Thinking of relocating....need some advice! (Columbia, Charleston: section 8, sales, real estate)

[bleighorr]

well how bout this (and after reading one person's post about how can people just pick up and relocate....) I am a single parent who did the crazy relocation thing from Raleigh, NC to Kingsland, GA last year. It was just about the dumbest decision I ever made; however, I did it because i lost a great job as an indirect sales rep when I had my last son and had exhausted my unemployment. I moved based off emotion, wanting a fresh start, avoiding more baby daddie drama, etc.....i had about 8K and no job. Moved here because of the great schools (and they are great.) But nothing else was. It took me over 4 months to find a job in this town, and when i did, i had $98.00 to my name.

I have 6 children, oldest just went into the USAF this past spring. I'm considering moving to Charleston because there seem to be many great jobs there. Yes, packing is hell. Yanking kids outta schools is worse. I have 5 boys and 1 girl, but they all managed to adjust when we made the move here last year. My oldest son at home is in 11th grade and a starter on the Camden County HS football team.....but guess what??? The jobs are HORRIBLE here, i went from making well over $40K a year to $12.00 an hour, and the cost of living is only about $100 less a month than it was in Raleigh.

The school system is great though....there are almost 4,000 students in Camden County High School, and the worst thing that has happened have been a few fights and a bomb threat. The teachers are wonderful, the administration is so-so, the campus is beautiful, and the sports teams are solid. The thing i love the most is that they have Fellowship of Christian Athletes here and the school sponsors Christian related activities. Teachers in Raleigh are not even allowed to speak about religion....so this has been absolutely wonderful for my children!!

Problem is: I'm drowning. With no hope. Being a single parent here is a nightmare. Their section 8 program only allotted 50 income based applications for the next few years, and their daycare assistance program is a JOKE. I make $12.00 an hour and my parent portion for daycare is $300 a month!!

So do i continue to live in poverty, or uproot again and try my hand in another area????? My commute to Jacksonville, FL would be about 2 hours per day round trip if I got a job in Jacksonville...they've been working on the highways for like 10 years and anticipated completion probably in another 10....2 lanes into the city on I-95, roads raggedy and people speeding like crazy. I'd NEVER live there, downtown is very pretty but the city is raggedy and the cost of living in FL is astronomic. As soon as you go over the GA/FL border, gas jumps up about 30 cents per gallon. Plus, Jacksonville is crime ridden....when you turn the news on every day, at least 1 person has died in Jacksonville, many times 4 or 5 overnight. So Jacksonville, FL is definitely not an option for me....i may not make it home from work!

I have 5 kids left at home: 16, 13, 11, 5, and almost 2. Can anyone give me some advice on where to live, where the jobs are at...how daycare is, which way traffic flows best if I were to get a job downtown, the best employers, and the best schools. I've submitted a few job applications, and my relocation will be 3 hours from Camden County, GA to Charleston.

My career has gone to hell since moving here, as working at a domestic violence shelter for the last year making $12.00 has crushed my resume As well, the average employer here pays about $7.00 an hour. I'm thinking in moving to a bigger metro area, I'll probably be walking into a moderate income job .....I have a B.A. and varied skill set. I'm currently renting a small house for $875.00 per month and i'm going under w/ this $12.00/hour crap. when i lost my job in Raleigh, i had voluntary foreclosure (house sold for full asking price, but just 8 months later) so credit score went from 800 to dookey too.

However, to sum it all up: I feel compelled to relocate yet again....because if i don't, this awful southern Georgia economy will suck the life out of me and my children and we'll be out in the street.

If Charleston is not the land of opportunity and an awful city for single parents, someone please let me know.....don't be shy!!

Thanks for your response everyone!!!! b

[DJShymansky]

I'm so sorry to hear all that's been going on this past year for you and your family. I'm glad your kids sound like they've adjusted well, that's certainly a credit to your parenting.

I wish I could guarantee you that Charleston would be the answer to your prayers, but regardless of anything else, the entire situation would depend on the local job you found here. I've posted a number of time the link to the area's top employers, but I'd certainly recommend continuing the job search before even thinking about housing. If you can find a job to put you in a comfortable pay scale, locally, finding you the housing would be the easy part, whether it's renting or buying. There are plenty of options currently available in the area, and it's never been a better time to be a home buyer in the Charleston tri-county area.

