. The 4,000-acre island – once a private hunting retreat – is a 2007 recipient of the Urban Land Institute’s prestigious “Awards for Excellence” and a national model for smart growth. Home to a wide array of traditional neighborhoods with a diverse selection of homes, townhomes and condominiums, Daniel Island also offers residents access to hundreds of acres of parks, 23 miles of rivers and creeks and more than 12 miles of leisure trails. Professional tennis and soccer facilities and a private country club featuring two nationally-ranked golf courses provide endless recreational opportunities. The island’s downtown is a popular address for a growing array of schools, churches, shops, restaurants, medical offices and other conveniences, as well as a destination for area festivals and special events.