Daniel Island - Does it feel like a small town? (Charleston: rent, low crime)

[LocalHero]

Originally Posted by macalan

Coming from a smallish New England town with a traditional main street downtown "hub" similar to where the OP is from, and having lived on Daniel Island, what makes Daniel Island "feel" like a town (to me) is not the location, but the fact that it IS in fact a self-sufficient town with all the services/amenities that entails, has a real main street/downtown, and has a strong sense of community (perhaps due in part to it's smallish (@ 10K pop) size).

Downtown DI is the "heartbeat" of the island. The core. It's where neighbors see each other, where workers eat on their lunch breaks, where business people meet for coffee, where people go about their daily business. It's where the Farmer's Market is held, where the tennis stadium is located with it's tennis/events/concerts, where the dog park is, where several community/sports parks are, and where the majority of the restaurants and businesses and offices are. It's where people often walk to after a long day at work for a nice meal, or walk from their home in the morning to do their errands, or pick up a paper and sit in one of the parks and read. It's where people stop after work to pick up dinner and a bottle of wine, or that forgotten bag of dog food. On DI you park your car downtown and get out and walk. To everything. It's compact and easy to get to everything you need in one stop. It's small town friendly. It's peaceful, yet vibrant. It's got an energy to it.

Although not organic, DI has had 20 years to develop into the town that it is, and so it feels organic. It's still growing, albeit smartly. Soon it will have a performance center and an assisted living facility and a Catholic church. And down the road a community/rec center. All things that residents said were important to them.

The community feel comes from all the community events - parades, festivals, kids events, camp outs at Smythe Park, concerts at Smythe Park, charity events at the waterfront (Children's) park, open air movie nights, art shows, food truck rodeos, weekly farmers markets and from that small town caring - residents coming together to help those in need.

There are a multitude of groups for getting to know people - a woman's networking group, a business executive networking group, Mom's Groups, The Exchange Club, and many opportunities to get involved in charity events/activities. DI has it's own (free) newspaper with community news and dozens of free activities listed that go on weekly - Tai Chi at the library, a men's fitness group, a woman's walking/running group, free college classes at the library, a Friday night Happy Hour for newcomers, and on and on. In fact anyone thinking of moving to DI should pick up a copy of the DI newspaper. It's gives a good sense of what the island is all about.

There are some subdivisions in MP such as Carolina Park, Seaside Farms, Park West, ION and a few others that are also Master Planned Communities, with churches and schools, and ION and Seaside with their town center/core commercial areas, but they are not towns, they are subdivisions within a town of 80K people. Close, but different.

It's hard to explain if you haven't come from that "Main Street USA" small town kind of place. It's just a very different feel and way of life. It's a lifestyle, not just a place to live. Some like it, some don't, but for those looking for it, DI has it. In spades.

Touché... a very good explanation!

[phynyrd]

macalan - you've got it. I'm sold. Now I just have to deal with how to mentally survive the desert while we figure out details and finances!

[Ziggy100]

Originally Posted by phynyrd

macalan - you've got it. I'm sold. Now I just have to deal with how to mentally survive the desert while we figure out details and finances!

It sounds like what you're looking for is confirmation bias. Whenever someone ask "is ___ the thing I'm looking for?" it's clear you're looking more for confirmation of your own opinions rather than objective information.

Keep in mind, people who don't live on Daniel Island don't necessarily regret not living on Daniel Island. Every planned community has a "small town" thing going on here, with arbitrary boundaries on what's considered "Main Street USA". It's highly marketable for transplants. There are far more options out there and you could miss out if you're just looking for confirmation that Daniel Island specifically is what you're looking for. Even Macalan doesn't live on DI. I would look a little more objectively than what it "feels" like. I'm not sure what New England small towns feel like, but I'm not imagining a town surrounded by container ports and paper mills with interstates suspended above them.
People who don't live on DI rarely find a need to go there, however people in DI have to go everywhere else to do pretty much anything. Yes you can take a golf cart to a restaurant, but seriously nobody with young kids is actually doing that on a daily basis. Most of the walkable amenities on DI is going to be law offices, dermatologist, tax attorneys, realtors, etc. Pools on DI seem pretty lame by modern standards and that's primarily what you're paying HOA dues for.

First thing I would do is find a job here, then look for neighborhoods close to that job. If you're working at Volvo, you'd be much better off in Nexton or Carnes Crossroads (same people who made DI) than DI. If you're working downtown, DI is about as far of a drive as Summerville is.

Don't look at Google Map's traffic on Sunday morning and assume that's your commute. A morning commute toward Mount Pleasant on 526 is at a standstill everyday, and vice versa in the afternoon.
526 between North Charleston and Mount Pleasant is the primary route for trucks heading for a container port. You will find yourself idling all the way across the Don Holt.

Also look at insurance before comparing homes. A lot of DI is in a flood zone which can dramatically change how much you can actually afford. The most established places in DI are about 20 years old and are coming due for new HVAC and roofs and from my experience nobody has invested anything back into their homes.

And for the love of god don't dismiss the paper mill as a small periodic inconvenience. All it takes is a low pressure system and an offshore wind to ruin a BBQ with the choking smell of sulfur dioxide in undiluted concentrations.

