moving to summerville,SC (Columbia, Charleston: sales, real estate, 2010)

[scjj]

Well what do you know? No sooner than I speak, I just read in the Summerville Journal this morning that two big name stores are coming to town, Best Buy and ****'s Sporting Goods. There is also a Buffalo Wild Wings and a Sonic coming to the area. There will be no stopping it now, once these types of places come here others will soon follow. I would love to see a Town Center like out in Mount Pleasant.

[Team Mom]

Thanks to you AmznGrace and scjj!

Very helpful!

I agree there are great restaurants and shopping in Charleston. We found good spots to eat at on our visit and enjoyed nice evening walks near the market and the battery--feeling very safe. I love the idea of being a drive away from the ocean, a city with charm and the historical factors for this history nut are compelling.

Our first drive into Summerville we took HWY 61. What a beautiful drive! We have nothing like that here. Golf communities are just lovely too.

Another thing we enjoyed was attending a RiverDogs game. Great facility, location, and we were able to see families in action. Met a few people, and just love the inexpensive costs. $3 parking is unheard of here!

AmznGrace: Any regrets? Do you love your spot?

Team Mom

[OLDBEAN]

Originally Posted by AmznGrace

Hi there - We just moved to Summerville about two weeks ago and are thrilled to be here. We moved from the VA/Wash, DC area.

To respond to a few of your questions:

1. I believe the state income tax is 5%, however, the state allows for each county to tack on another 1% if they so choose. Both Charleston and Dorchester Counties rate is at 6%. We realized this because in VA it is 5% and now we are having a bit more money taken out each pay period. (I'm considering it a quality of life tax!!) If I'm wrong, please someone point me to current tax information. It is possible that I was looking at an outdated source and I can't find the link now.

2. Shopping -- Yes, you have to drive to shopping, decent restaurants, etc, unless you want to live in downtown Charleston where there's GREAT shopping and WONDERFUL restaurants within walking distance. (Very expensive, too, and no golf courses around). Having said that, though, there is decent shopping within a short driving distance in and around Summerville. Azalea Square is very nice and convenient and pretty much one stop shopping between Kohls, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, et al. The new Tanger Outlet will have a bit more upscale shopping; from Summerville it will be about a 15-20 minute drive down I-26.

3. Restaurants -- While we haven't really scoped-out the nicer restaurants/cafes in the Summerville area as of yet, we have no problem driving the 30 minutes to IOP, Shem's Creek or downtown Charleston to have a great meal. So worth the drive!! We are not the Appleby's, Sticky Fingers kinda family (even our kids enjoy a good meal), so we really don't mind driving.

I would like to, however, know of decent restaurants/cafes in the Summerville area, so if anyone can share their favorites, that would be much appreciated.

4. Golf -- In Summerville there are several golf courses/communities. One such is Legend Oaks and the builders in that community are David Weekly, Beazer, Saucy Burbank and Executive Homes. Of those, the Beazer homes are the lesser expensive ones, but they do build a nice home.

Good luck and I hope this was helpful. Grace

Thank you AMZNGRACE for your reply.
Also, all the others who took time out to reply, thank you.
On the question of the State Income Tax. I was pointed to the SCDOR (South Carolina Department of Revenue), on this site it lays out the terms of the tax.
The tax starts at 2%, then increases to 7% on your total income. It points you to your tax return and the line on your return on which the tax is applied, I hope that this will help.
On the question of restaurants, I was looking for a hotel to stay for a few days to look at the area, I went on the mapquest site for directions to the Holiday Inn Express. On this site there is a link to the 150+ restaurants in the Summerville area, the information given is the Name, address, tel. number and the miles. I printed off this list, it gave me everything I wanted to know.
Try this, I am sure this will be helpful to you.
Once again, I thank everyone for their input, most helpful.

[AmznGrace]

Originally Posted by Team Mom

AmznGrace: Any regrets? Do you love your spot?
Team Mom

Hi Team Mom -- Well, it's only been a bit over two weeks that we have been here, but honestly, I feel so good about our decision and I do very much like the apartment complex we are in for the next six months. I haven't been an apartment dweller since 1989, so it's a bit different, but I'm liking it for the short term.

Also, I really do love the feel of Summerville, particularly where we are building our home in Legend Oaks Plantation. It feels more country out there, but yet it is convenient to decent shopping. When I want to do some serious shopping, I will make the drive to either the new outlet mall, the Town Center in Mt. Pleasant (great area!!!), or to downtown Charleston.

Just last night I received further affirmation/confirmation about our decision after attending my daughter's "meet the teachers" night at her middle school. From the teachers to the parents and kids I observed, I have a high level of confidence. We meet our son's elementary school teacher this evening.

Lastly, everytime I go into downtown Charleston, I just feel at home. It is really weird because I've never felt like that in an area. From the first time we began vacationing here four years ago (Isle of Palms) and would come into downtown Charleston, I felt that way.... like I just belong.

So, heck no, NO regrets!!!

