North Charleston (Summerville: home, commute, rush hour)

[tangerinepuddle]

I have heard that North Charleston is an area to stay away from - can anyone tell me specifically which neighborhoods or zip codes you are referring to, or is it ALL of North Charleston? I will not be buying a home until I've been down there at least 6 months, but I've started to do some online casual searching and I'd like to know which areas/zips to automatically leave out of my search.

Also, how long would a commute from Summerville to downtown Charleston be? Assuming it is at the peak of rush hour? Thanks!

[NS_Highlander]

The best area's of North Charleston sit close to Summerville and are in the Dorchester 2 School district. If you stay to the North of Ashley Phosphate rd along Dorchester Rd you should be fine.

The average commute time seems to be an hour. But, count on accidents which will drive this number up.

[SCDweller]

There are definitely safe and desirable areas of North Charleston. As NS Highlander pointed out, those in the DDII system are generally a safe bet. Coosaw Creek, Indigo Fields, Appian Place, Indigo on the Ashley, The Refuge are just a few of the very nice areas of North Charleston. You can't really exclude by zip code.