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We are a family of 5 considering relocation to Charleston, South Carolina area. When considering what we want in a place to live, SC came up as a good fit for us. Weather, beaches, cost of housing to name a few. Being from the West Coast, I know nothing of the South.
We are Jewish (conservative/reform) and my husband is originally from Israel. How will my husband be accepted and are there other Israelis in the Charleston area?
We have been looking at Summerville but also really like Mt. Pleasant. Which area is better suited for a Jewish family? (i.e. synagogue, other Jews)
My 15 year old son is an avid soccer player so we would want to be close enough to Battery Park to watch the games. Is Summerville too far?
I can't speak for the Jewish community presence in Summerville. I do know that the Charleston area seems to have a strong and vibrant Jewish community. I would only imagine that it extends to Summerville as well. I think Charleston even has the oldest surviving Reform synagogue in the world, down on Hasell street.
As to being close to Battery Park for the soccer fan in the family, either Summerville or Mount Pleasant would serve you well. They're both less than 20 minutes from the stadium, generally.
Have you thought of contacting the local synagogues to find out more about the community itself? They should be able to give you more detailed info about other Jewish and Israeli families in the area, local events, etc.
I know I probably wasn't much help, but it's the thought that counts, right?
Thanks so much for such a fast response! I have tried to contact the synagogue you mentioned but am still waiting for a reply (a week). If everyone is as helpful as you, SC must be a wonderful place to live!
Personally, we are from the South (TX) and Summerville still thru us for a loop as far as how rural it is. Yes it is known for it's schools and such, but even the trailers for kids to be in was a shocker for us.
I personally wouldn't recommend anyone moving to anywhere except Daniel Island or Mt. P, esp depending on what you are coming from.
Now, if you are used to smaller, more rural types or are looking for something a little less than the top-notch (I don't know how else to put it) then you will be okay.
Again, our family has not seen that except in some of Charleston (u don't want to use the schools except Private) or Mt. P. or Daniel Island (where Battery is).
Daniel Isl doesn't offer soccer, maybe thru Priv school, but they only have school K-8 and then you go into Hanahan.
Keep in mind, you will find sports a little 'behind' here compared to most places too. We are a major soccer family too, the kids play, we coach and I used to travel when I was a kid playing. Just be prepared, they are doing a lot to strengthen it so that is a huge plus. They are also great about taking ideas and putting them into play in Mt. P. too.
Charleston is beautiful, Mt P is very close to the beach. Great weather, very nice people, good schools. Expensive homes, but I s'pose being closer to the beach, u pay for it.
I can't help w/ the Jewish part. I haven't had anyone ask me if I was Jewish or treat me any diff because I wasn't if that helps.
We are also a jewish family of 5 that just moved to the Mt. Pleasant area (Rivertowne) from DC and love it. Even though SC is very Christian focused we love it here. Come join us the reform synogog is great even if it does take a little while to hear back from them.
I was looking on the Columbia and Greenville boards, but I also looked online for homes in Summerville. I know Greenville is growing rapidly and the downtown area is lovely, but I am not sure I'll be comfortable there. I'm not very ethnic, but I did notice there are synagogues, so obviously there are Jewish people living there. Everyone talks about how "Christian" SC is, and I'm sure that's true. However, the United States is a Christian country in general (isn't it?) and as I mentioned on another board, the Jewish population in the United States is only around 2% anyway. (less than 1/2 of 1% internationally)
I am happy I saw these posts, because maybe I will choose to live in the Charleston area. I am totally lost right now. I live in FL and I'm miserable. I am worried about finding a job, but I won't need to earn too much if I find a reasonably priced home. FL is just too expensive so I need to follow everyone else and leave while I can still afford to move! Nice meeting you.
Charleston does have a thriving Jewish community in many different parts of the metro area. While downtown has some, other Jewish residents also live West Ashley, another part of the city of Chas. West Ashley is home to several synogogues and is home to the Chas. Jewish Community Center. Living near there might be worth checking out.
