It’s also one of the country’s most ravishing coastal centers. No matter where you stand, the water is close by. Dozens of bridges connect the town, crisscrossing the Cooper, Wando, Folly, and Ashley rivers—to name just a few. With each bridge comes a glimpse of docked shrimp boats, rich marshlands studded with wooden docks, or the famous steeple-lined skyline. Only minutes away, the barrier islands of Kiawah and Seabrook offer a taste of Lowcountry coastal life, and Folly Beach and Sullivans Island top the list of favorite getaways.

These seaside towns boast miles of stunning beaches, so regardless of how many friends and neighbors head to the shore on a given weekend, there’s enough shoreline for everyone.

The sea has always figured prominently in the city’s long history. By 1861, when the bombardment of Fort Sumter in the harbor ignited the Civil War, the town was nearly two centuries old. Prior to 1800, it was one of the largest cities in North America. Early in the 20th century, Charleston became a cradle of the nascent historic preservation movement. If you seek to understand the city, sign up for the Preservation Society of Charleston’s spring homes tour. Many of the finest residences are clustered in the city’s old peninsular quarter, which narrows toward the Battery where, as an old chestnut has it, “the Ashley and the Cooper rivers meet to form the Atlantic Ocean.” (Bostonians claim that honor for the Mystic and the Charles, but Charlestonians aren’t too polite to challenge them.)

For all its antebellum mansions, Charleston isn’t merely a languorous, jasmine-scented museum. This city has brought its seafaring tradition into the 21st century, muscling into position as the fourth-largest North American container seaport and a major cruise ship terminal. High-tech jobs abound, as do biotech and medical research facilities. The city also hosts one of the nation’s most prestigious performing arts events, the annual, 17-day Spoleto Festival USA. Founded in 1977, Spoleto’s opera, classical music, and drama presentations are a counterpart to the “Festival of Two Worlds” held each year in Spoleto, Italy, Charleston’s sister city.

With all those resources, do longtime residents welcome newcomers? In the best-mannered city, there’s no need to even ask.

what the locals know
“Most people have heard of the Spoleto Festival,” says Amy Ballenger-Guest of the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau, “but many aren’t aware that the area’s arts and entertainment spotlight burns year-round, particularly in May prior to Spoleto’s opening.

“The North Charleston Arts Festival presents performing arts and visual arts displays in locations throughout the city of North Charleston. And the little-known Piccolo Spoleto Festival highlights local and regional talent with an array of musicals and comedies, plus stagings by avant-garde theatrical groups.”

Population: 118,492
Median Home Price: $314,600
For More Info: charlestoncvb.com

Sarasota, Florida
Lots of Northerners head to Florida for the temperate climate. But transplants to Sarasota, located on the Gulf Coast some 60 miles south of Tampa/St. Petersburg, take advantage of the cultural climate, as well. It’s unlikely that any other city this size—especially among destination cities for cold-weather refugees—boasts as sophisticated an arts environment.

The city is home to the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, famed for its Old Masters; the highly respected Sarasota Opera, Florida West Coast Symphony, and Sarasota Ballet of Florida; several theater and choral organizations; and annual festivals dedicated to cinema and blues.

Although many Sarasotans choose to live on the mainland, the barrier islands strung between the bay and the Gulf of Mexico prove equally alluring. St. Armands Key has a self-contained shopping district; Siesta Key claims the whitest-sand beaches in the world. All of them, including exclusive residential Longboat Key, are connected by causeways to each other and to the mainland.

And with so much west-facing shoreland, the nightly sunset-watching ritual remains popular. Whether residents wander to the beaches or just to the edge of the deck on their boat, few can resist trying to catch the flash of green many claim to see just before the sun slips below the horizon.

what the locals know
Dick Pfaff, a Sarasota kayak instructor, likes to paddle the mangrove tunnels of busy Lido Key, across the bay from downtown. “The water is calm, shallow, and warm,” says Dick, “and as you paddle, you can observe shorebirds, ospreys, and bald eagles. Heading back toward open water, you’ll often see a pod of dolphins glide by as they feed with the incoming tide.”

Population: 54,000
Median Home Price: $320,000
For More Info: sarasotafl.org