What is wrong with Charleston? (North Charleston, Summerville: appointed, apartment, crime)

[karenina]

I just moved here from California for my Fiance's School and I hate it! My career in corporate health and fitness doesn't exist here and i have been looking for a job with decent pay to be able to cover our bills and nothing is available. To top it off, the city stinks, traffic sucks and we just had our bike stolen off of our front porch. What is wrong with this place?!!! Crime goes unnoticed, the majority of people don't care about the environment, you can still smoke and endanger others health indoors, and people leave their trash everywhere. Can someone help me to figure out this place? I've never lived anywhere like this, where it seems like people just don't care about anything but drinking, smoking, and themselves!!!!!

[DJShymansky]

I am so sorry you've had all of those experiences in such a short time. I wish I had an easy solution for you, but I don't. I can assure you, not all parts of Charleston are like what you've described.

That said, traffic sucks regardless of where you live, crime is a worldwide problem, smoking ordinances do exist in the area but it's up to the patrons and business owners to enforce them, and littering isn't just a problem in South Carolina.

I'm sorry you're having such a hard time though.

[Rggr]

Given that conditions may be different in various parts of every city, can you tell us where in Charleston you live?

[bjss]

I am very sorry to hear that you are having a hard time.
Did you actually want to come here or is this experience just confirming what you suspected?

I live near Summerville in N Chas and have no experience with crime what so ever. I have to wonder where you live.

I have found that not as many people here care about the environment and that bothers me. So, I decided to just start being the squeaky wheel about it. Go to South Carolina SC - Lowcountry Environmental, Conservation Organizations

and you will see the groups where you might find more like minded people. There is another group here that is great that I cannot recall right now, but I will think on it.
I have found that the more I talk to people about it, the more people are ready to change. Usually, the people just want someone to show them or help them in the first steps.

Government is very slow to change, too, do not forget. When people bother the decision makers enough, that is when change moves forward. I have written letters to large polluting companies here, to the governor and have called the SC house rep over his vote on the Farm Bill. Get involved in politics, IMHO.

Lastly, there is an awesome mag called Natural Awakenings. I get it free at the YMCA and I love it. It is more in line with people and companies who value health, fitness and the environment. You will make better connections here, I believe.

I want to say this last piece as gently as I can.
I have felt VERY disappointed after a move before. It is hard to move past that, really. But if you come at people in attack mode, you are not likely to get the results you want. Especially in SC. I have not lived in CA, just visited. But I know this is a VERY different life style.

I am pretty laid back, but in reading your post, even I was a little offended. You seemed to crudely lump everyone and the entire town into your negative experiences (city stinks and traffic sucks, majority of the people). People might not be inspired to help you if you are as angry as you seem. I hope that you are actually not an angry person, but a frustrated one. Maybe you can vent that a little with your boyfriend and have that be a shared burden?

If all else fails, maybe you will only be happy back in CA?

You are in my prayers.

[SCBeaches]

Wow, I can't imagine where in Charleston you live...it sounds awful! I moved here 24 years and have loved it. I am a very positive person, however, and choose to find the good/positive in everything rather than focus on the negative.

I hope that you and your fiance find an area more suitable and which more accurately represents the charm of Charleston. If you don't find happiness here, I hope you find it somewhere.

Remember, one house/apartment in one part of town does not even begin to represent the entire area or state.

[charlc318]

I've just spent a few days in Charleston and thought everyone was absolutely wonderful!!! Everyone has gone out of their way to be helpful and courteous. I'm excited about making the first "real" move of my life at the age of 48. I'm moving from MA...in the suburbs of Boston, and when I researched the Charleston area as a place to live, found it to be exactly as everyone says. I had a wonderful broker who drove me around for two days. The manager at the hotel and everyone who we came in contact with went above and beyond to explain situations to us and were most helpful. My only complaint, and I never thought I'd ever say this, was the drivers were not very courteous and the driving in the Charleston area was worse than driving in Boston and Boston is one of the worst places to drive in this country!!! They will run you off the road and run you over if you are walking, rather than be courteous and give one the right of way. We were just very happy that the people were very wonderful outside of their cars!!!LOL!!! We saw so many accidents the few days that we were in the area. I have a very heavy Boston accent and I never felt discriminated against and everyone was very excited to hear that I had chosen their area to move to and responded with, "you will love it here and I hope to see you again". I do believe that it does have a lot to do with one's attitude...I went with the attitude that I was going to love it and we chatted with anyone who was a willing participant. I do hope that you find the area for you and your fiance...change is not easy for anyone.

[Rggr]

Welcome to Charleston, charlc318. I hope the move goes well for you.

[prosefamily6]

Moving here a yr and a half ago from TX we noticed the major smoking, etc... that you mentioned was much worse here than there. We are from Dallas, TX so yes we are from the city.
It does seem like smoking is EVERYWHERE here, I was very excited to find out that some restaurants are stopping. Also, I know that either the Myrtle Beach or another beach area that direction has made the beach no smoking.
That is super nice for families, place stays cleaner, others don't have to deal with smoke if they don't want to.
Now, as far as crime goes...we haven't had anything like that. I don't know what area you are in, but like i said, we have left our garage open over night without any problems.

