Charleston is a city in the United States state of South Carolina and is the second largest city in the state. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was created. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location (Oyster Point) from a location on the west bank of the Ashley River (Albemarle Point) in 1680. It adopted its present name in 1783. In 1690, Charleston was the fifth largest city in North America, and remained among the ten largest cities in the United States through the 1840 census. As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and used by the U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes only, Charleston is included within the Charleston Ð North Charleston Ð Summerville metropolitan area and the Charleston-North Charleston urban area.