Cooper River (South Carolina)

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The Cooper River is a river in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Several major cities are located along the river, including Charleston and Mount Pleasant. Short and wide, the Wando River joins the Cooper, then it flows south and unites with the Ashley River in the estuary forming Charleston Harbor. The Cooper River is connected to the Santee River by an 18th century canal.

The Cooper River was formerly spanned by both the Silas N. Pearman Bridge, and the John P. Grace Memorial Bridge. These bridges have since been demolished and replaced by the recently completed Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge. The new bridge is higher than the old ones, to accommodate larger modern ships coming into the Port of Charleston.

In service since August 8, 1929, the Grace Memorial Bridge is the oldest of the three. Named for the commissioner who inspired the state's highway system and parallel to the Grace Memorial Bridge, the Pearman Bridge opened on April 29, 1966. Previous to the completion of The Arthur Ravenel Bridge the Grace Memorial Bridge was referred to as the 'Old Cooper River Bridge' while the Pearman Bridge was called the 'New Cooper River Bridge.' The Arthur Ravenel Bridge (or New Cooper River Bridge), which is higher than the two older bridges, opened to traffic on July 16, 2005. Demolition of the Grace and Pearman bridges began shortly afterwards and should be completed by 2007.

A very popular 10k run occurs each spring, the Cooper River Bridge Run and Walk.

Daniel Island and Drum Island are located in the river. Cargo terminals, a paper mill, and the former Charleston Navy Base line its shore. Rice was heavily cultivated on plantations surrounding the Cooper River from colonial times to the civil war. The Patriot's Point naval & maritime museum sits at the mouth of the river. Berthed at Patriot's Point are four museum ships, most notably the USS Yorktown, a World War II aircraft carrier.