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That's what is interesting about the area.. Many of the young families that want to move "in town" are settling in Shandon, Rosewood, parts of Eau Claire, and Downtown. I think that Lake Katherine and Forest Acres are solid neighborhoods.. but young residents that want to move in may have to do some updating. The homes are in a solid school district, large lots, and very mature communities. I think this is one of the reasons that Richland Mall has faltered. If this neighborhood was full of young families instead of aging baby boomers.. Richland Mall would have a totally different feel. I think that these areas will get "younger" in time but with the housing crisis.. and banking requirements tightening.. it may take longer. Also, many Gen Y and such dont like having big yards or doing any type of HGTV updating.. which also may be a barrier to some settling in this area. Homes are average size for families.. but many people want smaller more energy efficient green homes which may make some of these sites less desirable.
From my anecdotal experience this seems to be largely true. It is also why so many young families simply bolt for the newer construction in NE Richland/Elgin, Dutch Fork/Chapin, Lexington, etc., especially transplants. Some parts of Forest Acres where the houses are a bit more affordable (i.e., away from Lake Katherine and closer to, say, Two Notch Road) appear to be a bit more popular with younger families, including transplants, but even then we know of one family in such an area that which they could sell their house quickly and move closer to us in our newer neighborhood in the far NE (they've already bought a lot).
Another thing to consider is that these areas not only have older, less modern homes, they have older, less "modern" social scenes. These older, established baby boomer residents, and even some of the younger ones, are very native to the area and have their established social circles (friends, churches, schools, etc.). This makes it hard for young families to fit in, unless that were already part of that circle. One family we know who lives in the Lake Katherine area is a young 30-something family - the husband is an Irmo native and is an attorney, so even though he's not from the Forest Acres side of town, he is a Midlands native and as a Midlands/SC native and an attorney, he would fit in relatively easily. However, his wife has had a harder time making friends with neighbors and she has sensed some stand-offishness (though not outride rudeness) in the area (coming from a Charleston native like her, that is saying something!). I believe other areas further out in the Northeast like Spring Valley and Wildewood are probably a bit friendlier to "outsiders". Of course there are further, newer areas like Longcreek, Woodlake, Lake Carolina which are almost totally filled with out-of-state transplants.
Basically people now want smaller houses from the eras when they were built to last.
To a certain extent, perhaps. I'd say this is limited to:
(1) Certain neighborhoods - as Woodlands mentioned, it seems Shandon/Rosewood and certain parts of Forest Acres are more popular. Some areas/houses, even in relatively upper middle class areas, are outdated.
(2) People who either are ignorant of, don't care about, or can afford to upgrade of outdated insulation/leakage/utility issues.
(3) Singles, couples, and families with up to a couple of kids. I would observe that the appeal of these older homes seems limited to a largely affluent, white demographic. Minorities, especially immigrants from Asia/Latin America, who have the means to do so generally appear to move out to new subdivisions in the suburbs, even if they could afford a home in town. Best nearby example I can think of is Gwinnett County, GA (you probably won't see to many minorities buying up homes in areas like Shandon, Inman/Candler Park in Atlanta, or Dilworth or Myers Park in Charlotte).
(4) Out-of-state transplants with young children seem especially attracted with suburbs, since it is quicker and easier to evaluate the "good schools" out there and there's less uncertainty. Of course there are exceptions like perhaps married graduate students with young kids who are comfortable with a Shandon, but more business/corporate-oriented transplants will probably go for a Lexington, Chapin, or Blythewood type area that looks like what has been called a "Reloville". In other words, they will look for a carbon copy of Alpharetta, Cary, Plano, Naperville, Irvine, Ashburn, VA, etc. Nowadays with the housing market that may mean renting rather than buying a home, though, especially if they are corporate nomads.
As accufit alluded to, a lot of these older homes have great bones but terrible layouts and outdated furnishings/appliances. While newer homes may have weaker bones, they are totally tailored to how folks live nowadays (open living/dining areas, large walk-in closets, etc.).
