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Hi everyone,
We are a lesbian couple with small baby moving to Charleston for work this summer and we could use some advice as we try to find a new home. More about what we're looking for:
-We'd like to rent a 2 or 3 bedroom for under $1000 (and preferably closer to $900 or even $800). We'd prefer a 3 bedroom, but would take a 2 bedroom if it's fairly big and has a lot of other things going for it.
-We're especially interested to hear from any other same-sex couples, particularly with kids, about their experiences in different neighborhoods. (We know that *every* city has a wide diversity of neighborhoods that may well differ in terms of gay-friendliness, etc, so we don't mean to single out Charleston by any means)
-A decent commute to downtown (for work). Near a bus route would be a big plus but not essential if outweighed by other factors.
-A walkable community would be nice (Park Circle sounds like it might fit the bill so we'd be interested to hear people's thoughts) but if not, then an apartment community with pool/gym/tennis court/playground (or most of those)
-Unfortunately we can't get to Charleston in person before renting so we'll have to do this online. This will rule out private landlords on Craigslist, etc.
-Schools are not a consideration as we are only in Charleston for a year.
-Obviously we'd like to live in a safe place but we are aware that "safe" is a pretty complicated term and what some people might be comfortable with, others might not be, in terms of "safety." Having said that, opinions on different areas would be welcome. We've lived in neighborhoods that had a certain level of problems with drugs, crime, etc (although we'd like to get away from that now we have a baby) so maybe our comfort level might be a bit different from someone's who hasn't lived in such neighborhoods.
Sorry this is so long but I thought we might get the most valuable feedback if people know exactly what we are interested in hearing about. Thanks for reading!
Hi everyone,
We are a lesbian couple(does this make a difference?) with small baby moving to Charleston for work this summer and we could use some advice as we try to find a new home. More about what we're looking for:
-We'd like to rent a 2 or 3 bedroom for under $1000 (and preferably closer to $900 or even $800). We'd prefer a 3 bedroom, but would take a 2 bedroom if it's fairly big and has a lot of other things going for it. Summer ville, Goose Creek and some areas of N. Charleston
-We're especially interested to hear from any other same-sex couples, particularly with kids, about their experiences in different neighborhoods. (We know that *every* city has a wide diversity of neighborhoods that may well differ in terms of gay-friendliness, etc, so we don't mean to single out Charleston by any means) We don't segregate our neighborhoods by sexual preference...
-A decent commute to downtown (for work). Near a bus route would be a big plus but not essential if outweighed by other factors. CARTA isn't that great around here, to use mass transit is going to limit your housing choices....
-A walkable community would be nice (Park Circle sounds like it might fit the bill so we'd be interested to hear people's thoughts) but if not, then an apartment community with pool/gym/tennis court/playground (or most of those) Park Circle is hit and miss, some places are pretty good some are really terrible, the government schools really suck over there....
-Unfortunately we can't get to Charleston in person before renting so we'll have to do this on line. This will rule out private landlords on Craigslist, etc.
-Schools are not a consideration as we are only in Charleston for a year. Ok, forget what I said above about the schools...
-Obviously we'd like to live in a safe place but we are aware that "safe" is a pretty complicated term and what some people might be comfortable with, others might not be, in terms of "safety." Having said that, opinions on different areas would be welcome. We've lived in neighborhoods that had a certain level of problems with drugs, crime, etc (although we'd like to get away from that now we have a baby) so maybe our comfort level might be a bit different from someone's who hasn't lived in such neighborhoods. This is a tough question to ask, most of N. Charleston is pretty bad but it fits most of what you are looking for in the rest of your requirements....
Sorry this is so long but I thought we might get the most valuable feedback if people know exactly what we are interested in hearing about. You think yours is long you should read some of Micheal's..... Thanks for reading!
See comments above, good luck and happy hunting....
Summerville and Goose Creek would be a goodish fit for you but lack access to public transportation.
North Charleston in general is hit or miss. The Greenridge Road area might not be a bad option and Carta stops at the Super K-Mart right near there on Rivers. A friend has lived in the area for as long as I have known him and it isn't too bad drug wise but it bears mentioning that his parents house has been broken into half a dozen times in 15 years. As he puts it "this is where the rest of North Charleston comes to steal sh*t." A security system might not be a bad investment if you live there.
I agree with what Tom said about the Lesbian thing. It isn't an issue and almost doesn't bear mentioning. There is a gay couple that lives down the street from me and my only problem with them is that their cat gets out on occasion and leaves presents in my yard.
Thanks for the perspectives, everyone.