I suggest taking a closer look at the following alternatives:
New Homes, Apartments, Office and Retail Space in Summerville, SC | Charleston Real Estate | Nexton
Carnes Crossroads | New Homes in Summerville, SC
New Homes for Sale in Summerville, SC | Summers Corner
https://www.kolterhomes.com/new-home...nds/siteplans/
https://www.doverkohl.com/long-savannah
Park West : Maps
Mount Pleasant, SC Real Estate | Join Our Community :: Carolina Park
Oyster Point Mount Pleasant SC Real Estate | Homes for Sale Oyster Point

[phynyrd]

While I appreciate additional input, I'm not sure I really agree with you.

What I asked was "Daniel Island - Does it feel like a small town?"...

I did not ask what other areas we might be interested in - we have already lived in Charleston and are not interested in Summerville or Mt P; I only asked about DI specifically. While some subdivisions are attempting the small town vibe, it's not the same and not what we're looking for (and yes I know DI is a subdivision and not technically its own town, but definitely unique to the others).

I didn't ask why people might or might not like Daniel Island in regards to house prices, commutes, or the paper mill. Again, we have already lived in Charleston and are aware of commutes, traffic, paper mill smell, flood plains, wind & hail, etc.

While I appreciate all of the feedback people on here took time to provide and am always thankful for anyone reminding us of things to think of (ie how we forgot about the paper mill) or bringing up new things that we haven't though of, it wasn't really what I was asking.

Because macalan knows the area I am comparing to, and did live on DI, I felt he/she really understood what I was asking and answered my question. While he/she does not currently live on DI, he/she had previously lived there for a few years and I believe was the only one that ever did at any point.

Of course I was hoping people would answer that 'yes, Daniel Island does have the small town feel you seem to be looking for'. But if anyone that had lived on DI had answered that, 'no, it doesn't really feel like that', I would have taken in that feedback as well.

I don't want to put down anyone or seem ungrateful for those that took the time to answer because I really do appreciate it, and I hope that it doesn't come off that way.

[southbel]

Whelp, I did live on Daniel Island at one point (moved a year ago) and no, it did not feel like a small town at all. I do have some experience with Northeast small towns from my boarding school and college says.

It felt no different than any other planned community and I, for one, did not care for it at all. There's very, very little on the island and thus, you must get on the interstate for pretty much anything. The houses, I thought, are of poor quality for the money they cost and are pretty much tract house standard in most of them. The most "small town" vibe close in to the beaches and downtown is the Old Village in Mt P. Again, not cheap there either. My general impression - it looks fake and felt it there too. I guess if the people there are into the same things you are, it's likely a good fit but if not, you could be miserable.

[ayoskillz]

Originally Posted by Ziggy100

don't look at Google Map's traffic on Sunday morning and assume that's your commute. A morning commute toward Mount Pleasant on 526 is at a standstill everyday, and vice versa in the afternoon.
526 between North Charleston and Mount Pleasant is the primary route for trucks heading for a container port. You will find yourself idling all the way across the Don Holt.[/url]

Traffic comming from mt.plesent don't usually starts till you get co Clements ferry road so going to d.i is no problem. Every once in a while when something tragic happens it is back up pads d.i but normal afternoon traffic is not. In the a.m it's not too bad. It's usually standstill untill you cross the don halt. Gets heavy at long point with trucks getting up but I wouldn't call it stand still traffic

[Ziggy100]

Originally Posted by ayoskillz

Traffic comming from mt.plesent don't usually starts till you get co Clements ferry road so going to d.i is no problem. Every once in a while when something tragic happens it is back up pads d.i but normal afternoon traffic is not. In the a.m it's not too bad. It's usually standstill untill you cross the don halt. Gets heavy at long point with trucks getting up but I wouldn't call it stand still traffic

That's not what I see on a daily basis. When I reverse commute to North Charleston in the afternoon from Mount Pleasant, I idle the entire way. It's usually at the spots where 3 lanes merge into 2 with the trucks that bring things to a standstill. When I head to Mount Pleasant in the afternoon, it's always a river of traffic in the opposite direction, idling along.

[m1a1mg]

I always find it amusing that the person who sings the praises of DI on this board constantly, doesn't live there. So take that for what it's worth.

[LocalHero]

Well as I said from the start; some people love DI and some don't. I think Macalan's description is good but that still doesn't mean it's for everyone. It depends first on you liking the "vibe" of DI... Phynyrd, you've lived there so you already know that. In fact all that's really changed since 5 years ago is that traffic has increased and the island has continued to build out both population and infrastructure wise.

This is city-data at it's best. Opinions and information offered with no senseless name calling or personal grudges arising. All of the observations are valid to that poster's point of view. DI isn't for me personally, but neither are 90% of the homes I help people buy. Different strokes...

[Rocky21]

As everyone has pointed out, feel is subjective.
For me, DI does NOT feel like a 'small town'. It feels like a housing development. (A very nice development) More a residential suburb of Charleston than a unique small town with it's own identity.

You'll need to visit to get your own feel.