Another Yankee (Brooklyn, NY) moving South to Charleston, with some questions please (York: subdivision, maintenance)

[MichaelNYC]

Thank you for your well wishes...

I will be posting my views and comments when I get back

For photos plenty of others do that... so you can check them

Originally Posted by skyegirl

Happy First Father's Day! What a wonderful way to spend it heading down to Charleston! Please, if you can, post some info and pictures when you get back! My hubby and I won't be able to make it down to visit until the end of August, and I am, quite honestly, impatient! Have a safe trip

[MichaelNYC]

Yes his photos are really nice !!

I am meeting him while there

Originally Posted by guttata

I found this realtor website helpful when we were looking for homes.
He posts photos of some subdivisions/areas of Charleston.

Disclosure: I am not affiliated with him.


Picasa Web Albums - Joe Eddleman of A...

[katied49]

Hey, just checking. Did you have any luck? Are you making the move? How was the job search. My husband is in IT and didn't see much.

[MichaelNYC]

Hi Katie,

So nice of you to search out my posting, havng interest to read and interest write me

Yes I was in Charleston back in June.

Spent just scant 4 days there... but I took it all in and explored practically everywhere I wanted.

I did QUITE A LOT of research before coming down and knew MP practically inside and out....
There for 4 days was really enough to explore what I wanted.. I drove and drove and drove each morning, afternoon and evening. Spent time with people I have meet via city-data and met new people. 4 days was very filling.

I have been super busy upon my return... and not posted back this post...

I have quite a lot to say... but little time since my return

In short... all went very very well... so well that we ARE going to be moving to Charleston.

Will take easily 6 months to get everything together here in NYC and come down... but we are a comin'

Second day there I called my wife and said...
1. I Miss You
2. I Love You
and
3. Were moving !

While driving throughout Mt Pleasant (and downtown Charleston as well) I hooked up my camcorder on my cars dashboard and taped eveything while driving all through the various developements, parks, shopping... shooting and narrating each clip, each view, each moment.

I did this to remember all I have seen.. to differentiate the various developments... Brickyard, Rivertowne, Hamlin, Snee Farms, Park West, Old Villiage, Cooper, Darrel Creek etc etc.

Shot up and down Rt 17, Palmetto State Park, Town Center etc etc.

As I said to remember it all.. but to also show my wife ALL I have seen.. to give my lovely wife a taste of ALL I have tasted. I shot the various neighborhoods, to the various home building types, parks, shopping etc.

Ok.. sorry Katie.. got carried away... oops.

I did go on several job interviews and can find work for myself.
One has to research prior to going, making contacts and then pounding the beat while there. Work I can find there...

About all for now Katie...

So much more to write and tell about ALL I have seen.
Many people are waiting on my observations... as they PM me.
But busy finishing remodeling our house and spending time with my 9 month old son.. who I cannot wait to bring up there and for him to be a South Carolinian.

More later as I find the time...

Thanks Katie and to all that have been PM me.

[SCBeaches]

Michael....great idea to put your camrecorder on your dashboard to record all that you saw as you drove around and explored the Charleston area! That beats still-life photos all to pieces! I'm glad that Chas. was everything that you had hoped for and more!

[MichaelNYC]

I realized when I got home.... I did not take 1 single still photo with my digital camera... and realized I did not miss anything by not doing that.

Simply attached the camcorder to the dashboard and shot hours of video and narrated it all so I can remember it all later and for my wife at home to see it all as I wrote above.

Simple thing to do... rest the camcorder on a home made sand bag and plugged in the camcorder to the car jack and endless battery life. All I had to do was download the memory twice to my laptop as my camcorder holds 7 hours of video... but like 3 hours of high resolution. Transferred the video storage to my laptop at the motel and boom ready for another day.

All the video was straight on.... had all the angles.

Went driving with 2 people as well... so as they drove me around... I handheld the camcorder for shots. In and out of each development.. stopping initially to shoot the entrance sign i.e. Brickyard etc. and then shooting the entire developments, streets, foliage and houses and rec centers.

My wife through the videos was able to negate some developements as she viewed them and on the other end of the spectrum... go positive on others... cuts down a lot of legwork and time.

Busy.. busy... busy... finishing all the remoldeling I am doing to my our current house... and lil by lil working on gettin' outta 'ere

Michael

Originally Posted by SCBeaches

Michael....great idea to put your camrecorder on your dashboard to record all that you saw as you drove around and explored the Charleston area! That beats still-life photos all to pieces! I'm glad that Chas. was everything that you had hoped for and more!

[grose58]

Hi MichaelNYC...

I've been on City-Data now for quite a while -- going back and forth between many posts -- trying to decide where our family should relocate. In earlier posts, we were looking at the Myrtle Beach area, as well as Summerville, outside of Charleston....then after frequent visits back to my hometown in Upstate NY...started considering there...in Canandaigua, NY. Hmmm...not sure, though, because I hate the cold and I know taxes are high. It is tempting, though, because of the beauty, lots of family and slower pace. (We are currently living in the Northern Virginia area, outside of Washington DC). We have recently been considering the Virginia Beach/Hampton Roads area as well. We really want to be by the water....

