Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > South Carolina > Charleston area
 [Register]
Charleston area Charleston - North Charleston - Mt. Pleasant - Summerville - Goose Creek
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 05-05-2014, 01:49 PM
 
Location: Charlotte, NC
33 posts, read 101,362 times
Reputation: 15

Advertisements

What are the top 5 pros and the top 5 cons about living in Charleston?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 05-05-2014, 02:15 PM
 
Location: Charleston, SC
7,102 posts, read 5,925,984 times
Reputation: 5712
For me my pros and cons:

PROS
1) The Water, I love to fish and boat and kayak and Charleston is "a bunch of water connected by bridges"
2) The People. Everyone says hi to you when the pass you on the street, men still hold doors open for ladies, it's just friendly here.
3) The climate. We are in a sub-tropical zone, which means warm humid summers and short brief winters.
4) The economy, with every growth spurt you will have growing pains, but this is one heck of a town to make a living in. Economy is ripe with opportunities.
5) The history. Everywhere you go, there's something new to explore. Not just in Downtown, but in places like Awendaw and Edisto. South Carolina is oozing history and has tried to restore a lot of its historical roots. I never get bored with all there is to explore.

CONS
1) Gator Gnats - Nuff said!
2) The infrastucture - sadly lacking behind our expansion resulting in epic gridlock
3) The humidity - It's just plain sticky here
4) The amount of sprawl that's taking place, I'd rather see the farmland remain farmland and the urban areas re-vitalized.
5) The lack of any major entertainment draws, I'd love to see a pro sports team or a destination like Six Flags or something really nice to take my kids. You can only go to the Children's museum a few hundred times before they get bored.

Last edited by WiseManOnceSaid; 05-05-2014 at 02:34 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-05-2014, 03:47 PM
 
9,850 posts, read 7,559,868 times
Reputation: 8345
Pros:
1. Big Oak Trees (i.e. Hwy 61 and others) and marsh
2. Palm Trees and Ocean (boating)
3. Good fresh seafood
4. Downtown Charleston is nice to walk around/history
5. The Battery and downtown homes are fun to tour/history
6. Crabbing, fishing, shrimping, etc.

Cons:

1. Humidity, no distinct 4 seasons
2. Low wages
3. Humidity
4. Snakes (brother bitten and dog bitten)
5. Roaches/waterbugs whatever you want to call them
6. Humidity
7. Not much growth. Area seems to stay rather stagnant
8. I'd like to see more building renovations and improvements. Buildings seem to stay vacant forever and ever and ruin the looks of an area.
9. TRAFFIC....AWFUL. You can't get anywhere fast.
10. One way streets...frustrating if you're in a hurry.
11. Shopping. The area lacks big time.
12. mosquitoes
13. Crime
14. Earthquakes
15. Hurricanes
16. Flooding when it rains
17. Flat...no hills unless you go over a speed bump.
18. Higher cost of living
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-05-2014, 03:54 PM
 
Location: Shaker Heights, OH
5,257 posts, read 5,178,399 times
Reputation: 4265
Still the #1 place I want to move too...maybe in a few yrs I can open an office of my current company down there...I'm just not quite ready to do something like that quite yet. But from the years of visiting my family in the area...this is my list.

Pros:
1) The Food...restaraunt scene is only topped by NYC and Las Vegas
2) The Water...love boating, swimming, kayaking, surfing, kite boarding, paddle boarding, the beach
3) Climate...it does have 4 seasons but winter is short and not too cold, rarely ever have to deal w/ snow or ice.
4) The People...even as a gay guy, I've never felt unwelcome there...unlike other areas of SC and the deep south
5) The History...self explanatory I think.
6) Adding a 6th...the city has far more cultural opportunities than many cities w/ 2 or 3 times the population...what city can offer arts festivals like SEWE or Performing Arts festivals like Spoleto

Cons
1) Sprawl...and the lack of more dense urban development which is preferable to sprawl
2) Height Limits...while I appreciate the view of the steeples...you can allow on certain corridors some higher buildings for bigger hotels/condos/apartments that would allow denser development in the inner core.
3) Lack of transit...bus system is okay but not easy to use...one could not live car free in the area.
4) Get bypassed by most big concerts...it would suck to have to go to Charlotte, Raleigh, Jacksonville, or Atlanta to see big shows like Fleetwood Mac
5) Paying property tax on your car ever year sucks. In Ohio, I pay $45 to renew my license plate each year and that's it...when I lived in Ft Mill, I had to pay several hundred dollars each year to renew my tag as a propery tax on my car.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-05-2014, 04:28 PM
 
Location: Charleston, SC
1,048 posts, read 2,276,879 times
Reputation: 571
Pros
The spectacular scenery: water everywhere, old oak trees with Spanish moss draping roadways
The history and architecture
The restaurant options
The people
The short winters

Cons:
DARN gnats (they love me)
Oppressive humidity
Lack of mass transit causing gridlock while this area grows exponentially
No mall worth talking about
Noticeable lack of work ethic and I'm in the medical field
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-05-2014, 05:41 PM
 
207 posts, read 443,182 times
Reputation: 259
Pros
Climate love it!
History
For a small area lots of things to do
Beautiful
Friendly people

Cons
1.Expensive if you want to live close to charleston compared to other southern cities
2. Traffic
3. Sad to see all the areas where trees are being pulled down to make new housing that are all cookie cutter with no trees
4. How long the humidity lasts
5. Mosquitos
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-05-2014, 07:42 PM
 
Location: Charleston, SC metro
3,517 posts, read 5,290,291 times
Reputation: 1403
If you don't mind, I'd like to start with the negatives in order to end on a positive. Positives far outweigh the negatives.

