Charleston SC Question

[sillyguys]

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this, but here it goes. I'm thinking of relocating to Charleston SC. Does anyone live there that could give me some insights as to the quality of life, best places to live, schools, safety, etc. This would be a huge step for me and the family and I want to make sure that I tap every resource for information. Since the DIS is my best resource for many things I hope that someone can help me. Thanks so much.

 

[jiminy]

I live in Charleston! Well, actually, Mt Pleasant, which is a suburb of Charleston. I LOVE being near Charleston. It is beautiful, historic and everyone is so friendly There are so many great restaurants and wonderful culture to absorb. I can highly recommend the Mt Pleasant schools. James Island is also a nice community, as is West Ashley. All within 15 minutes from downtown Charleston. The pricing of houses varies greatly. You can try this website just to get an idea of what housing is like:
www.prudentialcarolinas.com

If there are any specific questions you would like to know about, please let me know!

 

[sillyguys]

Thanks Jiminy! I knew I could count on the DIS boards. Mount Pleasant and James Island were actually suggested to me. I've heard that Mount Pleasant has had a housing boom in recent years and that James Island is a little sleepy. Both I was told were beautiful. I currently live in Philadelphia and am in the very early stages of thinking of relocating. I've always been drawn to the southern way of life. I assume that it is less hectic than in the northeast part of the country and I also assume that the cost of living must be less. You mentioned that the schools are good. I assume that the public schools are good. Are there also good private schools? I also have two young daughters. Any safety concerns? The thought of uprooting the family is overwhelming, but for some reason it's been in my mind a lot lately. I guess I'll have to pray about it and see where I'm led. Thanks so much for your response.

 

[jiminy]

No problem at all. The Charleston County public school system is not so good, but the schools in Mt Pleasant are all wonderful. In fact, our elementary school is nationally ranked. As far as private schools, my niece goes to Ashley Hall (an all-girl school K-12th), and while I am a big public school proponent, Ashley Hall is an excellent, excellent school. If I had daughters I might have to change my stance and go private just to send her there. My nephew goes to Porter Gaud (which is co-ed, also K-12th), and I don't know as much about it, but it seems to be a good school as well. Bishop England High School is also another private high school that I don't know much about. But honestly, if I had a daughter and wanted private, I'd do Ashley Hall over the others.

As far as housing, I'm not sure how much housing is up there but in Mt Pleasant, a 3bdrm 1700 sq ft house would sell for around $225,000. In certain areas it can go for over $400,000. I believe James Island tends to be a little cheaper in housing and West Ashley is probably even cheaper than that, but I'm not sure. It really depends on which particular parts of the city you are talking about.

 

[garrettandkatesmom]

We love visiting Charleston! (Although last time we were there, we discovered a restaurant we loved in Mt. Pleasant, The Trawler, was gone). One of my coworkers was talking about Mt. Pleasant today and said it was #70 on the top 100 cities to live in in the US.

 

[sillyguys]

Thanks for all the information. Jiminy, how are the real estate taxes in Mount Pleasant?

 

[Pixie Dust Luver]

I live in Beaufort which is south of Charleston. Actually it is in between Savannah, Ga and Charleston. My sister lives in Charleston,she made the move from Miami. I like Charleston,but Beaufort has the southern charm w/o the big city bustle