walkable neighborhood in Mt Pleasant/James Island? (Charleston, Folly Beach: apartment, rent)

[wondersteph]

hello
we are relocating from Chicago to Charleston this summer and I am trying to get a first sense of the area
from what I have heard/read i believe Mt Pleasant and James Island are the two neighborhood that would correspond to what we are looking for (beaches, school, family friendly)
we would probably rent at first and then look for a house to buy in James Island or Mt Pleasant
I was wondering if you could tell me which neighborhoods of those two cities are the best for biking/walking?
we live in Chicago in a very family friendly and walkable neighborhood and though I understand Mt Pleasant and James island would be quite different I was hoping to keep our life style with our regular walks and bike rides in SC :-)
any thoughts are welcome
thanks!

[DJShymansky]

Price points would help us determine apples to apples. For instance, Dunes West, Park West and Brickyard all have great walking/biking/jogging trails through them. They're all mostly newer than subdivisions on James Island though, with larger tracts of land set aside for green spaces, roadways, trails, etc.

[OleTomCat]

James Island and MtP are two totally different areas. MtP is much more of a Burb type feel, while James and even moreso Johns Island have a country feel...

[moneill]

Have you been to James Island lately? Yes it is not as well developed as Mt. Pleasant but country -- that would be stretching it.

[accufitgolf]

Originally Posted by wondersteph

hello
we are relocating from Chicago to Charleston this summer and I am trying to get a first sense of the area
from what I have heard/read i believe Mt Pleasant and James Island are the two neighborhood that would correspond to what we are looking for (beaches, school, family friendly)
we would probably rent at first and then look for a house to buy in James Island or Mt Pleasant
I was wondering if you could tell me which neighborhoods of those two cities are the best for biking/walking?
we live in Chicago in a very family friendly and walkable neighborhood and though I understand Mt Pleasant and James island would be quite different I was hoping to keep our life style with our regular walks and bike rides in SC :-)
any thoughts are welcome
thanks!

Having lived in Boston, NYC, Chicago, LA, and MTP I can say that outside the downtown Charleston area is not what I would call "walkable". Yes some exceptions exist, but they are few. Not the norm.

Forget the idea of waking up and walking to the local bakery for fresh baked goods or an early evening stroll to the local bar for a drink then walk on to the the local ethnic restaurant.

Put all that aside, and the history, beauty, fresh air, ocean, peacefullness, friendliness, warm winters, etc. of Charleston will soon make you forget dark, dreary, cold, etc. Chicago.

[wondersteph]

thank you all for your answers
I have not been to Charleston yet, my husband went for an interview a couples of weeks ago and came back totally in love
meanwhile he got the job and here we are: planing to move in July
we will come end of this month so I can visit and see more before this summer and hopefully decide where we will rent our first apartment
I am sure we will not regret Chicago and its weather (except for friends but we hope they will come to visit often)

[joyeaux]

wondersteph,
Tell us what kind of biking/walking you are looking for ... strolling with your 2 year old? Adult rides for over an hour?
I'm Mt P prejudice & walk & bike it all ... just love it. Sidewalks are neighborhood specific -- check! Biking or walking on the paths in Brickyard is great for families .. no sidewalks in my neighborhood of Molasses Creek, but I walk at night in neighboring I'on. Easy for kids there & in Park West & in the Old Village & in ... the list goes on. But what do you want/ and want to afford?
Coleman Blvd is a great ride to get you to Sullivan's Island, but not for kiddies. Patriot's Point is another easy ride, virtually all through a park. So many options here.

[wondersteph]

Thanks Joyeaux
well in Chicago we are used to go to work biking (around 10 min long) everyday (even when it is cold!) but I know it wont be possible in Charleston since we will both work downtown (well at least my husband) so even though I am sad about the idea on not using my bike every day I am ok with that
but I would still like to bike my kid to his childcare/school, or be able to bike to the closet grocery store for a couple of things (I have a basket on my bike so I always have room for a bag of groceries if needed), or going to the closest post office/starbuck/bookstore if available around, no more than a 15/25 min ride
on weekends and during summer, we take our bikes and join the bike lane along the Michigan lake and stop at a beach, we can bike 45 min with the little one, and since we are mostly on a bike lane it is really easy and completely safe
I would love to be able to keep doing that (family ride for a couple of hours) and go to a park, playground, beach, museum (if any?) etc. within 30 min biking, staying an hour or two and coming back home
in terms of walking, the same, ideally having a couple of shops within 15 min walking would be nice, or just walking in a friendly neighborhood on the evening, or being able to walk to a pool, a playground with my kid on a safe sidewalk
we would like to first rent a 3bdr for 6months/1 year and then buy a house, we have a budget of 300k and around 1400/month

[mrpeatie]

For walkability outside of downtown I would look at the Old Village and Ion in Mt Pleasant or the Windemere, Byrnes Down, Avandale area of West Ashley.

I'd also add that I find Sullivan's Island and Folly Beach pretty darned walkable.

The two Mt Pleasant areas I mentioned are going to be high $. That portion of West Ashley is were I live and has neighborhoods with homes from 150-200k in the Southern portion of the area to $1 million at the northern end (closest to Downtown and James Island.) It is also adjacent to a bike/running path down the West Ashley greenway.

[lenniel]

Hey Wondersteph,
We relocated from Lincoln Sqaure in Chicago (are you in the city or burbs?) back in Nov. I'd be glad to share my personal experiences with Cton.
Like you, we loved the fact that in Chgo, you can walk out your front door, walk a few blocks and have your choice of bars/rest/theartre/shops, etc. etc, especially in Lincoln Sq. I loved walking 5 doors down to a friends house for a beer or cookout and never having to use the car if not necessary. That's not the case here (for the most part), Much, much more driving.
We bought in Dunes West in MtP due to the schools, neighborhood amenties, family environment and value for the $. Dunes West is 'out there' as some would say down here but for a family, it's a really great hood. Just remember, the closer you get to the beach/downtown, the more $ you're going to pay.
You really need to come visit to assess what's important to you in terms of criteria, affordability, accessability, etc.
I think renting for a while is a good strategy before making a purchase commitment b/c your criteria may change after being here while.