Check SCIway.net - South Carolina Information Highway - SC and Charleston, SC Breaking News, Weather, Business, and Sports | Charleston.Net for local job information. Let us know if there's anything else you need in the meantime.

[bleighorr]

Thanks for your reply, and definitely appreciate the information/links.

I've been almost having a stroke reading about the commute nightmares in Charleston (if living out in Goose Creek or Summerville). Are there companies out in Summerville that pay comparably to those in downtown Charleston?

What areas of Charleston are decent family neighborhoods without having the travel complications? My children are very athletic, and I couldn't imagine getting them to sports/recreation practice on time fighting a 2 hour commute per day....

[DJShymansky]

There are probably more larger companies in the North Charleston area than there are in downtown Charleston. Let me see if I can find the link for you of the top twenty in the North Charleston area (which would be closer to the Goose Creek/Hanahan/Summerville area, commute-wise).

Be right back.

EDIT--

Here's a list of the top 50 or so employers in the Charleston Tri County area. I'll find another of the top 20 in North Charleston:

# US Navy, Product/Services: Various naval commands, Full-Time Employees: 9,514
# Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Product/Services: Healthcare, research, post-secondary education, Full-Time Employees: 8,000
# Charleston Air Force Base, Product/Services: United States Air Force, Full-Time Employees: 5,292
# Charleston County School District, Product/Services: Primary & secondary education, Full-Time Employees: 4,865
# CareAlliance Health Services, Product/Services: Healthcare (Roper, Roper North, & Bon Secours St Francis Hospitals), Full-Time Employees: 4,500
# Berkeley County School District, Product/Services: Primary & secondary education, Full-Time Employees: 3,538
# Charleston County, Product/Services: County government, Full-Time Employees: 2,243
# Westvaco Corporation, Product/Services: Kraft paper, packaging, chemicals, lumber, etc., Full-Time Employees: 2,205
# Columbia/HCA Carolinas Div HQ & Medical Centers, Product/Services: Trident Health System's Medical Centers & Columbia Reg'l HQ, Full-Time Employees: 1,882
# Piggly Wiggly Carolina Co. Inc, Product/Services: Grocery headquarters & 23 area stores, Full-Time Employees: 1,800
# Robert Bosch Corporation, Product/Services: Fuel injection & braking systems, Full-Time Employees: 1,704
# Dorchester County School District II, Product/Services: Primary & secondary education, Full-Time Employees: 1,685
# Santee Cooper, Product/Services: Electric utility, Full-Time Employees: 1,640
# City of Charleston, Product/Services: Municipal government, Full-Time Employees: 1,600
# Wal Mart Stores, Product/Services: Retail general merchandise (7 area stores), Full-Time Employees: 1,560
# Bi-Lo Inc., Product/Services: 14 area grocery stores, Full-Time Employees: 1,300
# U.S. Postal Service (incl. Remote Encoding Center), Product/Services: Postal service, Full-Time Employees: 1,200
# R.H. Johnson Dept. of Veterans Affairs Hospital, Product/Services: Healthcare, Full-Time Employees: 1,100
# SC Electric & Gas Company, Product/Services: Electric & gas utility, Full-Time Employees: 1,000
# College of Charleston, Product/Services: Post secondary education, Full-Time Employees: 990
# Interactive Performance Inc. (IPI), Product/Services: Billing & accounts receivable services, Full-Time Employees: 950
# Cummins Engine Divisions & Joint Ventures, Product/Services: Automotive products, Full-Time Employees: 939
# City of North Charleston, Product/Services: Municipal government, Full-Time Employees: 904
# Kiawah Island Resort, Product/Services: Resort, Full-Time Employees: 850
# Nucor Steel, Product/Services: Steel roll and beam manufacturing complex, Full-Time Employees: 760
# The Post & Courier, Product/Services: Daily newspaper/publishing, Full-Time Employees: 744
# Blackbaud, Product/Services: Software development and design, Full-Time Employees: 708
# Lowes, Product/Services: Retail home improvement stores, Full-Time Employees: 701
# Bass Hotels & Resorts, Product/Services: Accommodations Reservations Center, Full-Time Employees: 700
# Food Lion Stores, Product/Services: 16 area grocery stores, Full-Time Employees: 700
# Detyen's Shipyard, Product/Services: Boat building and repair, Full-Time Employees: 700
# Bayer Corporation, Product/Services: Dyes, pigments, fibers, chemicals, etc., Full-Time Employees: 670
# Charleston Place Hotel, Product/Services: Lodging, Full-Time Employees: 630
# Alcoa Mt. Holly, Product/Services: Primary & alloyed aluminum ingots, Full-Time Employees: 623
# East Cooper Regional Medical Center, Product/Services: Healthcare, Full-Time Employees: 610
# Williams Technologies, Product/Services: Remanufacture automotive transmissions, Full-Time Employees: 608
# Main-Waters Management, Product/Services: Restaurants, Full-Time Employees: 600
# US Coast Guard Group/Base Charleston, Product/Services: US Coast Guard, Full-Time Employees: 600
# The Citadel, Product/Services: Post-secondary education, Full-Time Employees: 600
# Trident Technical College, Product/Services: Post-secondary & continuing education, Full-Time Employees: 585
# Destination Wild Dunes, Product/Services: Resort & property management, Full-Time Employees: 575

