Chicora-Cherokee, North Charleston: homes, schools, parks, commute

Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: the City of North Charleston’s PRIME North Charleston comprehensive plan and neighborhood presidents list, Charleston County School District’s school lookup tool, the South Carolina school report cards, CARTA, OpenStreetMap and Zillow Research.

Chicora-Cherokee is the group of early 20th-century neighborhoods on the south side of North Charleston, between Rivers Avenue and the former Navy base. The city’s comprehensive plan (PDF) says Cherokee Place, Charleston Heights and Chicora Place were developed between 1903 and 1930, and its history chapter ties their growth to the Navy base, which operated from 1903 to 1996. A 1995 survey for the city recorded 224 historic properties in Chicora, 66 in Cherokee Place and the Mappus Tract and 49 in Charleston Heights.

What this means for you

• Zoned high school: North Charleston High, rated Below Average on the 2025 state report card, for every point we checked. Check an address with the district’s school lookup tool.
• Home value: $312,776 in ZIP code 29405 in August 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
• Nearest interstate exit: I-26 Exit 216, Cosgrove Avenue, about 1.3 miles by road.

Part of our North Charleston neighborhoods guide.

Where it is

OpenStreetMap places Chicora Place, Cherokee Place and Charleston Heights side by side around North Carolina Avenue and Carner Avenue, east of Rivers Avenue near its intersection with Cosgrove Avenue. The city publishes no single boundary, so we used a circle of 0.45 mile around those three places. All 97 points we checked were inside the city limits, in ZIP code 29405 and in Charleston County. The city’s neighborhood presidents list names one Chicora Cherokee neighborhood association, which meets at the Gussie Greene Community Center.

Schools

We checked 97 points against Charleston County School District’s attendance boundaries in its school lookup tool (elementary zones for 2026-27).

The rest of the elementary points were zoned for North Charleston Elementary, rated Good. North Charleston High’s 2025 graduation rate was 79.1%. Military Magnet Academy, 2950 Carner Ave., grades 6-12, is in the area; it takes students by application and was rated Good. Ratings are the overall ratings on the state’s 2025 report cards. More in our schools guide.

Home values

The Zillow Home Value Index for ZIP code 29405 was $312,776 in August 2026, down 2.2% from $319,669 in August 2025. Zillow’s figure for North Charleston as a whole was $310,134. The index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price, and the ZIP code covers a much wider area, including Park Circle. More in our home prices guide.

Parks, community centers and the library

From the city’s parks and facilities list:

• Chicora-Cherokee Community Park, 3107 North Carolina Ave.: a 2,300-square-foot playground meant mainly for neighbors who walk there, bought with Charleston County Greenbelt money.
• Gussie Greene Community Center, 2012 Success St.: a community center and playground.
• Nafair Playground and Charleston Heights, 3524 Admiral Drive: a playground.
• Michael Brown Community Wellness Center, 2920 Carner Ave., and the Military Magnet Athletic Field, 2950 Carner Ave., with ball fields and a basketball court.

The Charleston County Public Library’s Cooper River Memorial Branch is at 3503 Rivers Ave., about half a mile from the middle of the area, according to OpenStreetMap. More in our parks and trails guide.

Getting around

• Interstates: I-26 Exit 216, Cosgrove Avenue, about 1.3 miles; I-26 Exit 215, Dorchester Road, about 2.1 miles. Exit numbers are as mapped on OpenStreetMap.
• City Hall, 2500 City Hall Lane: about 3.6 miles.
• Charleston International Airport: about 5.6 miles.
• Bus: the North Charleston SuperStop, on Rivers Avenue at Cosgrove Avenue, is a CARTA hub served by routes 10 (Rivers Avenue), 11 (Dorchester Road and the airport), 12 (Upper Dorchester and Ashley Phosphate Road), 13 (Remount Road), 102 (North Neck), 103 (Leeds Avenue), 104 (Montague Avenue) and 32 (North Bridge), according to CARTA’s schedule data. Route 104 also runs along McMillan Avenue and Hobson Avenue toward the former Navy base.

Distances are measured on the OpenStreetMap road network from the middle of the area; they are distances, not drive times. More in our getting around guide.

Groceries and everyday stores

OpenStreetMap maps no supermarket inside the area. The nearest it lists is Food Lion, 4400 Dorchester Road, about 2.4 miles away in a straight line, and the nearest pharmacy it lists is Park Circle Pharmacy, about 1.4 miles away. Stores change; check before you rely on a listing.

Homeowners associations

We found no homeowners association for Chicora-Cherokee in the city’s neighborhood presidents list, which names the area’s neighborhood association.

Frequently asked questions

What neighborhoods make up Chicora-Cherokee?

The city’s comprehensive plan names Chicora Place, Cherokee Place and Charleston Heights, developed between 1903 and 1930 as the Navy base grew. The city’s neighborhood presidents list has one Chicora Cherokee association.

What schools serve Chicora-Cherokee?

Most points we checked were zoned for the Mary Ford early childhood center (3K to kindergarten) and Chicora Elementary (grades 1-5), then Morningside Middle and North Charleston High, in Charleston County School District’s attendance boundaries.

What is the typical home value in Chicora-Cherokee?

Zillow does not publish a figure for the neighborhood. The Zillow Home Value Index for ZIP code 29405 was $312,776 in August 2026, down 2.2% from a year earlier.

Which CARTA buses serve Chicora-Cherokee?

The North Charleston SuperStop on Rivers Avenue at Cosgrove Avenue is in the area, served by CARTA routes 10, 11, 12, 13, 102, 103, 104 and 32, according to CARTA’s schedule data.