Cons
1. Traffic - Budget for infrastructure doesn't meet the demand. You'd think that with more people coming here, there's more money for transportation infrastructure, but there seems to be a bit of lag. I would also put the particular metro sprawl in here, as the heavily trafficked areas for tourists and weekend traffic is to the beaches, where thousands of travelers venture, yet you're going to run into a significant chunk of 30/35 MPH zones as well as 40/45 zones. It takes an hour to get from Philadelphia to Atlantic City - that's across the entire state of New Jersey. Traveling from suburban Summerville (north of 17A) to IOP or Folly takes you the same amount of time. Just seems like poor planning.
2. Bugs - Bug bites are aplenty and you shouldn't really go anywhere between April and October without bug spray. Bites seem to last 3+ weeks as well.
3. Family-friendly locations just don't fit. This area could use TRIPLE the size for a Children's museum. The aquarium is great, but overpriced at least 200%. This metro could really support at least a small theme park. Investors, please come talk to me.

Pros
1. Absolutely breathtaking views everywhere. There are beautiful views everywhere you turn. Because there is so much waterfront everywhere and so many odd directions and angles for sunsets, waterfronts, etc. it is a photographer's dream.
2. Culture. This area has just been absolutely wonderful. The local culture, even the transplants seem to get it most of the time. Sure, there may too many from other areas that want to go-go-go, but they die down over time. The festivals are amazing and aplenty as well.
3. Beaches. Savannah has one beach. Charleston metro has Kiawah (Beachwalker), Folly, Sullivans, and IOP. With the growing population, one can still find a nice beach spot on a weekend day that's at least a par 3 away from everyone else.
4. Weather. Go ahead and Google how many days of sunshine Charleston gets. I dare you. Humidity, meh. I like to be baked to be honest with you. I don't care for the cold and oftentimes find the feeling of coming out of 4 hours of A/C to intense heat almost like a blanket of love.
5. Restaurants. We all know NYC may have a lot of restaurants, but how many are any good? Charleston is a foodie town. And that is AWESOME. My brother-in-law, a lawyer at an infamous NYC firm said earlier this year, "wow, I had no idea Charleston was such a great food town". This coming from someone who was born and raised in Manhattan. They will be back every year. So many to try. For work friends, I once compiled a list of restaurants to try within driving range. My list was over 200+. WTF!?!?!?! Food trucks are more advanced than many cities as well. So many to taste and choose from.
6. Taxes. I'm a libertarian, so fiscally conservative. It feels great knowing that gas is cheaper, property taxes are lower and the tax structure overall is different. Sure, the vehicle tax is different than what I'm used to, but I'm also used to paying a lot when you buy a car, then paying for a worthless inspection every year as well. Plus, vehicle taxes go towards schools, so rest assure.
7. Parks and visual perks. Beautiful parks that the area actually invests in. Not the same "declare this a park and invest only in someone to empty the trash bin once a week." People around here CARE about their parks and plant flowers constantly (when some die, they are replaced). Almost every park is beautiful or has an amenity for the family (playground, baseball field, garden, etc.). It just seems too good to be true.
8. History. This has been mentioned, but it feels great knowing that live in/around a city that was on the list for being the nations capital once. It was pivotal in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars and remains a military haven to this day. Downtown is amazing and I applaud the committees keeping it that way. I don't mean conservative senselessness like keeping out cruise ports. I mean keeping the architecture rules in place for so long.
9. Room to grow. I cannot wait for Union Pier to be transformed. I cannot wait for Ingleside and Nexton to pop up. Sure, they may add traffic, but it's just overall, going to be great for the area. I know people want to preserve their small-town feel, but that's never going to happen in any metro nowadays. If you want small town, move to a small town away from a growing metro. It's just how life is nowadays. People are moving in.
10. Pride. I hated where I lived for 30 years before moving here. Now I have pride. I will defend this place ruthlessly, even though I haven't been here as long as others. I actively read about history and local events. I know more about developments in this area than my friends who have been here 5 times as long. I am finally interested in where I live. I am proud to have moved here and proud to be a part of even the simplest events. I love this place. I don't live downtown, but I live in the metro area. Yet, still, I love it here.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-05-2014, 08:03 PM
 
45,680 posts, read 23,807,000 times
Reputation: 15558
Where have you all lived where the infrastructure was sufficient for the demand?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-05-2014, 08:07 PM
 
45,680 posts, read 23,807,000 times
Reputation: 15558
Location, location, location.

We love how easy it is to get everywhere and how rarely we sit in traffic -- yup, seriously!!!!!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-05-2014, 08:11 PM
 
Location: Charleston, SC metro
3,517 posts, read 5,290,291 times
Reputation: 1403
Quote:
Originally Posted by moneill View Post
Where have you all lived where the infrastructure was sufficient for the demand?
Rochester NY tbh. Nothing to do there and I hated it, but no traffic.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:




Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > South Carolina > Charleston area

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top