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Charleston was ranked the most expensive spring break spot in the US. I know we keep getting #1 ratings and what not, but just how high do things get before people start to turn back? I mean the Bridge Run had a nice dip in attendance this year, and many said its just not worth the pricey $55. Cutting back on some of the Bridge Run flashyness could help reduce the ticket price (do we really need skydivers and dj's?). And that's how I feel about downtown as a whole. I feel the city is too focused on flash and "Beverly Hills East", and driving everyone else out. As a Cofc student I've seen downtown get more and more Beverly Hills sent I got here. My dorm rent is over $1000/month. I can name at least 10 places downtown that catered to us college kids and were cheap and good, but the city keeps raising rent and they couldn't afford it anymore, and now theyre gone.
Whats moving in? High end boutiques and veggie wrap places and what not. My tuition keeps going up too and I can name a classroom of friends who have had to transfer because CofC is just too dang much. I know downtown Charleston is a one of a kind place, even though it never even smells good lol, but how expensive does it have to get before people say nevermind? I mean we do have Myrtle Beach, which is a lot more family friendly, just 2 hours away.
The Charleston area as a whole is "expensive" compared to the rest of the state, but downtown is getting out of control, and its spilling into Mt P and above. Sales taxes are crazy too. Is Charleston just that awesome where we wont be affected, or will people start thinking twice? Even with the improved economy, $400/night just for a hotel is still something most people can really consider. That's not considering gas/plane ticket, paid tours, and the overpriced meal at Bubba Gumps.
That's what usually happens when space is limited, and demand is high. When you have wealthy transplants willing to pay the rent, the sky is the limit. I don't see things slowing down, the avg tourist age last year was in the mid-50s (so they have the money to spend).
Yeah I agree, demand, demand, demand. Tourist and transplants pay it and rates keep going up.
The cost of living there keeps moving up, but it's probably still worth living there.
Thing is, if you're a local you can usually figure out the cheaper places to hang out.
But you can't avoid taxes and cost of property etc.
As someone paying for my daughter's college (she's at CofC), I can tell you CofC is a flipping bargain compared to most colleges. So, I'm not sure where the OP's friends are going for cheaper prices but most colleges are a lot more expensive than CofC. Even with generous scholarships at those other schools, we're paying a ton less to send her there.
It's not a bargain, especially out of state. Theyre gouging the hell out of us. Tuition may not be the worst, but living downtown is crazy expensive and you cant forget downtowns ridiculous parking rates and our amenities.
What may look like a bargain to you is not necessarily the same to everyone else, and if it was we wouldn't have so many transferring out, including virtually 85% of my graduating class from HS. But people leaving/coming to CofC is not the point, downtown's rising priceyness is. I know theres demand, but imo the city still seems too focused on turning downtown into a rich people's Disneyworld.
King Street has always been a higher end retail establishment -- Sak's was the cornerstone at King/Meeting. With the addition of Forever 21 and H & M it seems that the trend is to cater to the younger, cheaper crowd.
Seems to me that the out of state at College of Charleston is in running with most state colleges -- around 28,000 right? And like most cities with expensive real estate -- students can't get a break for housing. That is true.
State colleges have increasing costs, decreasing state funding and so tuition goes up. My two older kids went to Georgia Tech and within the time my oldest started to my middle child finishing (they are two years apart) tuition rose quite a bit. It is what it is. We don't want to pay taxes and increasing infrastructure costs, something gives and funding to the state colleges is one of the areas where the contribution from the states is declining.
Most colleges see a significant drop in enrolment in the sophmore year. It is what it is. Some kids drop out, the realize they don't know what they are doing, they get a better idea of what they are doing. CofC isn't unique in that regard.
Its not about CofC guys...I was just asking do yall think these rising costs overall could hurt the cities tourism and business. I know King Street, etc has always been expensive, but it seems costs have gone up dramatically in the last few years. I know, I know, demand.
But Atlanta, Greenville, Columbia, Raleigh, Savannah, and Charlotte are high in demand as well and theyre still pretty affordable and dont seem to be jacking up rates as much. We dont even have the tall condo towers. I really do feel Charleston is slowly neglecting the college age crowd (not just Cofc, but Citadel, MUSC, and AI too), and the family crowd, and are alientating with certain events. I mean when you jack the hotel price up to $400/night out of nowhere, people notice and they arent happy. And thats not just my opinion, there was alot of feedback in the P&C's Bridge Run article.
I think these #1 city in the world rankings are starting to inflate Charleston's ego. #1 city or not, we're not Manhattan, Brentwood, the Loop, Brickell, and Buckhead. And I dont know why the city is striving so hard to be.
CofC, being downtown, is partially to blame for this. The campus pays no taxes & the land surrounding it is assessed higher to make up for the shortfall. That land happens to be prized touron land in an area of finite growth.
Same goes in cities with large gov't or military presences: neighboring land is assessed a higher value due to the inability to assess a value on gov't property.
Its not about CofC guys...I was just asking do yall think these rising costs overall could hurt the cities tourism and business. I know King Street, etc has always been expensive, but it seems costs have gone up dramatically in the last few years. I know, I know, demand.
But Atlanta, Greenville, Columbia, Raleigh, Savannah, and Charlotte are high in demand as well and theyre still pretty affordable and dont seem to be jacking up rates as much. We dont even have the tall condo towers. I really do feel Charleston is slowly neglecting the college age crowd (not just Cofc, but Citadel, MUSC, and AI too), and the family crowd, and are alientating with certain events. I mean when you jack the hotel price up to $400/night out of nowhere, people notice and they arent happy. And thats not just my opinion, there was alot of feedback in the P&C's Bridge Run article.
I think these #1 city in the world rankings are starting to inflate Charleston's ego. #1 city or not, we're not Manhattan, Brentwood, the Loop, Brickell, and Buckhead. And I dont know why the city is striving so hard to be.
What private liberal arts college isn't expensive? Cofc offers soo many scholarships to in-state students (Palmetto Fellows, HOPE, Life, etc..) that it makes things very affordable. Downtown is expensive because we are a coastal town, with history and preservation, good food, subtropical weather, population of under 40k, and low unemployment. You really can't find that anywhere (SAV & NO have a different vibes). Things will continue to get expensive downtown, and it's destined to be a place where everyone will want to visit but only the wealthy will be able to afford (Very similar to San Fran). I really see the city putting tolls over the bridges soon, if the transportation committee doesn't get it's act together.
I use to live off of Spring Street where I was paying $700 a month in rent when I was hardly home and the apartment wasn't even that big or worth that amount of money. That's why I moved to Mount Pleasant where Im paying a lot less. Part of the problem with Charleston is that the job market is limited due to certain sectors. If you don't have a degree then your options are very limited. Mainly hospitality jobs are big thing in Charleston since its a food and bev town. Also wages aren't no where near what they are in other cities like Charlotte or Atlanta yet the housing in Charleston are equal to those prices in those two cities.
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