looking for a change... (Charleston, Hampton: real estate, condo, salary)

[Sonjamp]

I'm needing some input here...
I went to the College of Charleston and absolutely fell in love with Charleston and said I would be back some day....
6 years later, I am a single mom (a young 24 and lots of fun), finishing nursing school and am now looking to make a change from my hometown of Kansas City....
I am in a totally different place in my life than I was in college so with that said, how would Charleston fare for a single mom hoping to "rebuild" a bit??

[DJShymansky]

I'm biased, of course, but Charleston's a fantastic town. It has everything you could want being "a young 24 and lots of fun". There's also plenty of opportunities in nursing in the Charleston Tri-county area. It's definitely an outstanding area to live in. I'd heartily recommend it.

[Sonjamp]

Thanks for the fast response...
I noticed you're a real estate agent - so for my next question....
I would love to live downtown obviously on the lower end of the peninsula. (I assume too far north is still rather sketchy for a young woman??) Is this at all possible on a nurses salary? Please note that I would so prefer to live downtown than anywhere off of the island that I would even take a one bedroom place for my little guy and I. I do remember downtown Charleston being pricey - has the cost of living increased dramatically in the past 6 years?

[DJShymansky]

1 bedroom Condo's downtown start off in the 200's. The closer you get to the Battery, obviously, the more expensive they get.

There are neighborhoods on the peninsula like Wagener Terrace (just behind the Citadel and Hampton Park) that would get you much more for your money (i.e. 2 beds 1.5 bath condo for mid 200's) and still allow you to be a bike ride from downtown. My wife used to work at MUSC and she'd either walk or ride her bike to work from Wagener. Plus you have that huge Hampton Park to stroll/exercise/walk the dog/picnic in, and can walk to the Riverdog's stadium.