For the past 20 years, it has also been named a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation and is thick with palms, live oaks, red cedars, devilwoods and yaupon hollies. Upscale, tree-lined neighborhoods boast stately residences with overflowing gardens, and the Old Village section of town is perhaps the most desirable place to live. The median home price in Mount Pleasant is $365,000, and the cost of living is 30% above the national average. The crime rate is below the national average, and of the residents, 34% are age 45 or better.   The good citizens of Mount Pleasant have a reputation as a close-knit but friendly bunch, and they appreciate the city's easy tempo. 

Not a lot goes on here, which is a plus in many people's eyes, but the new Memorial Waterfront Park is a source of pride and a lovely spot for picnicking or watching boats bob in the water. This year the annual Blessing of the Fleet and Seafood Festival was held here. ArtFest, another community gathering, is held each March and highlights local artistic talents. And, of course, the extensive and clean public beaches along the barrier islands of Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms give residents a lovely water playground for sunning and swimming.

Mount Pleasant shopping is adequate with a mix of higher-end stores and discount retailers (two Wal-Marts). Many shopping areas are tucked off the street and hard to find if one does not know they are there. Dining options are not bad, particularly around the Shem Creek area where seafood restaurants are the norm and diners can watch the Charleston shrimp boat fleet come in each day. The Patriots Point Naval Museum, Boone Hall Plantation and Palmetto Islands State Park are additional area highlights. Mount Pleasant sprawls a bit, and there in no classic main street, but CARTA provides public transportation (although it is limited).

East Cooper Regional Medical Center is accredited by the Joint Commission and has won national recognition for its spine and breast reconstruction surgical services.  In 2009, it won the Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval for health care quality, and it has more of these Gold Seals than any other hospital in South Carolina.  It is a 104-bed acute care hospital and provides a number of services, including 24-hour emergency care, diagnostic imaging services, orthopedics, pain care, adult and pediatric rehabilitation services and wound care services. For additional care, Charleston's Memorial Hospital is just seven miles away.

The Mount Pleasant Senior Services Center, operated by the city, is open Monday through Saturday and offers a good selection of programs, services and activities (fitness classes, painting classes, wii bowling, potlucks, coffee talks, computers with wireless Internet access, afternoon movies, personal trainers, massage therapists, bingo, driving safety and more). Membership fees are about $75 a year. 

The city experiences mild winters, hot summers and 4 to 5 inches of rain each month (and up to 6 to 7 inches each July and August making them particularly humid). Summer high temperatures reach the 90s with lows in the 70s; winters high temperatures reach into the 50s and 60s with lows in the 40s. Snow is rare. The sun shines 210 days of the year. Water quality meets the national average, but air quality is below the national average.

Mount Pleasant does have some drawbacks. It took a glancing blow from Hurricane Hugo in 1989, and another hurricane will probably come again at some point. Home insurance rates are high and traffic congestion is a problem. The city lacks cultural diversity. It is senior-friendly but has launched a campaign to bring in a younger demographic to bolster the tax base.