Would I be better off in North Carolina or South Carolina? (palm trees)

[Rggr]

Originally Posted by SoCalSD514

yea im thinking NC too. What coastal towns are nice. I dont like big cities and i do like beaches, but i dont need pretty beaches, i would just like to sit on the edge of the water it doesnt even have to be on a beach just near the water where you can pull over and park and sit on the grass or something. I was looking into wilminton i think it was called but i couldnt find much is that a good place. I would like to live in southern NC because I have a couple friends in myrtle beach, SC so I would like to live somewhat close without being in myrtle beach

Wilmington is it. I like Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach, and it's about an hour to Myrtle Beach.

[84 Camaro]

Originally Posted by SoCalSD514

yea im thinking NC too. What coastal towns are nice. I dont like big cities and i do like beaches, but i dont need pretty beaches, i would just like to sit on the edge of the water it doesnt even have to be on a beach just near the water where you can pull over and park and sit on the grass or something. I was looking into wilminton i think it was called but i couldnt find much is that a good place. I would like to live in southern NC because I have a couple friends in myrtle beach, SC so I would like to live somewhat close without being in myrtle beach

Hey Socal I have been to NC and SC and I like SC better. I have been to the Triangle in Raleigh/Durham NC and it is inland. It would take you about 3 to 3 1/2 hours to drive to the beach from there(and that is heading Southeast, toward Wilmington which is right on the coast). Wilmington, NC is nice place to live geographically but it scares me because they get slammed when hurricanes blow through! Look at a map and note how much more NC sticks out into the Atlantic Ocean vs. SC!!

I also don't think I would buy right on the coast(meaning) withing 5 miles of the beaches in Charleston, SC. When hurricane Hugo blew through there I think in 1989, from what I've heard you were lucky to have one wall left standing on your house! I'm looking about 20 to 30 miles inland, just west of Charleston. I think you are safer in that type of location and still can drive to the city of Charleston and to the beaches to enjoy!

Charleston does experience hail storms and there is the threat of earthquakes! The Ashley river, I'm told sits right on top of a fault line. But i think the last major earthquake was in the 1800's!

You get ice storms in NC inland and you get the hurricanes right on the coast. Hope this helps you make a decision. We are heading back to Charleston in August and I'll add updates after that trip to this site.

[84 Camaro]

Originally Posted by Rggr

Wilmington is it. I like Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach, and it's about an hour to Myrtle Beach.

Oh and someone on here posted that NJ has nice beaches! I have lived in NJ my whole life and I do like the feel of the sand. It is a very fine, powdery sand vs. NC or SC beaches where the sand seems more course and rough to me.

All that being said, I don't agree that NJ beaches are nicer than NC or SC ones! And the water certainly isn't cleaner or more clear in NJ. Geographically, NJ is a nice place to live if you are near a beach, in my opinion. But the cost of living is ridiculous here! The taxes are very high and the idiot people keep electing politicians that keep raising taxes. There are also many "hidden taxes" in NJ. By that I mean at many beaches you need to pay to walk onto the beach or buy a beach badge/pass for the season! They also jack you up for parking at the beach in NJ and we have two major raods(parkway and turnpike) that are both toll roads so it costs you money to move around inside the state! We have very high property taxes and very high car insurance rates. For these reasons and many more, more people are leaving NJ than are moving in!

So NC or SC but especially SC is looking better and better each day!!

[OleTomCat]

I grew up in South Jersey and one thing I have to say is you don't have to worry about medical waste washing up on the beaches here in SC...

[SDSC]

Based upon the description of what you are looking for I think you would be happy in Charleston. I think it's great. I'm moving there next month. I'm renting a house in Mount Pleasant and it's less than 15 minutes to downtown and to the beach. I have a cute little palm in my yard (I love them too). Several cool beachy bars/restaurants nearby. Plenty of twenty-somethings.

[84 Camaro]

SDSC thanks for your input. Yes I do envision myself being happy in Charleston. I think renting before buying is a great idea. It's just tough coming from a house full of stuff and going into a rental. I imagine I'd have to put some stuff in storage and I've had to do that with a previous move and it is usually nothing short of a major pain in the ****!

Regarding plenty of 20 somethings that you mentioned. I'm more of a 40 something. But if my wife would allow me to have a 20 something, I don't think I'd object!! Good luck to you and congrats on your move.

[pokrplr]

Don't listen to NYC1DAY, he's a bitter troll. Definitely SC if you are 21! And if your single, OMG, Carolina girls are gorgeous ... Myrtle may suit you better being 21. I lived in Myrtle when i was 24 and had a blast. Met my wife there too, then we moved to Charleston for more of a family life.

[SCFriend]

Charleston is the bomb. It is a nice college town with the medical university right there so there IS some great housing because of this. Many graduates stay in Charleston after they graduate so there is a great mix of ages and there is ALWAYS something to do any time of year. The climate is great and the people are friendly. Go for it!

[Chromekitty]

Originally Posted by NYC1DAY

Well, if you want beaches then SC is not the place

They have beaches, but nothing special about them. It it not a really nice beach with clear water. Do you see my point

If I was you and these two states were my choices then go with Charlotte. You might be farther away from the beaches, but you would be near a decent size city with some entertainment and still be within driving distance to beaches

To be honest though if you want really nice beaches then consider other places. Tampa or Miami would be good. Or even NJ

Having lived in Charlotte my entire life now is NOT the time to move here.

[emilybh]

Before you make a HUGE decision like moving to another art of the country you've never been to THOROUGHLY research the areas on-line and then take a a bare minimum of a long weekend trip to both NC and SC. I was like you when I began considering a move to either NC or SC. The difference was as a child, my parents had taken our family to both Cape Hatteras in NC and Charleston, in SC.

Then, as an adult, I started to read abut all the real estate deals to be had in the early 90's, I eventually revisted both states. This time I visited Wilmington, Southport and Calabah in NC and thought that they were beautiful but in the case of Wilmington, too small of a city and too remote. I drove down to Myrtle Beach SC from Calabash and while the beach is gorgeous the whole way down ot Myrtle beach and beyond, that is all there is except for one high rise hotel or condo on the beach and shopping and chain restaurants and outlet shopping and golf courses on the opposite side.

If you want culture; charm; history; and big city conveniences, you'll find that plus nice beaches (but not as nice as Myrtle beach) in Charleston, SC. Having lived in all of these cities, I find that Charleston is a combinaton of Boston, Providence and Newport, RI and New Orleans, LA. I moved from Newport, RI and wanted sailing, palm trees, beaches, city conveniences and quaint historic neighborhoods like you find in New England coastal, towns and cities. I found it all in Charleston, SC . I've been here for over a year and still haven't seen everything. Granted the ocean water on the beaches aren't as pretty as in Cancun (Mexico) but there are beaches on the Atlantic coast which water at least as blue as those on the Northeast (with much nicer finer sand)---and palm trees to boot. There are more palm/palmetto trees in SC than NC. In fact, Charleston, SC is far enough south to be considered "subtropical" and usually enjoys comparable weather and temperatures to that of northern FL (ie. Jacksonville). I'm in one of the southnern areas of Charleston, and I bought a small Lemon tree (about 1 foot tall) and it produced 3 lemons the first year. In other words, it is warm enough to grow your own fruit trees as well as veggies here.