EDIT EDIT:

Here's the top 19 (I could've sworn it was originally 20 *shrug*) employers in the North Charleston area:

Listed below are the top 20 employers in the North Charleston area:

1. Charleston Air Force Base
102 East Hill Blvd
North Charleston SC 29404-5004
843-963-5608

2. Charleston County
4045 Bridge View Dr
North Charleston, SC 29405
843-958-4700

3. Robert Bosch Corp. - Automotive Group
8101 Dorchester Rd
North Charleston, SC 29418
843-760-7000

4. Trident Medical Center (Trident Health System)
9330 Medical Plaza Drive
North Charleston, SC 29406
843-797-7000

5. US Postal Service
7075 Cross County Rd
North Charleston, SC 29418
843-760-5400

6. OSI
4275 Bridge View Dr
North Charleston, SC 29405
843-308-7400

7. Meadwestvaco Corp. - Kraft Division
5600 Virginia Ave
North Charleston, SC 29405
843-745-3000

8. City Of North Charleston
4900 Lacross Rd.
North Charleston, SC 29406
843-554-5700

9. Verizon Wireless
2401 Mall Dr
North Charleston, SC 29406
843-529-6438

10. American LaFrance
8500 Palmetto Pkwy
North Charleston, SC 29456
843-821-1800

11. Detyens Shipyards, Inc.
1670 Drydock Ave, Ste 200, Bldg 236
North Charleston, SC 29405
843-308-8000

12. Trident Public Health District (SCDHEC)
4050 Bridgeview Drive, Perimeter Center, Ste 600
North Charleston, SC 29405
843-746-3800

13. Scientific Research Corporation (SRC)
3860 Faber Place Dr, Ste 100
North Charleston, SC 29405
843-747-8766

14. CSC (Computer Sciences Corp)
4975 Lacross Rd
North Charleston, SC 29406
843-745-0055

15. Intercontinental Hotels
5101 Ashley Phosphate Rd, Ste 160
North Charleston, SC 29418
843-760-5904

16. Behr Heat Transfer Systems, Inc.
4500 Leeds Ave, Ste 101
North Charleston, SC 29405
843-745-1233

17. Cullum Mechanical Construction
3325 Pacific Ave.
North Charleston, SC 29418
843-554-6645

18. South Carolina Federal Credit Union
2175 Credit Union Lane
North Charleston, SC 29418
843-569-5133

19. Milcom Systems Corporation
3185 Industry Dr.
North Charleston, SC 29418
843-767-1442

[Luvsdabeach]

Sorry to hear about your situation. I have a SIL that lives in Newnan, GA. due to her DH being from there. I see that you have two children that are getting close to possibly going to college. The good thing about GA is if their grades are good, I can't remember the GPA they need, but GA will pay for them to go to a public college. That is how 2 of my SIL's children were able to go college without having to worry about debt after they graduate.

My SIL works in Atlanta and she drives to catch the Marta to town. I'm not trying to talk you out of moving here but since you are a single mom it might pay for you to check out other jobs in GA.. My child is a senior and I see how much college is going to cost. YIKES!

[wordzgirl]

I'm sorry as well to hear about the struggle you're having. I guess I would send resumes to the top employers in Charleston and just follow up like crazy. Also, and I don't want to come off as judgmental, but is there any way you can collect some much-needed child support for your kids? Sounds like you could really use it. Where I live now goes after dads like crazy for child support - we apparently have some of the best collection rates in the country. The deadbeat dads hate it, but the parents raising their children and struggling really need that extra money, and it sounds like you do as well.