Well, now we're starting to research the Charleston area AGAIN....and I saw your post stating you had decided on Mt. Pleasant. I have a brother that just moved to Summerville, and a friend who will be moving to be with her family in Daniel Island. I was just wondering what made you decide Mt. Pleasant over D.I. What's most important to us is schools (middle/high) and QUALITY OF LIFE -- with a slower pace. My husband is currently with UPS, but cannot "transfer" because he's a driver. His desire, though, is to work in the construction/homebuilding field or in manufacturing. He used to work as a manager for a builder here, but got laid off a couple of years ago. Finding a job first is our main objective. I substitute-teach and am also a new realtor.

If you could let me know what factor(s) made you decide on Mt. Pleasant -- as well as the whole relocation decision to move south to the Charleston area -- esp. coming from NY yourself...that would be great!

Anyone else that may want to help us out in our decision, please chime in!!!!

THANKS EVERYONE!

[MichaelNYC]

Schools... Quality of Life... Slower Pace...

You hit the nail on the head... but I will add the weather as well.

Tired of Winter... snow.. ice .. slush... bundling up
(despite my last name being Winter... truth... my last name is Winter

Looked hard at Florida and researched a bunch and visit quite a few times.. but last visit looked at Florida as a place to move to.. not just visit and realized... Florida is a place to visit, not move.

I looked and looked and hit upon Charleston...
Never considered Summerville... though prices are lower
Wanted to be near Charleston.. and looked at Mt Pleasant, DI and James Island. I like Johns Is. personally but my wife wants more stuff.. less rural as Johns Is is and I am not one to argue with a woman

I realized James Is is not for us as the school system is below MP lets say and I did not want the traffic to the beach from everyone in Charleston.

I looked over MP and heard the public schools were as good as the private schools there. While our son is 11 months.. schools count first for us.

I looked at Daniels Is each time I negated it, because people who live there love it... so had to take a look at it when there.
Drove through it and did not care for it. Want more variety and homes with a bigger lot.. the homes on DI in our price range had no backyards.
MP is closer to everything... more shopping, convience shopping and the beaches and more neighborhoods and parks, etc etc

Won hands down !!!

Got delayed, hoped to move down before Jan '10.. but got backed up here in NYC and should be able to get there March easily. We will rent first for maybe 4-6 months and we really look over the neighborhoods I liked in MP while there in June more in-depth.

Hope I answered your questions.. if not shoot me over some more.

This is all in my posting if you look it over.

Basically why SC.. we wanted warmer weather. laid back atmosphere.
SC had it all in Charleston

Cannot wait to get down there !!

[grose58]

THANKS SO MUCH, MICHAELNYC, for the QUICK RESPONSE!! Really appreciate it. Without being down there ourselves, it's hard to get a feel of it all, and I can see you have certainly done your homework. We're going to try and get down there to visit my brother sometime over the holidays. Hopefully we have enough time to check a few places out.

As far as the heat goes, I hear it's pretty darn hot and humid...but I know here in Northern VA, the humidity is horrible....but at least we'd be close to the water there. Have you experienced it there in the summer months?

What about the school system there, in general? I keep hearing that Summerville (Dorchester II) is supposedly the best in SC...and Mt. Pleasant is pretty good too.....do you know if one is better than the other?

The scary thing (all over) is the job market. Do you know of any companies hiring right now, by any chance? I continue to see a few here and there online. My husband is the jack of all trades...but he would probably look into manufacturing, unless UPS would help him out down there.

All we know is we need to relocate out of this area...and fairly soon. The hard part is to figure out where to go, after all of these years, once our house is on the market and does sell. We still like the Myrtle Beach area, but not sure if that is where we're supposed to be.

I'll continue to read on, but again, anything else you (or anyone out there) can provide would be great!

THANKS!

[MichaelNYC]

Hi back,

I was in Charleston back in June and the heat was fine. I used the a/c in the car once while there.... but I like to drive with the windows open and hear the world around me
But have not been there the hot humid months of July/August.. well was there the very end of June at least.

Anything else I can comment on please ask.. and I will when I get the chance.
Busy here doing repairs and remodeling my house... not certain we would sell or rent it out when we move... but we are stuck here for the Winter... thought we would be out... but so much to do to move to SC... but at least my son, though 1 yr old last week.. will experience Winter and snow up here before we move. Cannot wait to see how he reacts to walking, crawling in the snow and the snow falling on his face and snow melting in his hands... will be fun.. though another Winter of shoveling snow around my house and off the car... but with a smile on my face as we are S.C. bound in the Spring.

Schools in MP are very good.. I have heard back from teachers who say simply.. any public school in MP is the same as any private school.