In Charleston this weekend to determine to move there (rentals, homeowners insurance)

[wedmiston]

West Ashley as in west of 526 (not the inner West Ashley closer to the city)?

[DJShymansky]

I think Rick was saying you -should- check out West Ashley. I know he does recommend the area. I think you have a great list started. I'd recommend Daniel Island as well, and though all of the above recommendations are pretty general, each of the listed areas has it's own variety of subdivisions, with different styles, prices, and amenities. Schieveling Plantation in West Ashley, Old Village, Hamlin Plantation and Brickyard in Mount Pleasant, most subdivisions on Daniel Island, The Villages in St. John's Woods on John's Island, and some of the urban locations downtown, i.e. Hampton Park Terrace and Wagener Terrace, and just about everywhere on Sullivan's Island, are among some of my favorite spots in the lowcountry for different reasons. You might need more than two days to even catch all of the above, but you'd certainly see a great cross-section of the area in trying to do so.

Enjoy your trip!

All could potentially serve you well

[wedmiston]

OK. Anything else? We are also trying to avoid subdivisions that fit any one of the following description:
1. Over 55 "active lifestyle" communities
2. Cookie-cutter home style communities
3. Communities overrun by kids (we are done with that, but still 12-15 yrs from retirement)

PS - no offense at all intended towards those with kids, over 55, etc. these are just the criteria we are putting out there.

[emilybh]

Johns Island is nice

[DJShymansky]

Go to Mount Pleasant, visit Old Village. Then go up Rifle Range Rd. and stop into Oakhaven as well. Don't know why that just jumped out at me as an option. Most of the plantation style neighborhoods are going to violate your rules #2, and #3, most likely.

[emilybh]

Originally Posted by wedmiston

OK. Anything else? We are also trying to avoid subdivisions that fit any one of the following description:
1. Over 55 "active lifestyle" communities
2. Cookie-cutter home style communities
3. Communities overrun by kids (we are done with that, but still 12-15 yrs from retirement)

PS - no offense at all intended towards those with kids, over 55, etc. these are just the criteria we are putting out there.

Then you'll want to spend more time in driving around James Island and West Ashley and Wagner Terrace. There are lots of cookie cutter communities in Mt. Pleasant.

James Island has some really pretty neighborhoods near the harbor with homes with decent sized lots and gorgeous mature landscaping and it is fairly close to downtown and has its own restaurants and shopping and grocery stores. Also you have to drive though James Island to get to Folly Beach so you are only a few miles depending where you are on James Island from the barrier island of Folly Island and the beach there.

Parts of West Ashley are nice too.

To get a feel for James Island from downtown take 17 South over the Ashley River Bridge and get over on the left.

Follow the signs to Folly Beach. You'll be led to Folly Road and a shopping center with a Starbucks and an Earthfare and a Staples in West Ashley. Behind that shopping center and across from it are some nice neigborhoods. The one across from it is the most expensive.
Some of those houses have harbor views.

Continue South on Folly Road. You'll go over the Intra coastal waterway, the Wappoo Creek bridge which will ;put you on James Island. Keep going straight. Immediately after you cross the bridge on your left, the first two neighborhoods you come to are nice. The first one, Charleston Country Club, is worth driving around. The second one is also worth a drive.

Come back on to Folly and keep heading south a little way. Look for Harborview Road at an intersection with a light on your left. Take that left and follow Harborview road. This will take you to some nice neighborhoods on James Island. The ones on the left have some harbor front homes and breath taking views. There are some nice neighborhoods past the shopping center on the right of Harborview as well.

Drive all the way to the end of Harborview and take a left on Ft. Johnson and take your fifth left onto Deepwood drive. Go to the end and take a left onto Wampler and drive along Wampler. On the right will be the harbor and pretty soon you'll come to a nice park and a yacht club. This is a great spot to get out and stretch your legs.

When you are done get back in the car go back down Wampler, back up Deepwood and when you get to Ft. Johnson stay on it the whole way until you reach Folly road. There are some nice neighborhoods on both sides of Ft Johnson. The street itself is shaded with big moss covered trees. Keep your headlights on.

At Folly take a left and proceed to Folly Beach. There are some nice houses en route and nice houses on Folly Island. You can drive the whole Island if you want and check it out.

When you are done head back up Folly Road and retrace your steps. When you get almost back to the ICW take a left onto Maybank Highway and head towards Johns Island but on your way you can drive through Riverland Terrace which is a cute neighborhood on Wappoo Creek.