Good luck in your decisions. It's never easy uprooting our families, is it?

[bleighorr]

D: WOW guy.......You're the Best!!!!!!!! Thanks so much for takin the time to provide me with all the info about the top rated companies, etc. I'm checkin it all out today!!!! I also just submitted my stuff to the SC Employment Guide....i see they are having a job fair at the end of this month, so why not??

To reply to the other posts, yes they have the Hope Scholarship in GA, 80 average in h.s. qualifies a student. The scholarship helps with tuiton, books, etc., Anything at this point helps....but if i had my choice to move towards Atlanta (and their commute is worse than Charleston) or to Charleston, i'd take Charleston. My oldest son is currently in the USAF, going through Sheppard AFB for electronics. When he finishes his course of training, he'll be an electrician working on troubleshooting electrical systems in F16s and similar aircraft. And to think: he's just a h.s. graduate, a C student, actually. He just tested well on the entrance exam and got a 77 on his military assessment. He said this is the hardest he's ever worked and he currently has an A in his tech school. There are 11 airmen total in his school right now and the USAF only sends 1,000 airmen a year throughout the whole country through this tech school....so i'm blessed already because that was always a dream of mine (to go into the USAF) but then i had kids....and we all know what happens then....haha. Great thing about it is that my son has not forgotten about his mom and his brothers and sister....set up an allotment for family right away even though he's still an E1, in addition to investing in GI bill. So my other sons are now looking at this as an alternative to college. I love my babies so much!!! :-))

I'm thinking that although i love the smaller town lifestyle, I need to get near a bigger place because it's just not feasible for me to make $12.00 an hour, not with my skills/bills and my financial situation. I've always had to sacrifice great jobs because i couldn't train for two weeks here or there (no daycare), etc., but I really desire a career with a bunch of stability now. When the kids were smaller and I had to leave work due to illness, etc., it becomes an issue with some companies. I want a very family friendly company that promotes from within and gives back to the community. I'm greedy, huh? Guess we're all looking for that, and few really find it.

Not to be too personal, but I currently have a few child support orders, both ruled "noncollectable." One ex recently started getting indigent social security, and child support cannot take from that type of SSI by law, so they closed the case. The other owes me about 100,000, they can't find him. I've had a running red tape on his tax return for years now but since he doesn't work legitimately, they can't tap into something that hasn't been filed. But enough of my child support woes. I've accepted a long time ago that God gave me these children and I'm all they have. It's all about being proactive and not stopping until you reach the goal. I think a single parent needs to be president, because i've learned to stretch a dollar to Alaska and back!! Actually, I'm just a Yard Sale Queen.... ($500,000 taste, $5.00 budget!!)

I appreciate everyone's advice, and will just have to trust God about my situation....He's never let me down, so let me grab my mustard seed now...*wink*

Thanks again, D, for your input. I'll definitely look you up, should I end up there...!!!

And thanks to the other ladies for the kind words and best wishes, right back atcha!!

p.s. Hey D, i'd make a great real estate agent, everyone tells me that....i just need the stability of a benefited job....so maybe when i have 1 left in the nest, I'll go Prudential RE school....lol

[free2beme]

The cost of living in Charleston meets the workforce. Charleston isn't that great, trust me. Most of the time, the people that responded to your email are married or working for the chamber of commerce to recruit more people to come and live in Charleston. Charleston does not pay you what you are worth. As a single mom, Charleston is not the place to be if you trully want to live comfortably. I've been here for 16 years and still not satisfying enough for me to call home. Two pointers you should think of: N. Charleston was rated no. 2 for most violent cities in the US recently and the school systems can never make the grade. We recently got our school reports and nearly all the schools rated below average. Think about it. Included one of the best school systems in Charleston which was very shocking to me. I will be leaving as soon as possible, the unfornate thing was I was planning to relocate to Jacksonville, " So much for that". This is also a free will state. I can loose your job for standing up for what you feel your pay rate should be based on your education and experience. Companies here don't believe employees should stand up for themselves, everything is do as I say, if you want your job. Example: if you are the type of employee that can call your employer on BS and you know that they are in the wrong, you can be fired. point blank. Don't move here, you'll be heading back out within the next 2-5 years tops.

Single mom of two.

[moneill]

I say attitude is everything. You find what you are looking for whereever you live.