Relocating to Charleston SC from New England

[katie111]

FYI- Someone resurrected this thread from 2011. I was the OP and we decided not to move at that time. Someone further down in the thread just posted as they are looking for info on moving from PA to SC.


My DH got a call yesterday from his old boss (he left the company about 1.5 years ago for a new job). He wants to offer him a position in the Carolinas, it would be sales so he would be covering NC, SC, GA, and VA. We have a great life here, lots of friends and family, but for some reason we are considering the move. His boss suggested that he look in either Charlotte NC or Charleston SC. Charleston somehow just seems more appealing to me. Right now we live about 40 minutes outside of Boston, about an hour from the beach and 3 hours to the mountains.

In just doing some preliminary research, we seem to be focusing on the Mt Pleasant area as it seems to have good schools and its close to the beach & the city. Does anyone know how far that would be from the airport? Are the schools good? Our kids are 3, 7, and 8. How do the schools work, i.e. are there multiple elementary, middle, and high schools? Are there a lot of transplants there? We're looking to spend around $600-$700,000 for a house, could we get a nice house in a nice development for that price? Any other areas we should consider?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Marionnette]

My DH got a call yesterday from his old boss (he left the company about 1.5 years ago for a new job). He wants to offer him a position in the Carolinas, it would be sales so he would be covering NC, SC, GA, and VA. We have a great life here, lots of friends and family, but for some reason we are considering the move. His boss suggested that he look in either Charlotte NC or Charleston SC. Charleston somehow just seems more appealing to me. Right now we live about 40 minutes outside of Boston, about an hour from the beach and 3 hours to the mountains.

In just doing some preliminary research, we seem to be focusing on the Mt Pleasant area as it seems to have good schools and its close to the beach & the city. Does anyone know how far that would be from the airport? Are the schools good? Our kids are 3, 7, and 8. How do the schools work, i.e. are there multiple elementary, middle, and high schools? Are there a lot of transplants there? We're looking to spend around $600-$700,000 for a house, could we get a nice house in a nice development for that price? Any other areas we should consider?

Thanks for your help!

My brother moved from CT to Mt. Pleasant several years ago (he has since moved away due to work). Beaches were within 5 minutes of his home. The city was a bit of a drive but still close enough to get there and back within a day. He traveled a lot for business, so I'm sure that he chose the area for it's convenience to the airport. Homes in his old development are selling in the $750+ range now. They are gorgeous homes but what many would call McMansions.

I don't know too much about the schools other than they are a bit different than what he was used to up north. He didn't elaborate and I didn't delve into it more.

He did say that there are a lot of Yankees living in the area. A lot of people have moved from northern states to the south because so many companies have moved their corporate offices there.

I know that he enjoyed living there. They had a lot of friends who they still keep in touch with. Their neighborhood was pretty close knit. My sister in law misses being so close to the beach.

 

[java]

Ok I would move to Mt. Pleasant in a heartbeat! DH got an offer to move to NC- not the same. I would love and in a second give up all that we have now to go there. We spend lots of time in Kiawah Island. Or we spent lots of time there.

Good luck with your choice. Change is scary but I believe it's the best way to grow!

 

[thelees]

We live in Upstate SC and we are about 1 hour from Charlotte,NC and Columbia,SC - 1 1/2 hours to Ashville, NC, 3 hours to Charleston, 3 hours to Gatlinburg, TN and about 3 1/2 hours to Myrtle Beach. We love this area. I have family who relocated to Mt. Pleasant about 10 years ago and they absolutely love it. It has all the amenities of larger cities, yet it has that small town feel as well. My sister who lives in Mt. Pleasant is on these boards quite frequently. I'll see if she can provide you with some more insight on the Mt. Pleasant area. Welcome to the South. We love it here and hope you will too.

 

[stm61]

I haven't kept up with school ratings in the low country, but about 13 years ago a co-worker of mine got a job in Mt. Pleasant. She was teaching middle school math and the school she was in was rated among the best in the state.