Isn't Mount Pleasant much more expensive than Summerville? I've been looking at homes online and I don't think I would want to live in an older fixer-upper or small condo, and that's all I can find in my price range in the areas you suggest. I assume that the closer you get the the beach, the more expensive the homes will be. (just like here in FL) On the other hand, homes in Summerville and Ladson are new. However, your post did bring up some concerns, so I might have to choose another part of SC. like Irmo where it's more affordable. I don't want to buy a nice home in a economically poor town where there is a lot of families living in poverty.
Can you explain what you mean by "trailers for kids." I lived in a mobile home for many years in NH and my neighbors were very nice people. I'm just looking for a quiet place to retire where people will have strong moral values. (and speak English!) Safety is also a concern, since I enjoy taking walks and don't want to be looking over my shoulder all the time.
From all the photos of communities, I pictured Summerville as being an upscale area. Guess I was wrong.
Isn't Mount Pleasant much more expensive than Summerville? I've been looking at homes online and I don't think I would want to live in an older fixer-upper or small condo, and that's all I can find in my price range in the areas you suggest. I assume that the closer you get the the beach, the more expensive the homes will be. (just like here in FL) On the other hand, homes in Summerville and Ladson are new. However, your post did bring up some concerns, so I might have to choose another part of SC. like Irmo where it's more affordable. I don't want to buy a nice home in a economically poor town where there is a lot of families living in poverty.
Can you explain what you mean by "trailers for kids." I lived in a mobile home for many years in NH and my neighbors were very nice people. I'm just looking for a quiet place to retire where people will have strong moral values. (and speak English!) Safety is also a concern, since I enjoy taking walks and don't want to be looking over my shoulder all the time.
From all the photos of communities, I pictured Summerville as being an upscale area. Guess I was wrong.
justNancy,
First off, I can assure you that not everyone shares Prosefamily6's views as what is considered "top notch" in the Charleston area. If pretentiousness is your idea of "top notch" then you can have it my friend.
The comment about "trailers for kids" is referring to the classrooms that are being used to accommodate the overflow of kids enrolling at Summerville schools due to the increased growth in the area. 3 new schools opened at the beginning of the new year and a new high school is set to open next year. Although this has helped with the overcrowding of the schools somewhat, with the continuous growth that Summerville is seeing, more schools are still needed. Until they are built, some schools use the mobile trailers as classrooms. This is not just a Summerville thing, but a common occurrence of high growth areas around the South. I'm sure they have them in Florida too.
Homes in Summerville compared to the coastal areas will naturally be cheaper, this does not mean that the town is considered poor. It simply means that it is 20 miles inland and the land is cheaper and homes will therefore cost less. You can buy the exact same home in Summerville that you can in Mount Pleasant or Daniel Island, just add 100-200k to the price tag there, you will also pay a hefty price for insurance.
Summerville is not considered an economically poor town, in fact, it probably has one of the strongest growing economies in the area with new businesses and industries relocating here. An article in today's Post and Courier stated that the poverty rate has dropped in Dorchester County from 12.4% to 8.8%, while the poverty rate in Charleston County rose from 15.2% to 18.1%. That ought to tell you something right there. Property values have risen steadily over the years and given the current market situation the area's home values still remain pretty strong. If it was economically depressed then people wouldn't be flocking here. I would not write Summerville off due to one superficial opinion from someone that doesn't even live there. The best way is to come see for yourself, most everyone that visits Summerville finds it an attractive safe place to live.
I've lived in the Charleston area my entire life and I can definitely say that Summerville is not a poor town. It might have been back in the day when Main Street was just Wal-Mart. But in the past few years, Summerville has had an economic boom. Summerville looks nothing like it did back in '93 while Goose Creek looks more or less the same. (Due to Goose Creek's high standards for businesses) I still can't get over how wide Main Street is now. It used to be like 4 lanes, now it's 8.
I can't vouch for any schools in the area only Westview Middle and Stratford High in Goose Creek as those are the only two schools attended. I can say I've had a few classes in trailers before. There's really nothing wrong with it; just have to walk a bit further to class.
I'll agree Mt. Pleasant and Daniel Island are nice but it's expensive there and the traffic on Johnnie Dodds is horrible during evening rush hour. Mt. Pleasant is a lot closer to the battery though.
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Trying to decide!
