Possible Relocation; Please Help :) (Charleston, Goose Creek: apartments, lease, mortgage)

[danak13]

I currently live in Atlanta and I am not happy with the city but have a lot of family here. I would love to moce somewhere with a beach but within a short drive to my family, so Charleston seemed to fit the bill. As of right now, I have never been there and would love some information!
A little about me: I am a 26 year old single female. Not at all into the "party" scene, clubs and whatnot, but I really enjoy unique bars and restaurants. I will be coming in with a salary range of $35,000-$40,000 so affortable living is a must. Ideally living by myself, so safety is also important.
I am hoping anyone is willing to provide some city info: is it relatively safe? good social scene? good job opportunity (i have hospitality experience)?
Really any sort of information pertaining to my situation would be VERY appreciated. I have looked at other posts but since they are older, I am relaly looking for some up to date info.
I appreciate anyone who takes the time to provide me with any info and tips/hints!

[OleTomCat]

On 40K you could get a decent starter home in Summerville, West Ashley, Goose Creek or Moncks Corner....

More details about yourself would help, of the places I listed West Ashley and Summerville have the most to do, West Ashley is closer to Down Town Charleston and the southend beaches...

[danak13]

Thank you for your quick response!! I have heard alot about West Ashley and seems like it would be a good place for me to start. I like that it is closer to downtown. I am looking to rent ideally. I am not too interested in getting a roommate but unsure if there are decent places to rent a one bedroom or studio that are reasonably priced.
I want somewhere that is safe to walk around by myself and is close to some good unique restuarants. I am also a huge outdoors/fitness person so running trails/good sidewalks and parks would be ideal.

[ZUMAN]

Check into the West Ashley areas of South Windermere, Byrnes Down and Avondale that are pretty much inter-connected and very close to downtown and not too far from Folly Beach. The West Ashley Greenway is right there for walking and running. Good luck with your relo.

[mjblues]

I am hoping to relocate to Charleston- (trying to transfer to job at Charleston VA) sometime before the end of summer- Have been reading the threads regarding various neighborhoods etc and have narrowed things down to West Ashley, and James Island- will probably be trying to rent an apartment basically sight unseen- (other than web based photos and the like) -as I'll be moving from MN and will be unable to make any trips down to SC to house hunt. So far the list of possible apartments are as follows- Windjamer, Middleton Cove, Colonial Village at Westchase, The Gardens at Ashley, Ashely Grove...I'm looking for a fairly short lease as I hope to find a house within the year to buy (can probably have a mortgage that is much less than rent.. side question- how do property taxes compare between charleston proper and outlying areas?) Can anyone give info on any of the complexes listed and even suggest other possibles that may not show up on the typical rent.com etc type of sites? I'm looking for something not more than 750 per month in rent of the one bedroom 650+ square feet variety.

I'm single in my late 40's- white female- not looking for a place that has a lot of young 20-somthing party animals...or families with small children/teenagers. Want to be close to decent blues and jazz nightclub venues and not have a hideous commute to the VA hospital for work....

Any help is greatly appreciated...

Thanks!

[southerngirlmovingnorth]

You might want to try Village Square and/or West Village. They have reasonable pricing for one bedroom apartments. I used to live there and I believe it's centrally located. Good luck!

[ProudPatriot07]

During our search, we visited Colonial Village at Westchase and almost moved in there- it was our backup. I highly recommend it, it's close to 526 and there's a lot of shade, great pool and pond, and seemed like a nice environment (61 can get backed up sometimes though, as it's a 2-lane road). We didn't care for Ashley Grove as it was very close to the road, not a lot of shade, small, kinda noisy, etc.

There's a thread around here somewhere that reviews a lot of complexes in West Ashley, and we used that to call around and narrow down to a few places to visit when we got here.

[mjblues]

With thanks to all who responded- but it seems that I'm going to end up in Birmingham AL instead! Funny how life works!