Traffic, we love it here because of NO traffic, LOL.
We can drive anywhere even at 5pm and not have to sit for 2 hrs.

Good luck, maybe you just really got in a rough area.

[momof2dfw]

We just visited Charleston and loved it. I do intend to go back someday. We were in several locations on our long trip w/ Myrtle Beach being one and the city that voted on the no smoking ordinance did so while we were there. It was Surfside Beach I believe. You would have thought they were asking them to stop smoking for the rest of their lives anywhere. All the hoopla that it will ruin their businesses and such is hogwash. I'm in the Dallas area and as the previous poster stated most of the cities around here have smoking ordinances. I like to be able to go out to eat and actually taste my food and not the person at the table beside me cigarette smoke. LOL!!! It has not hurt the restaurants either as one can easily tell by the long waits. Yes, the smoking thing was apparent but not overly so in Charleston as much as it was in Myrtle Beach. Charleston is a little more refined

For the person relocating there from Boston, there is a waitress over at the Irish Pub in the historic area that recently moved there from Boston and she said she LOVES IT! She was telling us how a new neighbor witnessed her and her roommate having to make several trips in their small cars and offered them the use of their pickup. She was blown away and said that would never happen where she came from. If you get the chance to go by that pub tell her some former customers from Dallas, TX sent ya

Did you take a carriage tour? Ask the carriage drivers how they have to operate concerning the cars. LOL!!! They are STRICT on them.

[AskAngel]

Hi-
It's going to be a difficult adjustment coming from California where there are far more environmental activists that walk the talk. This is an area where a lot of things harmful in many ways are overlooked. That's why it's awesome when people such as yourself move here and boldly throw their concerns out there. I moved about 4 years ago to Salisbury, NC (about 30 minutes from Charlotte) and I thought I had discovered the Twilight Zone-it was like the people were zombies or something-for the longest time I'd swear I was in an alien-zapped area of life. It took me about a year to get that perception out of my head and give it a chance. I stayed there for 8 years. I see it differently now-not quite as Twilight as I once thought it to be Each area has their share of problematic individuals. Bikes do get stolen often, especially downtown. The adage by the thief's perspective..."if it ain't tied down, locked tight or out of sight, it's free for the taking." And actually tied up or locked tight doesn't even apply these days because they will just break the lock, so out of sight is the safest measure. I'm in Summerville, and so far there isn't a level of concern for that type of immoralistic desperation. We are in the Pinewood Prep. area. The homes here in Dorchester 2 county are much more affordable and larger. The school system can't be beat either. They have top ratings in accountability and improvement scores. There is a wonderful community that is brand new (still being developed) that I think you would really dig. It's the outskirts of Summerville (edge of Berkeley county) called Cane Bay off Main St. (Moncks Corner exit 199)go about 4 miles and it's on the left about 1/2 mile. It is going to be HUGE, environmental friendly and has very peaceful vibes. The stink you smell is the paper mill in North Charleston-can't change that-it's been the stink area for as long as the mill has been operating. I'm also a licensed massage therapist (check out my support Licensed massage therapists:grassroot Project Ethication) on Craigslist under the Therapeutic section. Honestly-doing your own start-up is the best way to go. You could try looking up each hospital website-MUSC has a large medical base. There isn't a lot of larger private corporations here (as far as mass quanity in one place). But the necessity for making the h/w benefits available within the workforce is desirable. You just have to convince local businesses of the importance of health/wellness and make the availability of on-site services to employees an easy access without complications (and also doesn't really require any effort on behalf of the business owner/management-the monitary factor is the biggest hurdle-but you can apply for grants or private funding once they see the improvement-so it's a temp. expenditure or you could structure it for the business that's interested like a tax donation/non-profit I think-if you create something like that. I'm more familiar with the whole research/grant funding side-not IRS and tax stuff-ewe). There's a lot of freelance opportunities here since Charleston at times seems to have a misguided-free for all feel. People know what they need as far as health goes; but the majority cannot afford it (or the bigger reason-there isn't an organized system that forces them to see or experience the 'light' where they don't have to worry about fees). There are numerous chiropractors, LMTs, PTs, positive life therapists/counselors (because sometimes people just need to vent to a stranger), in the area that I'm sure would love the opportunity to do on site contracting for larger businesses (but it's up to people like you to convince them how they will be saving money in the long run when their employees aren't kinked up from neck pain at computers, hard labor,etc. Job performance improves because they feel better. They all have to realize proper health maintenance means routinely making the services available and creating an incentive for the employees to utilize the services (like a monthly bonus reward or check). I can see the scowls for that last comment. But hey-fact: perks work if there's no fees or complicated rules involved. Try not to get discouraged too early-there are a lot of beautiful places and people in Charleston. If you haven't shopped at Earthfare on Folly Rd. (South Windermere Center) check it out-very health conscious folks and shops in that area.