I ask about the climate for us as a lesbian couple with a child because I (and almost every lesbian or gay man I know) have experienced various kinds of harassment, stares, etc. and it does take its toll. We especially want to protect our child from that kind of stuff. Although it can be hard to predict where these things may happen (or not happen), nonetheless certain kinds of information can be useful in making decisions about a place-- for example, if a bunch of GLBT folks report here that they have been really comfortable living in X neighborhood, or if there has been a spate of homophobic hate crimes in Y neighborhood, or if someone's lesbian neighbors have enjoyed living in Z neighborhood and compared it favorably to a different one they lived in before where they were subjected to constant name-calling, etc. I know that in cities where I've lived, there are definitely some neighborhoods I would consider safer and gay-friendlier than others, based on personal experience, reports of friends and neighbors, and things like occurrences of hate crimes. We're not looking to "segregate" ourselves, just to do what we can to make sure our family is safe and comfortable.
Anyway, if it's as much of a non-issue as people have suggested, I'm glad to hear it. But the more concrete experiences or info we can hear about, the better, so we'd be happy to have more perspectives too.
Thanks again-- I do appreciate people taking the time to offer their view about what we're looking for.
the closer u get to Charleston the better for your lifestyle, downtown is much more liberal than the rest of the area... as you go away from downtown the areas tend to get more conservative, probably because you get further away from a dense population of the northeastern libs that have moved in... just a thought because I know Chas has a heavier gay population...
not sure why a lesbian isn't gay, many seem to seperate themselves in subcategories away from gay men? "lesbian or gay man..."? maybe a lesbian and a manbian? lol .. jkin
Thanks for the perspectives, everyone.
I ask about the climate for us as a lesbian couple with a child because I (and almost every lesbian or gay man I know) have experienced various kinds of harassment, stares, etc. and it does take its toll. We especially want to protect our child from that kind of stuff. Although it can be hard to predict where these things may happen (or not happen), nonetheless certain kinds of information can be useful in making decisions about a place-- for example, if a bunch of GLBT folks report here that they have been really comfortable living in X neighborhood, or if there has been a spate of homophobic hate crimes in Y neighborhood, or if someone's lesbian neighbors have enjoyed living in Z neighborhood and compared it favorably to a different one they lived in before where they were subjected to constant name-calling, etc. I know that in cities where I've lived, there are definitely some neighborhoods I would consider safer and gay-friendlier than others, based on personal experience, reports of friends and neighbors, and things like occurrences of hate crimes. We're not looking to "segregate" ourselves, just to do what we can to make sure our family is safe and comfortable.
Anyway, if it's as much of a non-issue as people have suggested, I'm glad to hear it. But the more concrete experiences or info we can hear about, the better, so we'd be happy to have more perspectives too.
Thanks again-- I do appreciate people taking the time to offer their view about what we're looking for.
I work with a lesbian that is in a committed relationship and she lives in the neighborhood Shell Ring (on Daniel Island) because several of her lesbian couple friends live there, many of whom have children. She loves it there. Take it for what it's worth.
Hi everyone,
We are a lesbian couple with small baby moving to Charleston for work this summer and we could use some advice as we try to find a new home. More about what we're looking for:
-We'd like to rent a 2 or 3 bedroom for under $1000 (and preferably closer to $900 or even $800). We'd prefer a 3 bedroom, but would take a 2 bedroom if it's fairly big and has a lot of other things going for it.
-We're especially interested to hear from any other same-sex couples, particularly with kids, about their experiences in different neighborhoods. (We know that *every* city has a wide diversity of neighborhoods that may well differ in terms of gay-friendliness, etc, so we don't mean to single out Charleston by any means)
-A decent commute to downtown (for work). Near a bus route would be a big plus but not essential if outweighed by other factors.
-A walkable community would be nice (Park Circle sounds like it might fit the bill so we'd be interested to hear people's thoughts) but if not, then an apartment community with pool/gym/tennis court/playground (or most of those)
-Unfortunately we can't get to Charleston in person before renting so we'll have to do this online. This will rule out private landlords on Craigslist, etc.
-Schools are not a consideration as we are only in Charleston for a year.
-Obviously we'd like to live in a safe place but we are aware that "safe" is a pretty complicated term and what some people might be comfortable with, others might not be, in terms of "safety." Having said that, opinions on different areas would be welcome. We've lived in neighborhoods that had a certain level of problems with drugs, crime, etc (although we'd like to get away from that now we have a baby) so maybe our comfort level might be a bit different from someone's who hasn't lived in such neighborhoods.
Sorry this is so long but I thought we might get the most valuable feedback if people know exactly what we are interested in hearing about. Thanks for reading!
My partner and I haven't had any problems in the three years that we've been here. Occasionally there have been raised eyebrows when we've been out shopping together, but nothing out of the ordinary. We did buy a house in Park Circle. It's very quiet, but there are some adjacent areas that really bite. The upsides far outweigh that, however. For example, you can easily get to just about anywhere in the Greater Chas. area from here within 15-20 min.
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