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Don’t get me wrong, mount pleasant is lovely and we appreciate the good life we have here. We are a homeschool family, in our mid 30s and we have elementary school age kids. We don’t really have deep roots anywhere in the country as we have been a military family for the last decade+. Anyway, we moved to the Charleston area from the Seattle area last year and everything on paper led us to Mount Pleasant. Safe! Clean! Close to the beach! Good schools (doesn’t matter to us however)! We’ve been here for about 18 months and while it is everything we thought it would be, its also a bit “boring”.. not very diverse, the lack of walkability.. lots of sprawling neighborhoods but no where to walk to from our house without getting on a main road (and without sidewalks- rifle range, 17). We adore our neighborhood and neighbors, and I absolutely appreciate how safe I feel here, especially when my husband travels (which is very often). BUT I wonder if we’re just more city people.. is Charleston more exciting? We’d love to be able to walk to restaurants, field trips, coffee shops, parks. Will I miss the square footage in the burbs? The yard? Will my younger kids feel confined, not being able to roam the hood solo, on their bikes? Are there places in the city where i’d feel just as safe? Is the charm of the city overrated in terms of livability? In my elaborate day dreams (LOL) we would buy a fixer-upper duplex, live in one, rent the other for a while before turning it into a single family house. People usually move from the city into the burbs.. are we weird for wanting to leave the burbs for the city? Anyone else weighed the pros/cons going this way? Budget is around $650,000.
I'm not sure if this Charleston you refer to actually exists ...
Most of Charleston is as suburban as MP, the lower half of the peninsula is urban looking but is actually a colonial williamsburgish environment that mostly caters to tourists, not a functional downtown like one would find in a major city, and you have to get in a car to get to WA or MP to get most daily things done ... god help you if you have to pee on your way home and get stuck behind a horse carriage. There's the upper king hipster mid-gentrification 'transitional' neighborhood area and that's as close as you're going to get to an authentic urban environment around here. It might be what you're looking for or it might just be something that you're better off ubering ten minutes to from MP without having to live there. I guess the only way you'll know is by giving it a try? Or you can just drive around and see the whole thing in twenty minutes flat and ascertain if that's where you see yourself.
But the essential appeal of Charleston is that it isn't like a protipical urban center, and the absence of such and resulting lifestyle what draws most people to it, so by definition if city life is what one is looking for then they are likely in the wrong place to begin with.
I would at the very least wait for Charleston to some flooding issues straightened out before moving there.
In terms of walkability, keep in mind what you actually do everyday. Are you really going to restaurants and coffee shops so often you want to be closer to them?
Are you going to move next to a restaurant that you visit once a month and end up commuting to WA or MTP every week for regular shopping and errands? There are nice parks in Charleston but don’t you think going to the same ones over and over would get boring as well?
Consider what neighborhood your budget would actually get you. If you’re over by Hampton Park all those amenities you’re thinking of is a bit of a hike.
Honestly if I was home with my kids all day everyday, I’d find anywhere pretty boring without some sort of social network. Without regular social interactions, it’s just a bunch of buildings and sidewalks.
I'm not sure if this Charleston you refer to actually exists ...
Most of Charleston is as suburban as MP, the lower half of the peninsula is urban looking but is actually a colonial williamsburgish environment that mostly caters to tourists, not a functional downtown like one would find in a major city, and you have to get in a car to get to WA or MP to get most daily things done ... god help you if you have to pee on your way home and get stuck behind a horse carriage. There's the upper king hipster mid-gentrification 'transitional' neighborhood area and that's as close as you're going to get to an authentic urban environment around here. It might be what you're looking for or it might just be something that you're better off ubering ten minutes to from MP without having to live there. I guess the only way you'll know is by giving it a try? Or you can just drive around and see the whole thing in twenty minutes flat and ascertain if that's where you see yourself.
But the essential appeal of Charleston is that it isn't like a protipical urban center, and the absence of such and resulting lifestyle what draws most people to it, so by definition if city life is what one is looking for then they are likely in the wrong place to begin with.
You’ve raised some very good points.. there are conveniences to the burbs for sure. We frequent Costco, Trader Joe’s and Home Depot often- I imagine during tourist season it would be annoying to go run errands out of the city. When we walk around down there though, it just feels so lively and fun! The most excitement we have in our current development is parents judging other parents on our facebook page. We looked at a couple houses in our budget in South of Broad and Harleston yesterday. You’re right though, its not a true ‘urban’ city (such was Chicago when we lived there). Perhaps a better location in MP would suit us the same. Thank you for your time!
I would at the very least wait for Charleston to some flooding issues straightened out before moving there.
In terms of walkability, keep in mind what you actually do everyday. Are you really going to restaurants and coffee shops so often you want to be closer to them?
Are you going to move next to a restaurant that you visit once a month and end up commuting to WA or MTP every week for regular shopping and errands? There are nice parks in Charleston but don’t you think going to the same ones over and over would get boring as well?
Consider what neighborhood your budget would actually get you. If you’re over by Hampton Park all those amenities you’re thinking of is a bit of a hike.
Honestly if I was home with my kids all day everyday, I’d find anywhere pretty boring without some sort of social network. Without regular social interactions, it’s just a bunch of buildings and sidewalks.
Yes, we eat out often.. and drink more coffee than we probably should (but not so much in MP because all the good food is in Charleston). You’re right though, the same ones would get boring anywhere, which is why we like that Charleston has much more to choose from. It’s not just the food though- to be closer to museums and educational resources would be helpful too. My husband works at the Airport.. so possibly also a plus there. As I mentioned above, maybe a better location within MP would work too- closer to the bridge at least.
As for the last part... I am sorry your kids are boring? Please take a few minutes and educate yourself on the modern homeschooler. In no way are we “home all day everyday without social interactions”. Strange assumption there.
Close in West Ashley might be more your speed. A fare number of the neighborhoods have sidewalks and the others are still walker friendly. You also have a greenbelt. And their are retail/restaurant centers every half mile or so.
Its also convenient to Downtown and James Island. More importantly you can get into something within your 650k range; possibly remodeled or with room for you to remodel. The downside will be older housing (depending on your preferences.) I think Mt Pleasant has plenty of walkable areas but they are going to be costly. And the more walkable areas of downtown are going to be pricey and have smaller square footage.
If having a vote for Charleston’s mayor, city council, and other issues pertaining to the city might be of importance to you, LenLenLen, to me that would be reason enough to move into Charleston, wherever within the city limits you chose.
As for the last part... I am sorry your kids are boring? Please take a few minutes and educate yourself on the modern homeschooler. In no way are we “home all day everyday without social interactions”. Strange assumption there.
We go out to eat, but I don’t like going to the same restaurant when there’s hundreds to choose from. Being close to one would just make me want to go somewhere else.
I do a lot of my walks in Downtown, however I do get bored walking the same neighborhoods so I mix it up.
Yes my kids are boring, but I think you’re missing my point. What you are listing are things, not a social scene. Downtown’s demographics are mostly old money legacy families, college kids, young childless professionals, tourist, empty second homes, out of town commuters, and low income families. Who are you looking to interact with? A community is more than just coffee shops and parks and museums. Do you go to museums more often than grocery stores and Costco?
Another thought would be moving to a planned community like Daniel Island, Nexton, or Seaside Farms where commercial properties are walking distance to residential.
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We looked at a couple houses in our budget in South of Broad and Harleston yesterday. You’re right though, its not a true ‘urban’ city (such was Chicago when we lived there). Perhaps a better location in MP would suit us the same. Thank you for your time!