 

[Princess Nancy]

Please Please Please...take time to research the schools. We thought we had done good research and the situation was deplorable.

My kids were not challenged and we were paying $7000 a year per kid for "the Best" grade School available.

After 3 years we headed back north. Partly for Family but mostly out of frustration of the school system.

That said...I miss the weather, the beach, the kindness of the southerners!

Good Luck!!!

 

[katie111]

Thanks so much for the info! It definitely seems like this is an area that people like. I'm just really struggling with the idea of leaving all of our family. Both DH and I have 5 siblings so our kids have lots of aunts & uncles & cousins around as well as both sets of grandparents. I have 2 brothers in Orlando but other than that everyone lives within 45 minutes of each other and we see each other frequently. I think they would all be so devastated if we left. But I know we need to do what is best for our immediate family.

Anyways, we plan to head down there in a couple of weeks to take a look at the area. If anyone has any other information on the area, we'd greatly appreciate it, especially anything specific to look for in the homes down there.

BTW, I love this quote....

Change is scary but I believe it's the best way to grow!

 

[JoBird]

Hi--
I'm originally from Charleston. DH and I have been gone from there for ten years but our families are both still there and we visit about 3-4 times a year.

I'd be happy to answer as many questions as possible for you.

Have you looked into Daniel Island yet? It is close to Mt Pleasant and Charleston.
http://www.danielisland.com/

Also- if you are looking for a house in Mt Pleasant, I would consider I'On
http://www.ionvillage.com/


If you are on the Daniel Island or the I'On side of 526, you are looking at probably a 20-30 minute drive to the airport.

There are many wonderful homes in Mt Pleasant. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with Charleston and the surrounding cities.

The beaches close to Mt Pleasant are Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island. Probably will take you anywhere from 10-20 minutes to reach.

Charleston is a quick drive from there. Depending on the side of Mt Pleasant you land, you could walk the Cooper River Bridge over to Charleston. There's a bridge run every year and is very popular.
http://www.cooperriverbridge.org/

For shopping, there's Mt Pleasant Towne Center http://www.mtpleasanttownecentre.com/

Hospital--
East Cooper Hospital-- (two of my three kids were born here)
http://www.eastcoopermedctr.com/en-US/Pages/default.aspx

As far as schools, I have moved many many times. I have always found this website to be of tremendous help when moving across country and not knowing anything about the area.
http://www.greatschools.org/

My kids were not in school when we left there,so I don't know the exact areas, but yes there are problems in a lot of places.
The areas I mentioned above I *think* are okay.


I left all of my family in Charleston when we moved ten years ago. It was HARD, but it was a great decision we made. We grew as a family unit together because we had to.
It is a wonderful experience, and I would move back to the CHarleston area tomorrow if I could. I miss it terribly.

Good luck and let me know if there's anything else I can help answer.

 

[graceesmom]

My sister posted above and pm'd me that someone was looking for information on moving to Mt. Pleasant.

We have lived in Mt. Pleasant since 2000. We do love it here. Our daughter is is only 4 1/2 and will be starting kindergarten in the fall. We picked Mt. Pleasant b/c it has the absolute best schools in the area.

There are lots of Elementary Schools, 2 Middle Schools and 1 High School for Mt. Pleasant. I know that Wando High School is one of the few non-magnet HS consistently in the top public high schools in the country. We also have some extraordinary magnet schools, Academic Magnet, Math and Science Magnet, School of the Arts.

I'On is a beautiful neighborhood, but we prefer a bit more yard than the houses in that neighborhood. That being said, you will be able to find a beautiful home in your choice of neighborhoods in your price range. Check out Carolina One Real Estate online to look for available houses in your price range.

It is 13 minutes from my house to the door of the airport (for drop off). An added bonus is that Southwest begins daily flights out of CHS beginning in March.

We are 10 minutes to the beach, but 1 minute to water b/c our neighborhood is on a beautiful tidal creek.

It's about 3 1/2 hours to the Mountains. About 3 hours to Charlotte and 5 hours to Atlanta. 6 hours 15 minute drive to WDW.

