Please help: Upscale community with high elevation

[beablessing]

Thanks. I agree Charleston is heavenly, and I'm from the Deep South hurricaine country so I know the risks and can handle nearly everything but the 3 or so poisonous variety of snakes. Even non-poisonous snakes are ok.

So, are there any sub-divisions we should explore?

[beachme]

I am assuming your moving here for either Florida or the Gulf coast. I moved here myself from Key west about 5 years ago. I love it here.
As far as Upscale Subdivisions in Mount Pleasant I'd check out Dunes West, Park West, Olde Park, Hamlin Plantation, Rivertowne, Ion, Darrell Creek, Ravens Run, Watermark, Seaside Farms, Long Point, ....Hmm ....there are a lot of great neighborhoods to explore. Of course all of these are close to some kind of water so the elevations will vary and some will require flood insurance. I always advise my clients to get flood insurance even if it is not required as protection.

[beablessing]

Thanks, beachme. Glad to hear you love it, especially coming from KW which is another fun and beautiful island but a bit too hot and too far out for me.

I've only explored the surface of Charleston as a tourist, but do you find it "artsy" in a good way? I enjoy towns that have a deep felt joie de vie (although these economic times tend to put a damper on anyone's spirit), supportive of the arts, great cuisine. New Orleans, in the old days before grinding poverty, escalating crime and long before Katrina, was a great town. Charleston seems to still qualify looking at it as an outsider. After 5 years, would you (and anyone else who might want to contribute) provide your impressions, please.

[beachme]

I love good food and the food here is good. This use to be the home to a culinary school so a lot of the students fell in love with the area and stayed. So that answers your great cuisine question. There are so many great places to eat..I don't think I'll ever try them all.

I wish I was more into the arts, my parents are and come here often from Columbia for artsy stuff. There are many galleries around town. Hopefully someone else can help you more on this end.

I have moved around a lot in my 40 years of life and find Charleston to be one of my favorite places. If I can't live in LA or San Fra. It's close enough to bigger cities (ATLANTA, CHARLOTTE,JACKSONVILLE), if I need more, but has enough to keep me busy. Plus I must live near water.

[beablessing]

Great. Thanks for your insight. We love water communities.

One other important component for me is the openness of a society. I've lived in a few wonderful places and an important quality of life aspect is how welcoming a place is to newcomers who want to be involved in civic issues. While you always find good and bad types everywhere, there are distinct differences in the tones of some places. I was disheartened by the attitude of one group in my current community who held public gatherings on an issue I support; however, when I approached a few people to find out more it was quite apparent "outsiders" weren't welcome. BTW, this group was not particularly affluent, just insular. While you can't judge any community by one group, others agree that where we live now, even though it has many immigrants from various hemispheres, is surprisingly a bit more provincial than I'm accustomed. It lacks vibrancy, cohesiveness and community spirit which I consider important components to having a fun-filled and fulfilling life. In previous places, organizations have been most welcoming to newcomers as well as pillars of the community types, so much so that I've worked harder volunteering on some boards than I did in my career. LOL!

I just checked an old post about snobbishness in Mt P and hope that it and nearby areas of Charleston are not too insular and close-minded. That's a very different quality from snobbishness and nouveau riche attitudes, so I'm not trying to rehash opinions on snobbishness which IMO is based on superficial values and fleeting affluenza. I 'm old enough to know life is truly how you approach it, but is the greater Charleston area considered to be open-hearted to those willing to give of their time, talent and (dwindling) treasure or is it a very homogenous society?

[BarbiK]

Not only is Coosaw Creek ideal but I live in Coosaw on one of the highest lots. It is a gated and manned community ranging in price from the high $300s to roughly $1 million.

My house is only 3 years old, 2600 sf, one story with a bonus room upstairs, on a beautiful part of the golf course, .41 acres, loaded with crown molding, quartz countertops throughout... All for the now reduced price of $415K!

B