Which is better Charleston or Savannah? (Mount Pleasant, Sumter: salon, hotel, house)

[AshleyPiper18]

My husband and I are looking to make a change in life. He runs an internet company as well as designs apps for phones. I am a hair stylist and salon owner. I was raised in Dallas, Texas and he spent most his life in Atlanta, GA.
We moved to Colorado Springs, CO a few years ago thinking snow would be nice but, we have decided that it's not working for us. Haha

We are looking to be closer to his family and be around the beach.
I plan to move my license and open a salon in whichever city we chose.

We are 24 and 27 looking for a nice area to raise kids and grow.
Budget is around 500k and would like to be within an hour of the beach. We will either home school or go with a private school. As of now we have no children and will probably wait 2-3 more years.

Now the question what are some good areas of Charleston? We have only ever visted and it is hard to get the feel of an area from a hotel. Haha
Also which do you feel is a better place to live Charleston or Savannah?
We plan on spending 2 weeks in each city this summer to try and narrow it down and make the move around September.

Thank you ahead of time.

[WiseManOnceSaid]

Well if you want beach, Charleston has more of it. Savannah only has one real beach to speak of and that's Tybee, and it's one heck of a drive from most parts of Savannah. I have lived in both cities and they both have their distinct charms. Savannah is wonderful, you have several choices as far as housing, the Islands, like Wilmington Island where you can find marsh front (some creeks) for your budget, Tybee Island is secluded from Savannah but might be an option if your looking to be close to the beach, then there's historic Savannah which is a hodgepodge of old, new, school, and business, you have the Southside of Savannah which is mostly Army Brats and rough traffic, after that you have suburban areas like Pooler, Springfield, and Richland Hills.

Charleston is a little more usable coast line. Charleston is more like, a bunch of water connected by spits of land. lol.. Mt. Pleasant, James Island, Isle of Palms, Sullivan's Island, Bull's Bay, Wadmalaw, Daniel Island, and the historic peninsula would all have homes in your price range and would be fairly close to the beach. Wadmalaw is more deep water creek front homes and would be the most isolated, but still only 40 minutes from the beach.

We have suburbs as well, West Ashley, Summerville, Goose Creek, Ravenel to name a few. If your looking at starting a family in a few years, that may mean possibly changing your home or having enough foresight to purchase a home with family qualities. If you are going to be having a lifestyle change in your future and you feel it's pretty certain, then I would consider looking at homes in the hot markets, one that you can sell easily. The hottest markets around here are Mount Pleasant, Daniel Island, the Peninsula (Downtown), James Island, with West Ashley, John's Island not too far behind.

Both cities are wonderful, I have raised children in both and you will have a great experience in either. I was raised here, and came back to here after a stint in Savannah, and I gotta say personally, that Charleston in the greatest city in the USA. I love Charleston.

You guys should try to schedule a tour guide weekend (Savannah is 1 1/2 hours from Charleston) so you can do a comparison for yourselves!

Hope that helped some....

I lived in Hurst, TX and Houston for a while. I don't miss the tornadoes.

[LocalHero]

It depends on what you're looking for but I think most people would choose (and are choosing) Charleston over Savannah. Housing costs more in Charleston but you would probably be satisfied with what your budget will allow you here.

I agree with Wise about the beaches... Charleston has more useable beach and we have a variety of "styles" on our beaches. Isle Of Palms and Sullivans are more of the family-oriented, quiet style of beach, Folly Beach is more of the young person's beach, and Kiawah/Seabrook are sort of like the wealthy playground beaches. (from my perspective, anyone under 30 is a "young person" :-/ ) These are generalizations of course but there are differences to choose from.

The areas Wise listed are all possibilities as well as Charleston peninsula itself of course. Your choice there depends on whether you want urban, suburban or rural living... If you want to live in a historic house or new.... whether it's important to be on water, etc.

I live close to downtown on James Island and like being in the suburbs where I'm 5 minutes from a kayak throw-in spot, but still close enough to the center of things. My daughter (still a "young person" at 30) wants to be right where the action is and lives downtown. You'll decide what works best for you once you get a better look see.

I think Charleston has a lot more going on culturally than Savannah. Spoleto is the obvious example but there is plenty more that makes Charleston a more happening place for it's size.

It will take you longer to drive to Atlanta from Charleston vs Savannah. Maybe 4.5hrs vs 3.5hrs if you intend to be making the trip a lot.

I moved here from Boulder 30 years ago. At first I really missed the mountains but it wasn't long before I loved the Lowcountry. Come check it out and you'll fall in love! (but be aware, the summer is going to be a big climate shock from CO)

[WiseManOnceSaid]

Originally Posted by LocalHero

It depends on what you're looking for but I think most people would choose (and are choosing) Charleston over Savannah. Housing costs more in Charleston but you would probably be satisfied with what your budget will allow you here.

I agree with Wise about the beaches... Charleston has more useable beach and we have a variety of "styles" on our beaches. Isle Of Palms and Sullivans are more of the family-oriented, quiet style of beach, Folly Beach is more of the young person's beach, and Kiawah/Seabrook are sort of like the wealthy playground beaches. (from my perspective, anyone under 30 is a "young person" :-/ ) These are generalizations of course but there are differences to choose from.

The areas Wise listed are all possibilities as well as Charleston peninsula itself of course. Your choice there depends on whether you want urban, suburban or rural living... If you want to live in a historic house or new.... whether it's important to be on water, etc.

I live close to downtown on James Island and like being in the suburbs where I'm 5 minutes from a kayak throw-in spot, but still close enough to the center of things. My daughter (still a "young person" at 30) wants to be right where the action is and lives downtown. You'll decide what works best for you once you get a better look see.

I think Charleston has a lot more going on culturally than Savannah. Spoleto is the obvious example but there is plenty more that makes Charleston a more happening place for it's size.

It will take you longer to drive to Atlanta from Charleston vs Savannah. Maybe 4.5hrs vs 3.5hrs if you intend to be making the trip a lot.

I moved here from Boulder 30 years ago. At first I really missed the mountains but it wasn't long before I loved the Lowcountry. Come check it out and you'll fall in love! (but be aware, the summer is going to be a big climate shock from CO)

Yeah it's really nice living in Charleston, we all are like 2 minutes from a creek or river or water. I spend almost every summer day (even in the heat and humidity, you get used to it) on the water, or fishing, or just drinking sweet tea.

It's one of the greatest amenities that nature gave us here in Charleston, so I try to use it as much as possible. Common Myth: you have to own a boat to enjoy Charleston... Wrong, I fish all the time from the many piers, docks, bridges, biking trails, etc that don't require a boat. Also, you can buy a pre-owned kayak for $200 bucks and go swamp exploring, or barrier island exploring, or a million other fun things to do. Just don't go exploring Ft. Sumter lol... tried that once

[LocalHero]

Not to veer too far off topic, but I kayak out to Ft Sumpter often... Why do you say don't go there?

[WiseManOnceSaid]

We went out and beached ourselves on the rocks around the Fort once and the Coast Guard came and paid us a visit. They politely ran us off with a warning that if we were caught on the island again we would go to jail. Said we were treasure hunting on a Federally protected property. Which we weren't we were just exploring.

[LocalHero]

I've gone out there plenty of times and toured the fort. The Tour guides were quite welcoming. Touring the fort is free, it's only the boat ride to the fort that normally costs. Maybe the CG didnt' like you beaching on the rocks? There's a big sand bar on the James Island side to beach on though it can get shallow for a power boat.