Keep me apprised of your decision/move. Grace

[csinnett]

Hi, do not know if you are still looking in Summerville but I live behind Target in Summerville right off of exit 199a. I love it here and unfortunatley am moving. If you are interested in renting there is a beautiful new apartment complex right next door to our neighborhood and the tenants walk to the new Azalea square. There is plenty to eat in Summerville and I like it all. One of my favorite local spots is the Mustard Seed! They have the best Crabcakes! Also the Italian Bistro is the place for Pizza, the Little Red Pepper is awesome for Italian, and the Sweetwater Cafe is good for a change of breakfast from IHOP. It is convenient to have the movie theatre right next door and now with Best Buy and Dicks we will do even more shopping. We are military and this has been perfect for us. The drive is eay on my husband to the base and I work in Mount Pleasant and if I hit the road at the right time the drive is not bad in in the morning. Also, there is a lot for us to do as a family year round. I will miss Summerville. Yes, it is growing, yes there are a lot of houses coming, yes it is a little further out but it is fun and safe!

[MrsSoup67]

I know that you post is from last year and I am wondering if you still feel the same about moving to Summerville. My husband is interviewing in Charleston and we have been looking at the Summerville area online. We have three girls a Jr in Hs, a 5th grader and preschooler. I was wondering what school system you are in and what you think of it. Most of the house we have researched are in the Dorchester 2 area. Just looking for insight and advice before we come down to start looking for homes.

Thanks
Karen Campbell

Originally Posted by AmznGrace

Hi Team Mom -- Well, it's only been a bit over two weeks that we have been here, but honestly, I feel so good about our decision and I do very much like the apartment complex we are in for the next six months. I haven't been an apartment dweller since 1989, so it's a bit different, but I'm liking it for the short term.

Also, I really do love the feel of Summerville, particularly where we are building our home in Legend Oaks Plantation. It feels more country out there, but yet it is convenient to decent shopping. When I want to do some serious shopping, I will make the drive to either the new outlet mall, the Town Center in Mt. Pleasant (great area!!!), or to downtown Charleston.

Just last night I received further affirmation/confirmation about our decision after attending my daughter's "meet the teachers" night at her middle school. From the teachers to the parents and kids I observed, I have a high level of confidence. We meet our son's elementary school teacher this evening.

Lastly, everytime I go into downtown Charleston, I just feel at home. It is really weird because I've never felt like that in an area. From the first time we began vacationing here four years ago (Isle of Palms) and would come into downtown Charleston, I felt that way.... like I just belong.

So, heck no, NO regrets!!!

Keep me apprised of your decision/move. Grace

[Rhianna]

Originally Posted by scjj

Coming from Ft. Lauderdale to Summerville might pose somewhat of a culture shock. Please do not make the decision to move to Summerville based solely upon looking at a website. Summerville IS growing, but it is still very much a "country" type town especially when you get closer to the rural areas, poverty is evident. We came here 3 years ago and finding a new home in the 300+ range was a bit of a challenge, they just didn't have that many. We are finally starting to get a better selection of housing in the area and more is coming, but everything here moves extremely slow. The main shopping center in town is not even complete and it was started over 3 years ago!

We have our traffic problems in certain areas, mostly where Summerville and North Charleston come together. Most of the people here work out of the county and commute into North Charleston. Of course, compared to Ft. Lauderdale, it will probably seem like a cakewalk to you. There are plans for thousands of new homes to be built here in the coming years, and I mean thousands in the double digits. If you ask the locals though, they will tell you that is has been overcrowded here for the last 20 years!

With that being said, Summerville is still a decent place to live with a very quaint downtown, which is unique in this day and age, with appealing little local restaurants. We even have an original corner pharmacy with a working soda fountain and a local old time barber shop. We have several golf courses, so hopefully your quest to live on one of them shouldn't be too much of a problem. We have an annual Flowertown Festival in April that lasts 3 days and attacts more than 250,000 people to the area. It is held on Main Street and there is a variety of food and craft vendors. The location is fantastic, going into downtown Charleston for sightseeing or dinner is only a 30-40 drive. We have several beautiful beaches to choose from in the area and the Tanger Outlets are set to open this week in North Charleston with over 90 new stores. Good luck on your decision!

Here is a link to tax info: Locale | Charleston SC Financial Overview

Let me just say if you buy here your making a huge mistake. My husband and I just moved here from VA in January. He was a US Marine and now works for a contractor. We are lucky becaue we didn't buy, we are renting for the first year. We love the area but the Legend Oaks HOA are Nazis!!! I can't wait to get out of this neighborhood!!

[pokrplr]

[quote I would love to see a Town Center like out in Mount Pleasant.[/quote]


If I'm not mistaken and I hope our realtors are not lying to us but where we are buying a home (Cane Bay Plantation) at the corner of 176 and 52 Carnes Crossroads is "supposed" to be the new Daniel Island with Town Centre like shops. They have cleared out hundreds of acres of land but still no signs as to what's going in there??? If anyone knows, please shed some light.

[USCJoe]

A good news article about Cane Bay Plantation, although a little dated, was published in the Charleston Regional News Journal. Although it would appear that there will be commercial space/construction in the Cane Bay area, it may be many years before such construction will be completed to the extent that the shopping will be similar to the Mt. Pleasant town center or Daniel Island. Most of the clearing in Cane Bay appears to be in support of additional residential housing, a school and new hospital. I have not been able to identify commercial shops planned at this time at Cane Bay although it is certainly possible that some are on the "drawing board." What specifically did "your Realtors" advise you as to the time frame of the commercial construction ?

[pokrplr]

Joe - What was told to us and there were no specific names of stores etc, but they did say that eventually right @ the corner of 176 & 52 would be retail galore. Shops, walkways, restaurants, specialty stores, etc...Now I have noticed that they have cleared out hundreds of acres of woods at that exact location so I am hoping that this may be a phase I type deal in the works?