Relocating to Charleston SC from New England

[ClarabelleCowFan]

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?

We are military so we move a lot. The kids adjust. They learn to make new friends while still keeping in touch with their old friends via Facebook, email, Skype, texting, etc... Look at it as an adventure - talk up the fun thing about where you are moving - the beach, the weather, closer proximity to Disney! Charleston has TONS to do so if you do end up there then take the time to explore the city and all of the history. Walk around the city market, take the boat out to Ft Sumter, explore Ft Moultrie, eat at the restaurants on Shem Creek. It will be fun if you make it that way!

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!

Hooray - I was hoping you would find this thread and weigh in.

 

[SRUAlmn]

Hooray - I was hoping you would find this thread and weigh in.

It caught my eye because it said Charlotte SC and I was like.....um......Charlotte is in NC???

 

[Juls]

We live north of Charlotte and love NC and all it had to offer. BUT we moved here 10 years ago away from both of our familys, and yes we have made good friends. But nothing replaces family, and I wish we had never moved. My daughter missed so much growing up without her grandparents nearby, yes we visit a lot back and forth, its just not the same.

 

[flagdaytwins]

I live outside of Boston also, and have lived in Charleston SC. We visit once a year to see relatives, just got back and am falling in love again with SC. I LOVE Mt. Pleasant and it's on our list if we ever move there.

However, our relatives (New England born and educated) live in Summerville SC and moved their for the opportunity for their kids to go to a private school (Pinewood Prep). They lived in Charleston for 10 years and left for education reasons.

Will your husband commute for work or work at home? If he commutes, I could recommend looking at the traffic patterns -- while you don't deal with weather down there, there are a ton of people and cars......and you could wind up with the same commute as going from Worcester to Boston, cars cars cars!

And, for $600k -- you will be looking at some mighty fine, large housing -- enough to accommodate your visiting relatives.

 

[katie111]

OP here again. I just wanted to thank everyone for their ideas & suggestions. It is so helpful, especially to hear the good & bad stories about moving away from your families. It just really gives me a lot to think about. Part of me just wants to go down there to take a look and just decide that we don't want to live there. If I really like it, it will make the decision so much harder. Also adding into the mix is that my DH just got a call from another old boss & he's meeting with him next week to discuss another job offer. This one would actually be local though and would actually mean that my DH would travel a lot less than he currently does. I guess its a good position to be in, but it is all just so confusing right now!

Thanks you to everyone for all the websites and the suggestions on neighborhoods. I have been scouring the internet looking into all of your suggestions and trying to decide what areas we want to look at when we go down there. Its good to know about the traffic issues as well as its something to consider. My Dh will be traveling a lot but somedays he'll be driving, sometimes flying so its really hard to judge how the traffic will effect him.

Thanks again and I'm still open to any other thoughts anyone may have.

 

[ValMFajita]

Hello SRU Alum
I would love to speak to you because my family is seriously considering a relocation from Philly area to MTP. My son would be in 10th grade at the time and I have some questions about the schools and such. Its a big decision and the area seems wonderful but its also a big move.
Would like to talk to you more since you live and teach there.

 

[HeatherC]

Where are you now in Mass? Reason I am asking is because we looked into this a couple years ago. We are in the Sturbridge area and looked into Mt. Pleasant. What we found was that it was UNBELIEVABLY busy to get around. Just going a half mile took forever.
This may not be an issue for you whatsoever. For us it was just so different than what we are used to here in New England.

Good luck to you whatever you decide!

 

[QueenIsabella]

We had to make a relocation decision last year, and the final three choices were MA (near Boston), NC (near the coast), or SC (near Columbia). We took NC. I can't speak much to Charlotte, except to say that DH's cousin moved there from NJ last year, right before our move, and he loves it. BUT (and this is big), his one child is grown. His family loves it there, though (grown son an DDIL also moved with them, although in their own place).

One thing for sure--you can afford SO MUCH MORE house in the Carolinas! In school districts we'd consider in MA, we could barely afford a house, and we're used to New England prices (we were coming from NH). In NC, we have a huge house, on a golf course, with a pool, a few miles from the ocean.

In the Columbia area, we had a choice of two of the best school districts in the state, and could have gotten a new construction, 4000 sq ft home for what we had paid for our NH house (we was okay, but nothing special).

Another important point is, my middle schooler tells me on a weekly basis how much happier she is here. People are very friendly and nice. She's kind of a shy, nervous kid, a math/science geek and self-described orch-a-dork. She's had no trouble at all fitting in. Ditto for my fourth grader. Both kids have been appropriately challenged at school.

OTOH, a couple months after we moved, my MIL (only surviving grandparent) fell and broke her hip. Dh has had to go back and forth a few times, to help sort through papers, clean out her condo, etc. Luckily, DBIL lives close, but we still feel the distance pretty acutely.

If at all possible, visit the area. Get a feel for different towns you might live in, chat with people, learn about the schools. Especially look if you have children with any kind of special needs--we have two strings kids, which eliminated a lot of towns for us.

 

[NinaBella]

I am from SC. 600-700k home in that area is going to be a very upscale home. You could even go to the 300-400 range and have a very nice home.

Charlotte airport is larger with more flight options. Most flights from Charleston is going to have a layover in Columbia, Charlotte, or Atlanta. Charlotte is also a great area. Honestly, you might like Charlotte better.

I have friends in Sumerville and it's is a nice small town with a decent commute to Charleston.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[heath92681]

We lived in Charleston for a few years, but moved back home to be near family. We still visit at least once a year and plan to retire there. I am a teacher and taught in both Charleston and Berkeley Counties. There are some good schools in Charleston County, but in my opinion the Berkeley and Dorchester 2 schools are superior.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I am from SC. 600-700k home in that area is going to be a very upscale home. You could even go to the 300-400 range and have a very nice home.

Charlotte airport is larger with more flight options. Most flights from Charleston is going to have a layover in Columbia, Charlotte, or Atlanta. Charlotte is also a great area. Honestly, you might like Charlotte better.

I have friends in Sumerville and it's is a nice small town with a decent commute to Charleston.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

I am also from the Mount Pleasant area and disagree with the above. I was born and raised there but had to relocate to the Nashville area just under 5 years ago. We are listing our Charleston home for sale April 1 so I am familiar with the current real estate market. It is HOT! The $600-700k will get you a nice home that any or may not need updating in Mount P around 2500-3000 sq ft. The $300-400k will get you a much smaller home and it will likely need cosmetic updates. This is based off the areas I'd consider living in but in general those are the areas most people want to live in. My taste in homes is new/nearly new, higher end finishes, chefs kitchen, 3500sqft. If we were moving back we would plan to spend $700K+ to get the above in this market.

 

[StephMK]

The original thread is about 5 years old so I wonder what the OP ended up doing. My DD is moving to Charleston later this year so I was curious to see what people say about the area. DH & I hope to move and then retire somewhere near an East Coast beach.