FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS, the beautiful city of Charleston, S.C., has been called the “Holy City.” There have been many explanations for the title, but for the most part it is agreed that the name refers to the large numbers of church steeples in Charleston’s historical areas. Certainly there are a very large number of churches in the old city — 78 in all, large and small — and the description appears to be justified.

As for any religious connotations, the jury is certainly out. Over the years, Charleston developed a somewhat seedy reputation as a place where “anything goes.” During the 1920s, the city was the center of song, dance, booze and “a good time for all.” The upper part of the state, which has always been known as the “Bible Belt,” did anything but approve.

Today, Charleston, under the direction and guidance of Mayor Joe Riley, has become one of the most dynamic cities in the country. During Mayor Riley’s more than 30 years in office, Charleston has become one of the top tourist attractions in America. I believe that most experts on the subject would agree that taking a laid-back, mid-population city in the South and turning it into one of America’s favorite places to go is not a feat easily duplicated. And to do it and not create a situation in which the final product was chaotic at its best was purely miraculous.

And to do it by using the city’s wonderful historic beauty along with some of the most generally attractive and friendly people anywhere — that was a stroke of genius.

Not only did the people of Charleston cooperate with Mr. Riley’s plan, they did it enthusiastically. The people of South Carolina are generally of a giving and friendly nature, but they are also not dummies. The number of jobs created by Mr. Riley and his numerous administrations have given the people of the greater Charleston area one of the highest per-capital incomes in the southeastern United States.

Folks, these people are gracious, polite and genuinely interested in what you think of their city and the Carolina low country. They truly are, and it is marvelous to experience.

I came to Charleston at the age of 5 and stayed for 47 years. I spent the better part of that time in the sleepy harborside village of Mt. Pleasant, which today can rival almost any small town in the country for it natural and historic beauty. Besides the time I spent in college and the military, most of my life centered around “the village.” Fortunately, I was able to provide that advantage to my children, who all grew up on the same lovely streets that I loved so much as a child and teenager.

Think of Mayberry, N.C. of the “Andy Griffith Show” of old, and you have a snapshot of Mt. Pleasant, S.C. That is not a stretch of the imagination, even down to the police chief and his one deputy (though most of the time we didn’t have the deputy). Actually the police chief was more reminiscent of Don Knotts than Andy Griffith.

The home in which my children were raised was built in 1852, and for more than 40 years provided the residence and offices of the little town’s only doctor, John Bowen. The office was in a small cottage on the property, and served as my mother-in-law’s home for many years.

In the mid-1970s, the political atmosphere in South Carolina began to change rapidly. It started with the fiasco that was the election of former Bishop England High School and Harvard football star Charles Ravenel in the Democratic primary for governor in 1975. Ravenel’s landslide win over a sitting congressman was challenged by the South Carolina Democratic Party on the grounds that he was not a resident of the state for the appropriate time prior to the election. Ravenel had sought the opinion of several state constitutional lawyers prior to his run and had been assured that he was eligible to run for governor — but the state Supreme Court felt otherwise (an opinion that is argued fiercely to this day), and Ravenel was replaced by the same congressman he’d defeated as the Democratic candidate. That Democrat was beaten severely by the Republican, and thus began the political takeover of South Carolina by the Republican Party. The Democratic Party has never recovered.

Over the last 20 years, South Carolina senators and members of the House of Representatives have become common faces on national news and are some of the best-known members of both bodies. South Carolina is newly represented by its first African-American senator since Reconstruction following the Civil War. Not only is Tim Scott black, he is also Republican — just like the last African-American senator from the state.

Given its relatively small population, South Carolina demands a rather large amount of national attention in the media these days. It is a prime example of the old adage, “The South will rise again.”

Jim Pugh is a Benicia resident.

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