If you have any other questions, feel free to send me a PM.

 

[staciepm]

I know everyone loves Mt Pleasant. I grew up there and it is a nice area, but I also recommend James Island. Just be sure if you move to the Island to find a house in Stiles Point or Harbor View school District. Very nice schools that are a touch smaller that most of the Mt Pleasant schools. My daughter is in Middle School and we love Fort Johnson Middle, which is also on James Island. James Island High school is a Charter High, which gives the parents more control. I hear that the International Baccalaureate Program there is outstanding. I am just starting to look into it for my middle schooler.

Just wanted to put another option out there.

 

[Fab4@disney]

I don't want to try and persuade you to not move but do want to tell you what happened to us when we thought the grass was greener on the other side. We lived in Indiana ours whole lives and all of our family is there and in Michigan. My husband got a good job offer in Dallas, TX area and we decided to take it. We could always travel back for the holidays right? Didn't work that way for us and it has been the worst decision we could have made for OUR family. We miss "home" and all of our family.Our kids took a long time to adjust here and still sometimes cry for their family 2 years later.
Again not trying to turn you off to bettering yourselves but we have learned family is everything and would do it differently if given the chance
I wish you the best of luck no matter what you decide

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Born and raised in Charleston too. (Hi Jo! )

You should be able to get a very nice home in the price range you are looking. Mt Pleasant is great but as Jo suggested, explore Daniel Island. It is a very newly built up area and has a lot to offer. James Island is an established community with older homes but great schools as another poster mentioned. It is also a short drive to Folly Beach, downtown Charleston and West of the Ashley.

The school system in Charleston county is totally hit or miss. Check out the magnet schools in the area. My kids went to a charter elementary school, magnet middle school and then my oldest attended the School of the Arts until we moved. Some schools require testing or auditions that happen the school year prior to entry so don't wait to look up the requirements! Even with going to all magnets, my kids were still not up to speed with the curriculum in the Northern schools once we moved to MD. The Northern schools are just more advanced then the Southern schools and now that we have moved from MD to GA the difference is even more apparent.

The airport in Charleston is relatively small and easy to navigate and is usually no more than a 20 to 30 minute drive from any of the surrounding area. If you plan to use the airport frequently you will learn to arrive at least an hour to 90 minutes before your flight because there are only 2 TSA scanners - 1 for each terminal - and the line can be very long.

Good luck. The weather is much warmer - no snow shovels needed in Charleston.

 

[JoBird]

Born and raised in Charleston too. (Hi Jo! )

You should be able to get a very nice home in the price range you are looking. Mt Pleasant is great but as Jo suggested, explore Daniel Island. It is a very newly built up area and has a lot to offer. James Island is an established community with older homes but great schools as another poster mentioned. It is also a short drive to Folly Beach, downtown Charleston and West of the Ashley.

The school system in Charleston county is totally hit or miss. Check out the magnet schools in the area. My kids went to a charter elementary school, magnet middle school and then my oldest attended the School of the Arts until we moved. Some schools require testing or auditions that happen the school year prior to entry so don't wait to look up the requirements! Even with going to all magnets, my kids were still not up to speed with the curriculum in the Northern schools once we moved to MD. The Northern schools are just more advanced then the Southern schools and now that we have moved from MD to GA the difference is even more apparent.

The airport in Charleston is relatively small and easy to navigate and is usually no more than a 20 to 30 minute drive from any of the surrounding area. If you plan to use the airport frequently you will learn to arrive at least an hour to 90 minutes before your flight because there are only 2 TSA scanners - 1 for each terminal - and the line can be very long.

Good luck. The weather is much warmer - no snow shovels needed in Charleston.

My fellow Carolina Girl!!
I was hoping you'd pop in to give your advice.

Don't you wish it were us moving back?

Have fun on your upcoming trip!!

 

[DawnM]

We live in Charlotte. We have been here 5 years now and have been happy with it for the most part. I personally miss CA terribly, but the rest of the family loves it here!

