South Carolina Nesties
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Advice - Moving to Charleston
My husband and I are considering relocation to the Charleston area and had some questions. I've been doing research online and have read some bad things about the area, I just wanted to see if you all would agree or not.
- Crime - I've read there is high violent crime, higher than most cities that size.
- Fitting In - Is it hard to fit in there if you are not from there? I've read a lot about the "insiders" not allowing many new people in, especially those who are not old southern money.
- Weather - We live in WV now and I hate the long, cold winter. However, I'm not a fan af the August heat/humidity either. I'm hoping Charleston would be a place that has more moderate temperatures for more months out of the year (here the only comfortable months are May, June, and September - others are too cold or too hot).
- Jobs - Is it pretty hard to find a job in the area?
Also, if you could recommend good areas to live for a young married couple wanting children in the next few yhear, that would be great! We don't mind suburbs either.
TIA!
Re: Advice - Moving to Charleston
Wow, what web site were all of these weird statements on? That's scary!
1. ?I have never heard anything bad about the crime rate here and feel extremely safe in my Mt. Pleasant neighborhood
2. I moved from FL without knowing anyone and haven't had any problems whatsoever meeting people. Everyone is extremely nice and welcoming. Granted, I am not trying to work my way into the Charleston society scene, but everyday people are really nice here.
3. Again, we moved from FL in Feb and so far, I think Charleston has about the most perfect climate you could ask for. Yes, it's hot in the summers, but nothing to complain about.
4. Don't know about jobs, sorry!
We have two children (almost 3 and 1.5) and live in Mt. Pleasant and we just love it here. HTH!?
1. The crime rate to which you are referring is only in a very small area of N. Charleston. I lived in a very nice part of N. Chas, and felt very safe. However, I will say that I taught in West Ashley, and the gang activity there is on the rise, whether people are willing to acknowledge that fact or not.
2. I moved to SC from PA, and people were very accepting of this Yankee.
There are almost as many transplants in the area as there are natives. It makes for a very interesting mix of people, and I found it fun to run into so many Steeler fans!
3. I would take a Charleston summer over a Pittsburgh winter any day. Yes, it's hot and humid in the summer, but the beautiful weather the rest of the year more than makes up for it. And if you get too hot, everything has air conditioning or you could hang out at the beach
4. The job market depends on what job you are looking for. We moved to Charleston because of a job opportunity for my husband. As a teacher, I had no trouble getting a job. However, the economy has changed since then, so it may be a little more difficult now.
If you don't intend on sending your future children to private school, I would live in Mt. Pleasant, Daniel Island, Goose Creek, Hanahan, Moncks Corner, or Summerville, so that your children could attend Berkeley County or Dorchester District II schools. The only schools in Charleston County that I would send future kids to would be in Mt. P.
Also, if you could recommend good areas to live for a young married couple wanting children in the next few yhear, that would be great! We don't mind suburbs either.
Mount Pleasant and Daniel Island are my favorite areas.
1. I have heard that North Charleston is pretty high on the crime, but I live in Mount Pleasant and feel very safe, never really hear about crime either.
2. Yes, there are people here that are from "old money", but the other 95 percent of people who live here are normal people! I wouldn't worry about fitting in. Most people I have met through Junior League, volunteering, etc., have been wonderful!
3. I personally think the humidity here is bad, and I've lived in the south my entire life. However, I'd take humidity over shoveling snow any day. Especially since there's so much water in the area, it's nice that the weather is good most of the year so you can take advantage of it!
4. I actually heard this a lot before I moved to the area. I work in PR, and a lot of people told me it would be hard to find a job. I think it depends on the industry you work in, though. I would take a comment like that with a grain of salt.
ETA: The areas I would recommend are Mount Pleasant and Daniel Island. I have a coworker who lives in West Ashley with two small children, and she really wants to move to Mt. Pleasant. She isn't happy with the schools over there, and says the best public schools and kid-friendly areas are in Mt. Pleasant. Just food for thought.
Thanks, all! I was hoping for some reassurance from people who actually live there!
Most of the information I got was from the Sperling's Best Places website. However, as with anything online, you never know who is writing in. Obviously more people who were unhappy with the city were likely to write comments than those who love it.
Thanks, again!
We just moved here this summer. I am from the south, but have been in Boston for 10 years. I really like it here so far. Not sure this is where our roots will be planted, but for now we are happy! SC schools in general just aren't doing it for me, but that could change by the time the little ones are school aged.
I will say that although I like Mt P and Daniel Island, both areas are a bit snotty- just my experience- I would recommend you rent first, then really get to know what areas you feel the most comfortable in before you buy a house.