Pros & Cons of Living in SC

[GJM]

Me and DH are thinking of moving to SC, Carolina Forest area. DS will be starting lst. grade in Sept. DH just lost his job, and we could sell our house up here and buy nicer and cheaper down there.

It seems like there would be more pros then living in NJ.

It just seems so scary moving, would we be able to get jobs, are the schools good and will we really like it.

Any advice you have would be great.

 

[teacherforhi]

Schools in SC, in general, are not that great. I have cousins that work two jobs each just in order to send their children to private school.

 

[GJM]

I thought I read that the schools in SC were actually pretty good. Just wondering, but what makes them bad schools? That is one thing that is important to us would be the school.

I know there is a website to compare schools, does anyone know what it is?

 

[CJRN]

We live in the Northeast and are SERIOUSLY considering a move to SC.

As a matter of fact, DH is on an airplane as I type, on his way for a job interview in SC.

Very DIFFICULT decision as I have never lived out of my homestate. Have 2 kids, and they are entering middle & high school in the fall.

I would LOVE to get out of the cold. Dh is a manufacturing engineer, and I am a Registered Nurse.

Soooooo on this note, who here lives in South Carolina?

 

[CJRN]

teacherforhi:

Where do your cousins live? What school do their kids attend?

Thanks!

 

[wasabi girl]

Hi Everyone,

I live in the upstate of SC. Can not comment on the schools question as my DDs were homeschooled, there seem to be both good and bad schools around (as there are anywhere). The cost of living here is relatively inexpensive, the winters are mild (though we do have severe weather occasionally (6 days with no power last winter due to ice). People are friendly, good business climate...lots of outdoor recreation. Fantastic peaches!

On the down side. I've not had a good bagel in eons, the summers are hot and humid...

I guess that's about it. Good luck with your decisions.

 

[NewJersey]

My parents were considering moving to Myrtle Beach since the cost of living in New Jersey is so outrageous but decided against it for two main reasons: the political climate and the hot summers.

Good luck on the move if you decide!

 

[MinnieM3]

I've lived near Charleston, SC my whole life.

My siblings and I attended parochial schools only. My kids are/did, too except DS17 who changed this year for the Wando Band. Wando HS ranks above the state and the country in SAT averages.

The weather is awfully hot for awfully long. I hate it. There no real winter.

The beach is nice. People are friendly. Some public schools are good, some are are deplorable.

I'm tired of it here. Nothing really cool is a "short drive" away, like 4 hours or under..... you can barely get the to mountains, Atlanta is 6 hours, Savannah is 2, but it's just like here, WDW is a solid 7, you have to drive a good 8 hours to get somewhere really different.

And of course, after Hugo, we all hold our breath from now until Nov.

Sorry, I'm very down on my state because after 40 years I'm tired of it. It's basically hot, pretty, and friendly. Did I mention it's HOT?

PM me seriously if you have questions!

 

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

Me and DH are thinking of moving to SC, Carolina Forest area. DS will be starting lst. grade in Sept. DH just lost his job, and we could sell our house up here and buy nicer and cheaper down there.

It seems like there would be more pros then living in NJ.

It just seems so scary moving, would we be able to get jobs, are the schools good and will we really like it.

Any advice you have would be great.

Can't give you any great advice other than I could have wrote this post myself.

DH and I met and married in South Carolina. When I was "young and dumb" (21) as I affectionately call it and didn't know any better I just up and moved to South Carolina with some friends whom I had met down there. I got a job at the local newspaper in Pickens, found a church, got involved with the community via a civic group and met my husband pretty much in that order. Funny thing was, he was from Delaware and I was from N.J. He was down visiting his brother and I was friends with his brother's wife.

We moved back up north shortly after we were married and I've hated it ever since! I just don't like Delaware try as I might and for the past 9 years I've just dreamed of the day we would get out of here.

Recently, (6 weeks ago to be exact) DH started talking about (and hasn't stopped talking about) moving back down South. The housing boom is still booming here and we could sell our house for over double what we paid for it. With that in mind we could pay off all of our debt and from the research we've done we would still be able to buy a house for cash essentially making us debt free!

We didn't leave S.C. because we hated it we left because after I was married I thought I needed to live close to my family. Turns out I didn't need to be so close. I loved it there. I loved the mild climate, I loved all the outdoorsey things to do, I loved the feeling of community and all of the festivals that were always happening. I loved how friendly and welcoming the people were and I really loved the feeling of belonging.

It's scary to think of moving, though. I'm not so "young and dumb" anymore and consequently not so brave as I was in yesteryear. I feel like we have a real opportunity that we need to take now if we're going to take it. The housing boom isn't going to boom forever so we need to make a decision soon.

I hope this helps with some of the pros of S.C. I didn't have too many cons. None that I can think of other than being a bit far from family.
To sum up: Great climate if you're tired of cold, cold winters.
Friendly faces and beautiful places. Seriously, some of the friendliest folks I've met. Great State Parks. Wonderful sense of community.
We were close to Clemson University, Greenville and not too far from Atlanta so we always found something to do.

We liked it.

 

[CJRN]

WOW this sounds like a "PRO" DH calls from Charleston, and gas is $2.56/gallon!

Here @ home it's around $3.15/gallon, UGH.

 

[sns122]

My husband and I recently moved to Charleston from South Central PA. For the most part I'd say we really like it here.

Pros: love being so close to the beach, people are so much friendlier than in the north, loved that "winter" seemed to end before it began, love the local fresh fruits, love the cheap gas (it was $2.60 at the gas station I passed this morning).

Cons: its hot and humid, traffic in our area can be overwhelming (however construction just finished and traffic moves a little better), the pace here is slow - people talk slow, drive slow and get things done slow, and the drivers are pretty scary.

All in all, we're happy with our move. We're renting for now but are looking into buying our first home. Home prices are high in our area, much higher than PA, but everything is new.

PM me if you would like more details.

 

[MB MinnieGirl]

WELCOME TO MY NEIGHBORHOOD!!​

​

I live in Myrtle Beach - specifically Carolina Forest. We lived in Myrtle Beach "proper" until last year. I swore that by the time she started school we would be in the Carolina Forest School district as it is award winning...the best in the county and one of the best in the state. We could not be happier here is all aspects! Her teachers are more than we would have ever hoped for and although she is in k'garten she is reading 100 page chapter books completely on her own.

Carolina Forest is growing very rapidly, but there is a very strong sense of community here....one that you don't find "on the beach." It is beautiful and natural also, many times we encounter deer, fox, and even bear (don't worry - no up close person encounters). The roads have greatly improved here also so that we are only 5 minutes from the beach, Conway, the mall, shopping, theaters, and of course all the tourist attractions, but there is NONE of the noise, neon lights, and thank God traffic that we lived with daily when we were on the beach side. It really is the best of both worlds!

Here is a site that will show you the CF Ele school....we have another one which opens in the fall of '07 which my daughter will be going to - it's at the entrance of our community so we can't wait! http://www.hcs.k12.sc.us/elem/cfe/

Here is another site about the neighborhoods at CF. http://www.myrtlebeachbuilders.com/carolina_forest.php

Feel free to PM me and I'll share my email address....I would be happy to talk to you and get you aquatinted with your possible new neighborhood.

~~~Kelly

 

[SC Minnie]

Schools in SC, in general, are not that great. I have cousins that work two jobs each just in order to send their children to private school.

Just like in every state it depends on the district. We chose to live in Fort Mill because the schools are wonderful but would not have wanted to live 15 minutes away where we could get more house for the same $ because the schools are just OK or not good at all.