Where we are the schools are fantastic, top rated, etc....we personally homeschool, but we have reasons other than purely academics for that choice. Most in our area love the schools.

Most people in Charlotte are from the NE!

Dawn

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

My fellow Carolina Girl!!
I was hoping you'd pop in to give your advice.

Don't you wish it were us moving back?

Have fun on your upcoming trip!!

I'd only move back if you were my neighbor! I do miss the Bessinger's BBQ though. We recently received 2 bottles of the sauce from a friend and are treating that stuff like liquid gold.

Thanks - counting the days until sunny Florida.

OP - I just remembered that there was another DISer who relocated from somewhere up North to Mt Pleasant. See if you can send a PM to SRUAlum - since she just went through it not too long ago then she should be able to give you some more info.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

While I have no info on SC per se, I wanted to offer our story. DH and I were born and raised in New England. For various reasons, DH took a job offer in FL 6 years ago. While we do live away from family, it was the BEST decision we ever could have made. Financially we're in a way better position because it's downright cheap to live here (the Carolinas have a similar cost of living...we considered the NC/SC area before choosing FL).

It's been a wonderful experience overall here...we are able to afford private school here, and that has been a blessing. DD's school is amazing...and cheap by New England standards. The people here are friendly and in general the stress level here is much lower (better weather and cheaper cost of living probably help). My biggest advice is that if you decide to move, truly MOVE. Don't keep talking about how great it was "back home". Embrace your new hometown. Make it an adventure for YOUR family. We are staying put in FL now...no chance we'd ever go back to New England. Our family visits us here My mom recently told me that she was proud of me for making the move. It bettered our lives and made it so I could stay home with the kids. It was worth it.

 

[mill4023]

We live in Charlotte. We have been here 5 years now and have been happy with it for the most part. I personally miss CA terribly, but the rest of the family loves it here!

Where we are the schools are fantastic, top rated, etc....we personally homeschool, but we have reasons other than purely academics for that choice. Most in our area love the schools.

Most people in Charlotte are from the NE!

Dawn

Hey there, not too many of us Charlotteans from the west coast!

We are from Oregon and moved here (Union county, just south of Charlotte) almost 5 years ago. DW and the kids love it. I like it, but still miss a lot of things about Oregon (real mountains, rivers, skiing, etc.).

The vast majority of our neighbors are from the Northeast or Florida.

 

[luv2mickey]

I agree that moving is a great experience and can give your husband opportunities you could never get if you are not willing to leave a community. We have moved 6 times(from ST Louis -Houston- St Louis-Dallas-Raleigh-Erie,PA-Greenville, SC) and we have embraced each move (even if we hated the town) and made sure we visited all the surrounding sites. My husband and I are closer, my kids are closer and my kids have no problems making friends and being thrown out of there comfort zone. How well adjusted your kids are to the move will be all how you present it and how you embrace it.

And by the way we also live in Upstate SC and absolutely love it! In fact are family is beginning to move near us my brother moved to Greenville, my parents retired to Hilton Head and more siblings are talking about moving to SC.

 

[rvchat]

I love the above post and thanks for that.

With all the economic unemployment problems, people are being forced to move. Everyone always says, oh what about the kids?

 

[SRUAlmn]

We moved to SC from Maryland 6 years ago and lived in Mount Pleasant for the first 4 years we lived here. It was wonderful to be so close to the beach and downtown, and there is SO MUCH there as far as restaurants and shopping. Two years ago, we built a house and moved about 10-15 minutes further inland (still the Charleston area) for a couple reasons.

#1 - We got a LOT more house for our money, and at that point in our lives, that was important.
#2 - For about 4 months out of the year, Mt Pleasant is IMPOSSIBLE to get around because of the tourists. It's a running joke around here that tourists are our greatest headache If you're used to living in a city, it wouldn't bother you that much, but the traffic (even year round) is just crazy!!

As for the schools, I'm actually a Charleston County teacher, so I know which schools are better, but I really would rather not comment about that 'publicly.'

Let me know if you need more specifics, I can give you some great input!