If you aren't averse to Townhouses there are a bunch before you get to Riverland Terrace down Wappoo Creek Drive across from J Paulz restaurant. Head all the way towards the Crab House Restaurant.

Riverland Terrace is farther down Maybank. To get there you'd take your fifth or sixth right down Plymouth Road. Before you get to the boat ramp and park take a left on Wappoo Hall Rd. about 6 blocks down on your left.

Go straight to the end and take a left on Riverland Dr. There are five or six blocks you can explore between Riverland Dr and Plymouth with houses that may be for sale.

Take Riverland or Plymouth back to Maybank and take a right on Maybank and head towards Johns Island over another bridge. Johns Island is MUCH more rural and out of the way. It has a lot of cookie cutter neighborhoods as well as McMansions and it is also en route to Kiawah Island and beach.

I think I might not bother with Johns Island if you only have a few days.

The other area in West Ashley I would check out are the neighborhoods off of Ashley River Road which is off 17. Ashley River Road is the road that goes out to the old plantations that are on the right side of the road, the river side, as you head north as are the nicer neighborhoods.

Be sure you have a good map. Ashley River Rd is a continuation of St. Andrews Blvd, Rte 61, and you could make a wrong turn onto Paul Cantrell Blvd. Stay to the right on Ashley River Rd and explore neighborhoods down roads off to your right. Some will be nice, Some not so nice. They are all mixed. Have fun!

[Silversides]

Times almost up, what have you found?

[wedmiston]

First off - a very sincere thanks to everyone. If this is any reflection we hope folks like you are our neighbors! Can't thank you guys enough for your help in directing us. It's much better to not waste time and target our driving to see the most we can in just a few days.

We had to postpone until this next weekend but I suppose that's OK - we would have not been able to adequately cover enough ground so now we're dedicating an extra day this next weekend instead.

[roxanneself]

I highly recommend Charleston National in Mount Pleasant. The floor plans do repeat, but there are enough different plans that it doesn't have that cookie cutter feel at all. On top of that the landscaping is all nicely done and mature, which gives each home a unique look. It's a golf course community with homes on decent size lots, especially in the Estates section. Best of all there are not a lot of kids in the neighborhood.
There is actually a beautiful house that came on the market soon after we closed on ours that I am just in love with, right on the golf course and right in your price range. That one makes me want to put my house right back on the market, or see if they'll swap!
I also recommend old Mount Pleasant and Daniel Island, although most of the DI lots are smaller than I like. I haven't seen a lot I like in West Ashley, but I haven't really driven around inside their subdivisions much either.
Good look with your visit!

[wedmiston]

felt the need to follow up with an update since everyone was so kind in offering advice. I'll go with bullets in favor of brevity:

* Downtown - loved it an we are very accustomed to city living (lived in the heart of downtown Chicago 20 yrs). Seems like the lower half (south of the college) and away from the major roads (Meeting, King) is the way to go, but I'm sure it's a fortune and our one concern down there is tourist season - does it become a nightmare just getting around the city?
* Mt Pleasant - Nice, but in pockets and certainly the most "developed" feel of them all.
* Daniel Island - Home to the rich (north of 526) and semi-rich (south of 526), right? Some very nice homes, no question. I suspect the HOA dues and rules are VERY tight. What is the commute into the city going to be like? Is the section south of 526 basically all families?
* Johns Island - Hmmm, tough one. Seems a bit detached and rural. Don't think we had enough time to give it a complete assessment. Some nice hoods surrounded by more "rustic" areas (boats and trucks parked in the front yard - enough said). Tell me if I'm wrong and why...
* James Island - A notch up from Johns, liked it a bit better, but definitely older homes, certainly better city access and commuting I suspect
* Folly Beach - Well, well, well...isn't it easy to fall in love with the beach? Price aside, this could be a really fun liestyle or a seasonal walk through hell once tourists converge. Please share your thoughts...
* Sullivan's Island/Isle of Palms - A seemingly better option for beach living than Folly (commuting, access to retail), but, when I looked online, the property taxes seemed off the charts! Are certain counties much better than others?
*West Ashly - I think we missed the appeal of this area. For some reason it just didn't "connect" with us.

Please keep in mind these are admittedly quick impressions based on 72 hrs there and driving around, but I do welcome comments, corrections and confirmations from this forum.