Info about South Carolina (Charleston, Summerville: transplants, real estate, crime rate)

[appalachiangirl]

Hi!
I am hoping to move south, particularly interested in Charleston,SC. I have also considered Savannah,GA--I've visited both cities and thought the people were very friendly and both cities are lovely. I am from northern West Virginia and also grew up in PA. I am concerned about some things I have read in forums--will it be difficult for an "Outsider" to find work in Charleston? Is there a strong preference to hire only natives of the area? I live in a terrible area economically (Unemployment is nearly 15%) and hate the harsh winters here. I am a secretary in a library although I could only get part-time employment--I like the job,but for many reasons do note want to live where I am currently. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[DJShymansky]

I grew up in Southern Maryland and went to school in Philly (Villanova). I haven't had a single issue with where I was born, and haven't met anyone else who's transplanted to Charleston who's experienced such. You're going to find that population of Charleston is made up of more transplants than you think. You shouldn't have any issue whatsoever.

[USCJoe]

I agree with DJShymansky that newcomers to the Charleston area are readily accepted by the current residents. I grew up in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia and was readily accepted by most South Carolinians that I came in contact with at the University of South Carolina back in the mid 1960's. I found that individual character traits are more important to most "locals" than where you come from. With regards to employment opportunities in the Charleston area, I don't think there is any preference on the part of employers to hire "natives." Education and experience certainly is an important factor to potential employers. I have found that many individuals are hired through word of mouth rather than posted job vacancies, although I suspect that this is the case in any area of the country. Having been born and raised in the Charleston area certainly may give an individual a foot up on a newcomer because of their wider circle of friends. However, I have seen no evidence that where one is from has any significant impact on the chances of being hired.

[imperieux]

How funny that I also live here in Summerville, and yet grew up in the Philadelphia/South Jersey area.

Hello to my fellow Pennsylvanians!

Oh, I also wanted to add that we have been welcomed into the community here with open arms, whether they are natives or transplants. It is a very friendly and safe place to live.

[appalachiangirl]

Thank you for your input! I haven't decided definitely to move to Charleston, but it is the first place I am considering! Never want to drive on any more icy roads! I had a bad experience almost crashing into a huge truck on an icy road when I was only 17, so it's a sort of phobia with me

[RiWrites]

Appalachiangirl, I had thought about moving to Savannah at one point but changed my mind. I subscribed to the Savannah newspaper and after reading several issues, I discovered how bad the crime rate is there. I wouldn't have known about the crime rate without reading the paper. Most of the online crime rates sites for Savannah were a few years old.

If you can either read online or subscribe to a Charleston newspaper it might help with your decision on moving there. It has been my experience that you can learn more about the place from the papers rather than reading just the visitor sites.

I am like you, I want to leave where I am now and am trying to decide where I want to go next. So far, Charleston is the place I would love to live in.

[emilybh]

I get the Sunday Post and Courier mailed up here to me. I must say, they should use bigger type or a different kind of ink or paper so that so much ink doesn't come off on your hands. Reading that paper makes your hands really dirty. Also the real estate classified ads, are so tiny. I can barely read them. The pictures are the tiniest you've ever seen. I think the Post and Courier must win the prize for cramming the most amount of stuff per square inch into a newspaper than any other paper in the country.

[DJShymansky]

The Charleston City Paper, Charleston City Paper - Charleston - Charleston SC Newspaper - Arts Entertainment Weekly, and the Post and Courier, Charleston, SC Breaking News, Weather, Business, and Sports | Charleston.Net are good places to visit/read as well.