Moving to SC: North or South of Georgetown? (Charleston, North Charleston: real estate, crime)

[Mapela]

My work has offered me a job in Georgetown, and originally I was very excited. I had heard that the schools were great and of course its on the coast and I miss the ocean terribly. But now that I've started researching the area on line, I'm filled with many doubts about the possibility. I wanted this to be a move that would improve my families living conditions.

I currently live in Memphis, TN which is currently rated 13th on the most dangerous cities list (and trust me I see it), and 2nd on the most dangerous metropolitan area list. Then I see that North Charleston is 20th on the most dangerous city list, and the metropolitan area of Myrtle Beach is 3rd right under Memphis. Not only that, the schools in SC seem to be rated very low in the nation, though I'm having a hard time finding a source for school ratings that is easy to understand and that rates the schools on comparable metrics.

I have two girls, 7 and 11, so schools are high on the priority list for me. Both girls are active as well (competitive softball and cheerleading) so we need a community with opportunities in sports. My husband is a golfer working on his PGA card, so being close to PGA event courses would be a plus. I do not want to live in Georgetown, and was told by a fellow employee that I should look either north towards Murrells Inlet or south towards Charleston (Mt. Pleasant).

Which finally brings us to my question.... What's it really like in the area, and what area's would best suit my families needs? I've read a lot about Summerville, and that seems like a possible location, but I have not seen many threads that discuss the areas north of Georgetown.

I'm asking for realistic views and information to help me make a life changing decision for my family.

[baylovers]

There is certainly light at the end of the tunnel!

If you ask the same questions on the SC board you will get more info on the northern side of Georgetown. I cannot help you much on the south end other than it is a trip!

We moved from Long Island, NY to Pawleys Island about a year and a half ago and have not regretted it one bit. We have children in Waccamaw Elementary school & the high school and have been pleased with both.

A quick breakdown of the area... 12 miles north of Georgetown is Pawleys. There is the Town of Pawleys Island which is long sliver of land that is mainly very expensive summer homes and there is the Pawleys Island Community, which is the unincorporated area know affectionately as the "mainland". It is really nice area of year-round residents that seem to look out for each other. Several churches of all denominations and many activities through the schools & churches. There are also several intramural sports leagues (baseball, softball, basketball, soccer etc) and a few travel teams.

Schools: Waccamaw Elementary & High School have received very good ratings on the state level. The middle school has been mediocre. Next year they are re-alligning the schools when they open the intermediate school due to substantial growth. I believe it will be Elementary (K-3) Intermediate (4-6), Middle (7-8) and HS (9-12). All facilities are clean and appear to be well run despite some over crowding. All the elementary classes have 18-20 students and receive adequate attention. The new school should resolve some of the issues with the Middle grades. The high school is fairly new but it looks like it is brand new, the principle is quite popular but also no-nonsense. Here's the link to the school district.

There was an article recently on the school ratings:
MyrtleBeachOnline.com | 11/15/2007 | Area schools take hits on report cards (broken link)
and here are the grades received for both Georgetown & Horry County:
http://media.myrtlebeachonline.com/s...filiate.78.pdf

The housing communities vary greatly. You can go to Prince George or DeBordieu and pay a million for a house minimum. Then their are other areas where you can get a 3 b/r house for $250k. I can send you a couple of real estate search engines but I cannot post them here due to the rules.

Murrells Inlet is nice area as well with different housing options and a little farther to commute to G-town. I would not recommend Georgetown if you have young kids as the schools are so-so... although I like the historic district.

Local newspapers are a good source to guage the political and crime climate, I found it worth the subscription so I had a feel for things.
Georgetown Times
Coastal Observer

That's some info to digest for now... if you are interested I'd be happy to get you some more.

[baylovers]

I forgot to mention the golf.... more than you could shake a club at.

Here is a list of courses within 45 minutes of Pawleys Island (75!!), I believe several of them are PGA rated.

[buyhomesincharleston]

Originally Posted by Mapela

My work has offered me a job in Georgetown, and originally I was very excited. I had heard that the schools were great and of course its on the coast and I miss the ocean terribly. But now that I've started researching the area on line, I'm filled with many doubts about the possibility. I wanted this to be a move that would improve my families living conditions.

I currently live in Memphis, TN which is currently rated 13th on the most dangerous cities list (and trust me I see it), and 2nd on the most dangerous metropolitan area list. Then I see that North Charleston is 20th on the most dangerous city list, and the metropolitan area of Myrtle Beach is 3rd right under Memphis. Not only that, the schools in SC seem to be rated very low in the nation, though I'm having a hard time finding a source for school ratings that is easy to understand and that rates the schools on comparable metrics.

I have two girls, 7 and 11, so schools are high on the priority list for me. Both girls are active as well (competitive softball and cheerleading) so we need a community with opportunities in sports. My husband is a golfer working on his PGA card, so being close to PGA event courses would be a plus. I do not want to live in Georgetown, and was told by a fellow employee that I should look either north towards Murrells Inlet or south towards Charleston (Mt. Pleasant).

Which finally brings us to my question.... What's it really like in the area, and what area's would best suit my families needs? I've read a lot about Summerville, and that seems like a possible location, but I have not seen many threads that discuss the areas north of Georgetown.

I'm asking for realistic views and information to help me make a life changing decision for my family.

Mapela, I have had three clients who came to work for Georgetown Steel in the last three years. Two of them chose to live in Mt Pleasant and commute 1.5 hours each way, one of them decided to stay in Pawleys Is. Mt. Pleasant provides many more choices in housing and lifestyle (it's more of a mixed use community, not only retirees and tourists, like some of the areas closer to Georgetown), but then there's the commute!

BuyHomesInCharleston

[SCBeaches]

If you're working in Georgetown, I would definitely go with Pawley's Island. I have friends there and it is indeed a quaint community and very friendly...as Baylovers said, the schools there are very good with many sports and other activities for your children. There are also many golf courses in the vacinity, which fits your criteria. I personally wouldn't live in Mt. Pleasant again... too spread out and too much traffic. If you decide on an area away from Georgetown, I would lean towards Summerville - another very nice, friendly community with great schools and lots of opportunities for your children to get involved in sports and other activities.

[waccamatt]

Murrell's Inlet is also a possibility as it lies on the border between Georgetown and Horry Counties. To the south of Georgetown you won't find much until you get into the Charleston suburbs, which would be quite a long commute. While SC schools as a whole are rated poorly, it is the rural school districts in our state that pull down the rankings. This is a travesty, but there are many good school districts in the urban and suburban areas of South Carolina, though I don't know the specifics about the Georgetown area.