Thoughts on Goose Creek, SC? (Charleston, North Charleston: house, neighborhood, to live in)

[Luvsdabeach]

Originally Posted by melindaw

Ok, Goose Creek, Um, not to hurt anybody's feelings in Goose Creek, but OC Girl, that area might not be for you.

Your not hurting my feelings. I'm happy that the real estate agents on here are sending people to S'Ville and Mt. P. That will keep us from getting overcrowded and traffic congested like those area's are getting.

[melindaw]

Note about Goose Creek, I was referring to the traffic in regards to distance from Whole Foods (Mt Pleasant) and Costco off the 526 and Sam Rittenberg... Thought OC girl might not like the traffic of the 26 during rush hour (am/pm) (it was part of the reason I decided to go with North Charleston.

[Two_Jacks]

Hi OrangeCountyGirl, I am also from Cali from Sacramento and we lived in Charleston for a bit and are in Austin, Texas but moving back to South Carolina in December. We are moving to the Upstate Area between Greenville and Spartanburg, I know you have narrowed your areas but if you haven't you might want to look into the area up there too just a suggestion. If you want any more information from a former Cali girl feel free to write me and if I can help you with anything or want to pick my brain. We love South Carolina and can't wait to get back there! Good Luck

[OrangeCountyGirl]

MelindaW-
I was thinking about the architecture here the other day. I love the Spanish style homes, and I'm half Mexican so I have always been really into my culture. And don't get me started on vintage furniture and architecture. I saw somewhere that you said you were a RE agent. I am as well, with Keller Williams. Are you picking that back up in SC or are you trying something new?

[OrangeCountyGirl]

GodsChilds-
I would love any thoughts you have! It's always great to talk to someone who at least knows where I'm coming from.
Truthfully, I have a few concerns about the move because I've always lived here. About a mile from the beach at the most!
Houses in my neighborhood start at around 900k and go to well over 2.5million. I just don't want to spend the rest of my life working only to afford my home. I want a nice little place with some of the comforts of being here.

What are some great boutique type of shops? I'm not really a mallrat and prefer local/smaller businesses to haunt!

Any help would be awesome! Thanks again!

[melindaw]

Architecture, it's something I LOVE, so really really missing the Spanish and Modern homes. Lived in Highland Park, next to South Pasadena, and yeah, missing my latino flavors. Actually miss all of my ethnic restaurants, etc. Didn't realize that Charleston wasn't as diverse, but that's ok, the people are friendly.

However, I found life in Los Angeles easier to adjust, people invited you out to events. Here, I don't mean to judge people, just noticing, that I don't get the offers to come out and play. It's quite clique oriented and leads me to belive that if you didn't go to college or grow up in this area, it's a task to find your "new" group. Try the meetup website. I've just joined and so far it seems like a good place to meet other transplants.

Shopping is another story. Don't go looking for Forever 21, ZARA, or H&M, Bloomingdale's or Nordstrom's. Most of the women that I encounter know of them and drive all the way to Atlanta to shop them, some go to NYC too. We've really got to blame the companies for ignoring Charleston. This is truly a cosmo city in the making, don't know what the heck they're waiting for. I like to shop and so do 90% of the women I know, so they are bound to get bombarded.

oops, I'm typing a novella... Don't be afraid of the move, life is about falling down and getting up. If we all continued to crawl like babies, we'd never be the walking adults we are today. Stay positive, remember to smile and karma is sure to gift you the same...

best wishes, melinda
ps I just leapt into the world of RE, but afraid to mention that too much in this site because of the rules regarding advertising. feel free to email me directly and will email you my email addy... i have a travel blog that you check out and email via as well... (lumiere de soleil)

[OrangeCountyGirl]

I actually went to college and worked in Pasadena. Yes, I drove all the way out from OC to do that! So I will miss a lot of the diversity and culture out there that I have always just taken for granted.

At least I'm moving with my boyfriend of 6 years and my parents so at least I will not be alone, but it will be an adjustment for everyone.

I hated Georgia. I'm an out to breakfast kind of girl, and The Waffle House just doesn't do it for me. So I'm hoping that Charleston will be different in a good way but still have the things I love so that I can keep some of my life normal. I'm actually only a little bit nervous, mostly I'm ready and excited.

As for shopping, I'm not really a Forever 21 type of girl. I love Nordstrom/ SAKS/ Bloomies. I checked and saw that there was one in Atlanta which will have to do for my major shopping. But, I am looking forward to finding some little antique shops, furniture shops, etc that are local.

Well, I hope you start finding your spot there. I'm sure it's not easy moving someplace new and not knowing a soul. But, it will come it just takes time.

Have you purchased property there? Or are you renting?

Thank you!

[Luvsdabeach]

There is a Saks in downtown Charleston along with a good many antique shops.

[melindaw]

OC Girl...

The breakfast thing isn't quite what I'm used to around here. The concept of healthy alternative dining isn't well known. I've struggled to find cute diners that serve halfway healthy food, so far, no such luck. I have a slight insulin problem so can't sit around eating white flour and sugar products, making the south a struggle in regards to eating. I love cooking breakfast foods anyway so staying home is nice. They smoke in some of the restaurants even though it's supposed to be smoke free, I've had people light up a cancer stick right behind me... ARGH... For me the hardest adjustment is affordable boutique dining. Think Melrose little dining spots, or like Hermosa Beach, Laguna Beach, Santa Monica, all the little pop in places to grab a quick yummy healthy bite, oh, I long for those places. Charleston downtown has really nice places, but they charge tourist prices so that's a bit annoying. I've got to find a cheaper way of eating around here, without losing the taste. Love Whole Foods, but wish Trader Joe's was around the corner.

ps. I bought a house, it's just north of Ashley Phosphate, in a hood' off Dorchester Rd. Not what I'm used to, just normal everyday type architecture, but the price was right, it's clean, well kept and I'm loving the Rights and Covenants. It's nice not seeing cars littering the neighborhood and trash lingering on the streets 4 days before the waste pickup.

Again, all said, I wouldn't move back to Los Angeles. However, If I could live north of there, anywhere on the coast, and actually afford it, I'd be back in a heart beat. Love San Fran... that would be the ultimate.

Oh, almost forgot, the Atlantic is WAY WAY (opinion only) better than the Pacific. You can swim in the water (without freezing to death) here and there are loads of places to go beach walking, swimming and kayaking.

[OrangeCountyGirl]

OOooh. That might be the best news yet! Thank you!