There will always be people who chase an illusive rainbow and trail the curve. I hope people who are just now moving out to the suburbs won't soon find themselves stranded.
My last two homes have been new builds and if I had to do it all over again, my next would be a new build or darn near new.
Amen.
Our last house was in the Avenues of Cayce. It was a great house built in the 40s, large rooms, big yard and lots of windows. One huge problem though was the electrical system. The only 3 prong plug in the house was in the kitchen and there were not near enough outlets for a modern household. Every room required at least 1 power strip. When we went looking to buy you know one area I paid close attention to.
There will always be people who chase an illusive rainbow and trail the curve. I hope people who are just now moving out to the suburbs won't soon find themselves stranded.
While I definitely see the virtues of living in town, it isn't for everyone, or at least it isn't what most prefer. Most people gravitate to square footage and better school districts. This isn't a value judgement, it is a fact.
Higher gas prices definitely are a bigger risk for newer, outer suburban areas. However in the Midlands, due to our smaller size, I don't see this being as big of an issue as, say, exurban Atlanta or DC. One can live out on the fringes in Blythewood, Lexington, Chapin, etc. and still be within about 45 minutes of downtown. In Atlanta, if you live in Cumming or Dacula or Kennesaw, you will really think hard before taking a job inside the I-285 perimeter. It's even worse in DC, where tons of people adjust their working hours to, say, 6pm-3pm to avoid traffic.
That being said, unfortunately with the housing bubble, even here in Columbia, there were people who overextended themselves by not having enough income and budgeting to truly afford that shiny new house 20 miles from downtown. While not as bad as CA/FL/AZ/NV, there are definitely folks who got in over their heads.
From my anecdotal experience this seems to be largely true. It is also why so many young families simply bolt for the newer construction in NE Richland/Elgin, Dutch Fork/Chapin, Lexington, etc., especially transplants. Some parts of Forest Acres where the houses are a bit more affordable (i.e., away from Lake Katherine and closer to, say, Two Notch Road) appear to be a bit more popular with younger families, including transplants, but even then we know of one family in such an area that which they could sell their house quickly and move closer to us in our newer neighborhood in the far NE (they've already bought a lot).
Another thing to consider is that these areas not only have older, less modern homes, they have older, less "modern" social scenes. These older, established baby boomer residents, and even some of the younger ones, are very native to the area and have their established social circles (friends, churches, schools, etc.). This makes it hard for young families to fit in, unless that were already part of that circle. One family we know who lives in the Lake Katherine area is a young 30-something family - the husband is an Irmo native and is an attorney, so even though he's not from the Forest Acres side of town, he is a Midlands native and as a Midlands/SC native and an attorney, he would fit in relatively easily. However, his wife has had a harder time making friends with neighbors and she has sensed some stand-offishness (though not outride rudeness) in the area (coming from a Charleston native like her, that is saying something!). I believe other areas further out in the Northeast like Spring Valley and Wildewood are probably a bit friendlier to "outsiders". Of course there are further, newer areas like Longcreek, Woodlake, Lake Carolina which are almost totally filled with out-of-state transplants.
Yep very true concerning the social circles in some of these established neighborhoods... Folks who have watch each other kids grow up.. may be near retirement and are just relaxing may not be interested in making new friends.. thats not to say that they arent "friendly" but as you said.. they have established networks and routines dont necessarily want to take the time or the need to get to know others.. particuliarly if they are in a different stage in their lives than say the 30 something that move in. The opposite would be true for those boomers that move from say Lake Murray to downtown Columbia. They may be in the same baby boomer age demogrphic as the Lake Katherine folks... but they are likely transplants that move to the area just before retirement or when their kid were in the a early years of high school and are now off to college.. so they may not be as attached to the suburban lifestyle or have the long time established social networks.. So like the the 30 somethings.. they move "in town" to be a part of the scene and to mingle.. with either folks like themselves or ironicallly the 30 somethings and the mature nightlife (i.e. not five points...though they may make an exception during football season.)
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