Help, any info on Charleston,Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach areas (Mount Pleasant: crime rate, homes)

[janetb]

My husband and I are presently living in Broomfield, CO (outside Boulder and Denver) for the past 8 years. We were relocated here from Southern Calif where were grew up from birth at the beach (Huntington Beach). We are beach bums and want to move back to a beach or close to a beach with a warm climate with warm beach water. We love body boarding, scuba diving and want to be close to the Carribean. We have sort of narrowed down our search to the South Carolina beach area. We no no one who lives there nor do we really know anything about South Carolina other than our research on the internet. We are tired of the cold and snow. Does anyone have any comments or suggestions. Anyone who can give us pros and cons to moving to SC - or is there a better state for us to move to. I've sort of gotten negative vibes from reading about Myrtle Beach area, what about Charleston or Hilton Head area. We don't want to go back to Calif.
Thanks!! Janet

[Nausikaa]

from how you described yourselves, I think you would like Mount Pleasant, an area of Charleston. Look for the pics displayed on this forum by USCJoe.

Hilton head is nice, but it's very expensive, with a lot of older retirees. Myrtle beach is a big family/teenage beach town, loads of traffic in the summer. Charleston is beautiful, if you live in right area. Prices for everyone.

The water is very warm in the summer, this summer it was like toast. SC is not warm all the time in the winter, like S. California though. Winter slides between warm weather and cold weather. No snow though along the coast.

PS You would probably like Beaufort also. Lots of new construction.

[Dawne]

Janet, Myrtle Beach is a great area with so many restaurants to eat at and so much to do that you'll be eating and doing stuff from sunup to sundown year-round and never repeat anything (or not much anyway).

However, it is touristy and not "natural" like some of the other places mentioned, so if you're looking for a quieter lifestyle then MB won't be for you. I'm a member of another forum all about MB and I have many friends that I've met there, both on the forum and in person, who have or will soon be moving to MB. And some are already "locals". They're all great people and really love the area.

You can PM me if you have any more questions.

[Stacey M.]

Hi Janet,
Bluffton, which is right outside of Hilton Head is a great area. There are many families, and the town of Bluffton is eclectic and charming (Southern Style). There are many new developments in the area, which will give you and your family different choices as far as life style goes. You can check out Bluffton if you go to www.townofbluffton.com. My family has been here for the past ten years and love it!

If you have anyother questions regarding schools and recreation. Just let me know.

[hroth]

I can state many positive reasons to consider Charleston over Myrtle Beach & Hilton Head. While Charleston is an attraction for tourists, the attractions are varied VS. in Myrtle Beach which is only the beach and Hilton Head which resembles a "Disney World" golf resort.

Charleston offers some great beaches. Folly Beach is big for the waves. There are several surf shops in the beach town to attest to that. But there are quiet beaches on Isle of Palms & Sullivan Island. There are two private beaches: Kiawah & Seabrook that are breath taking. It's not that difficult to get onto either one.

However, Charleston is more than just beaches. There is a great deal of culture. Museums, historic homes, plantations and more to spend fun time away from the water. Never the less, water is everywhere so you will always have access to some great water views.

Let me know if you want to look around. I work for Prudential Carolina and when/if you start looking you will need representation. Someone to look out for your interests. The state of South Carolina takes this very seriously.

HRoth

[kadee]

Originally Posted by janetb

My husband and I are presently living in Broomfield, CO (outside Boulder and Denver) for the past 8 years. We were relocated here from Southern Calif where were grew up from birth at the beach (Huntington Beach). We are beach bums and want to move back to a beach or close to a beach with a warm climate with warm beach water. We love body boarding, scuba diving and want to be close to the Carribean. We have sort of narrowed down our search to the South Carolina beach area. We no no one who lives there nor do we really know anything about South Carolina other than our research on the internet. We are tired of the cold and snow. Does anyone have any comments or suggestions. Anyone who can give us pros and cons to moving to SC - or is there a better state for us to move to. I've sort of gotten negative vibes from reading about Myrtle Beach area, what about Charleston or Hilton Head area. We don't want to go back to Calif.
Thanks!! Janet

Myrtle Beach is a beautiful city to live. The out skirts of MB are very nice with many housing developments. We also have Blue Ribbon schools in the Forestbrook and Socastee area of Myrtle Beach. After you learn your way around the streets of Myrtle Beach, staying away from the tourist isn't a problem. I took a good look at Charleston, SC. Downtown was just too trashy and too many one way streets. Also, crime rate in Myrtle Beach is low. For myself, Myrtle Beach was a wonderful choice.

[carolinajack]

i think you would love the SC coast. Lots of outdoor activities, great beaches, wonderful people, lots of culture and history, arts and nature.

look at

Sullivans Island
Mt Pleasant
Edisto
Kiawah Island
Pawleys Island
Beaufort
James and Johns Island

[scjj]

Originally Posted by kadee

Also, crime rate in Myrtle Beach is low.

The crime rate in Myrtle Beach is extremely high – much higher than any other city of this size in the vicinity. On a scale which rates the average crime index score of the United States at 325.2, this small city of just over 22,000 people rates a whopping 1722.6 (around 6 times the country's average). Most of these crimes happened in the theft and assault categories.

Sperling's Best and Worst Places to live ranks Myrtle Beach #1 worst medium city in the nation for highest total rate of crime.

[IslandTown]

Janet,

Charleston is wonderful!!!(Tons of History, Great Dining, Beautiful Beaches, Proximity to other major cities and Florida is nice as well) The beaches are definately different from what you are used to but they are still quite beautiful. You have to check out a place called Daniel Island it is quite unique, centrally located, and only 11 miles from the beach. I work on Daniel Island so after researching it please let me know if you have any questions.

[carolinajack]

isle of Palm and sullivans isle are great beaches too and not overrun. Folly beach is lovely, Edisto is nice and Kiawah is nice