Please list a few neighborhoods that fit my description - Thanks (Charleston: real estate, rent)

[lukeduke]

Hey everyone, I'm (25yr old male professional) going to be visiting Charleston soon to check out some places for the possibility of an upcoming move next year.... I have listed below some of the things I'm looking for in a neighborhood, I would greatly appreciate some names of neighborhoods that seem to fit this description;

Low crime (and safe for a female to walk around alone)
Nice area (scenic, activities, shopping, good restaurants etc..)
Nice people, young professionals
Nice, newer housing that is steady or growing
Pet friendly (dog parks)
Good schools
House prices $250k ish
Rent prices roughly $1200/month (we will prob rent for the first year)

Thanks so much everyone!

[jesposito]

Check out South Cove at Tanner Plantation in Hanahan. Nice community with super cute houses and great neighbors. Hanahan is going to be building a new park walking distance from the community as well...

[OleTomCat]

There are a bunch of newer subs in Summerville with alot better schools than Hanahan........

[CharlestonHelp]

I'd say Mt. Pleasant might fit the bill. A lot of younger professionals live there and you can find some homes in the 250 range. A lot of newer homes compared to a lot of areas around downtown (for example James Island or West Ashely). It's close to downtown (for fun), and there are plenty of places to shop and eat in Mt. Pleasant. Schools are great, too...some of the best in all of the Charleston area.

[lukeduke]

Everyone thank you very much for the tips on places to check out - I appreciate it.

If anyone else has ideas, please share.

Thanks

[SCDweller]

Here are some ideas...The Ponds is an up and coming community that has all of the things you indicated. The homes range from 260-400k. Branch Creek, Coosaw Creek Country Club, White Gables, Pine Forest Country Club, and Legend Oaks are a few more communities to check into. Some of these are golf communities, others are just nice neighborhood communities with trails, sidewalks and a great community feel.
Let us know as you have more specific questions or need a tour of the area!
Sincerely,
Foster

[porchlight]

Originally Posted by SCDweller

Here are some ideas...The Ponds is an up and coming community that has all of the things you indicated. The homes range from 260-400k. Branch Creek, Coosaw Creek Country Club, White Gables, Pine Forest Country Club, and Legend Oaks are a few more communities to check into. Some of these are golf communities, others are just nice neighborhood communities with trails, sidewalks and a great community feel.
Let us know as you have more specific questions or need a tour of the area!
Sincerely,
Foster

The Ponds is an awesome development...only to get better, actually.

[SCDweller]

Porchlight is right. It is at the beginning of becoming one of the "places to be" for Summerville. They are working to make it a community with a community. (YMCA is in the community, ponds, parks, etc.)

[emilybh]

Originally Posted by lukeduke

Hey everyone, I'm (25yr old male professional) going to be visiting Charleston soon to check out some places for the possibility of an upcoming move next year.... I have listed below some of the things I'm looking for in a neighborhood, I would greatly appreciate some names of neighborhoods that seem to fit this description;

Low crime (and safe for a female to walk around alone)
Nice area (scenic, activities, shopping, good restaurants etc..)
Nice people, young professionals
Nice, newer housing that is steady or growing
Pet friendly (dog parks)
Good schools
House prices $250k ish
Rent prices roughly $1200/month (we will prob rent for the first year)

Thanks so much everyone!

Close walking distance to shops in safe neighborhoods are predominately older dated 70's 80's vintage. In fact except for downtown in Historic Charleston and the Groves in Mt. Pleasant or the edges of the Old Village in Mt. Pleasant or Windermere or the Crescent or maybe Avondale in West Ashley and possibly Northern James Island in neighborhoods on either side of Folly Rd such as Wappoo Creek, Charleston Country Club and Laurel Park, nothing else is really close walking distance to anything. Also there are shopping areas on Folly Beach, Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms but most people that live there mostly live too far away to walk to any stores or restaurants.

If your walking requirements just include safety and not having to be near anything (except maybe the neighborhood pool or playground) then there are many more neighborhoods including those with new construction homes here. You can drive a short distance to the restaurants, markets and activities and dog parks.

The general consensus is that Mt. Pleasant overall has the best schools along with Summerville. However James Island has some excellent charter schools that probably exceed those standards. www.greatschools.net is where you can check out the individual school, tests scores, rankings, parent reviews (which are sometimes very generous even of schools where student test below national average).

Oh I left out Daniel Island which is all new. However the schools might not meet your criterea and the homes are mostly more expensive than your price range except for 1-2 bedroom condos.

I'm not a real estate agent. There are just my observations since I've been here over the past few years.

The bottom line is you generally can't have everything you are looking for in Charleston. The nicer newer larger homes aren't walking distance to anywhere. The lower priced one ones are dated 80's vintage and may or may not be walking distance to something and may or may not be safe.