Relocate to Walhalla from Lowcountry? (Charleston, Greenville: how much, lawyer, houses)

[Follymom]

Hiya from the Lowcountry!

We are a growing family with a toddler and very much enjoy living in Charleston. However, the continuing increases in crime, traffic and cost of living have forced us to consider relocating upstate.

After several trips to Lake Keowee, we are considering building in a lakefront community, preferably in the Walhalla school district. It has always been our dream to be on deep water, which we will never in a million years be able to afford on the coast!

My husband works from home and can live anywhere in the Southeast, and I am a teacher, so we don't have to worry about employment. We are avid fishermen and love hiking, my husband is a hunting nut and general outdoorsy kind of guy, so the upstate is very appealing to us for recreation.

So now that you have a feel for who we are, these are my questions:
1. What is the quality of life for families with young children in Walhalla? Specifically, what activities are available?
2. How receptive are the residents to outsiders? My husband is Canadian and has a ridiculous accent, bless his heart!
3. Would you consider Walhalla to be a "tight-knit" community?
4. Are the Lake residents active in the town events, or is it more separatist?
5. What are some date night activities for thirty-somethings in Walhalla?

Thank you for your time and information, Blessed Be!!

[OconeeMountains]

Follymom,

As a bit of a disclaimer, I am not from Walhalla and have not lived there. I do plan to move to the area within the next year and have visited the area heavily and talked to many locals during my visits. The first thing I noticed about Walhalla is that the people were all very nice and welcoming. I had my questions answered with much grace and candor, so I will try to pass some of that along to you.

As far as activities for kids and 30 somethings the 'town' of Walhalla probably doesn't offer much unique by way of actual institutions or businesses. The main street area, in fact, is slightly depressed and has been for 20 some years. That said, the main street area is very quaint and historic, and is bound to come back. There are a few great businesses there that shouldn't be overlooked (Eat at the steakhouse cafeteria, or common grounds -yummy!). Back to the topic at hand, for kids, you may be looking at the traditional activities offered through the school system. The community does have a great school system (Oconee County is consistently one of the best performing in the state) and I have observed that the community really stands behind its sports teams and supports their children. Aside from that, if you (and your kids) like hiking, camping or fishing you would find yourself in a dreamland. Walhalla is literally at the foot of the Blue Ridge Escarpment (The 'Blue Wall') and, of course, is fronted on the east by 3 large, beautiful lakes. Outdoor activities abound offering all levels of difficulty, enjoyment and the like. For more of a 'mature' outing (E.g., something for you and your husband to do on date night) you may be looking more at driving the 45 minutes to Greenville for the multitude of shops they have there.

From my observations, it seems the Walhalla residents are warm and receptive to outsiders. I am not from the Upstate myself (N.C. originally) but have recieved nothing but fond welcomes and discussions. Your husband will likely be warmly recieved. The community is definately tight-knit in my opinion. Everybody really gets together to support the various community endeavors, from Christmas parades, to the annual Oktoberfest Celebration, to the local academic and athletic events.

As far as the lake residents being involved in town events, that is probably a no. There certainly has been an 'us' versus 'them' mentality in Oconee County for some time as many wealthy folks have bought large places on the lakes and changed the social and economic landscape of the area. As you might expect, this has caused some frutstration with the traditional residents of the area who often tell tales of the 'old days' when life was more simple etc. Despite this 'schism' I think that Oconee County is slowly starting to become one large community again. It seems that the older, and newer residents have begun to recognize they all call this beautiful place home. While they may not agree on every issue (planning/zoning issues etc.), I believe they are starting to work together. Plus, Walhalla (and Westminster down the road to lesser extent) are to historic and charming to simply fall by the wayside. I think the folks in the community will embrace the town in years to come and I would be surprised in Main Street did not see a resurgence and revitalization. I think, in fact, that there are plans to revitalize Main Street with new medians and plantings etc., but I can't verify that (anybody know about this?)

I hope that goes some length to giving you some insight on the area. Clearly I'm a bit biased. If I didn't like it I wouldn't be moving there! The combination of good people, good schools, a fantastic natural location, proximity to Greenville, and a charming downtown make Walhalla a natural fit for me. Wish you and your family the utmost blessings.

[fisher33]

Hi Folly Mom - I live on James Island! However, I grew up in Townville which is in the upstate on Lake Hartwell. I actually just posted a comment in the Charleston forum letting someone know about how much I loved the upstate. I'm so ready to go back home. Charleston is not for me - for the reasons you mentioned - traffic, cost of living, cost of housing, quality of life, etc. Once my husband graduates from school, we're hot tailing it right back to the upstate as quickly as we can get there.

I have to say if you want deep water, good fishing, fun things to do on the lake and off the lake, you need to be on Lake Hartwell. If you're going to spend the $ to build something on pricey Keowee, definitely consider Teakwood subdivision on Anderson. There's also a lot of really nice lake lots and houses in Townville. On Lake Hartwell, you can ride in your boat to Clemson and eat at the restaurants or drive your boat to Portman marina and eat at the delicious Galley or Nami restaurants. Also, if you look at Townville or Anderson, you will be very close to Clemson, Greenville, and of course, Anderson has grown a ton in the past ten years and now has a lot to offer. The Pendleton school district (my alma mater) is great (I think!). Walhalla is alright, but besides from Sweet Treats and Main Street, there's not a lot to do. Of course, you're right there at Seneca, but even Seneca doesn't have a lot of shopping (no mall I don't think, unless they have a new one). So here we go:

1) Quality of life in Walhalla would be great and definitely less expensive than Charleston, but unless you are plugged into school activities/ church activities, etc., I don't know of a lot going on there. There are a lot of pretty waterfalls if you're into hiking and downtown has a couple festivals each year (Apple festival, Oktoberfest).
2) Haha, a lot of people living around Keowee are yankees now so obviously, they are very receptive to outsiders. The upstate is very hospitable (as long as you don't say you're a gamecock fan - then you'll have trouble)...haha. Same would be true around Lake Hartwell.
3) I think it's going to depend on where you are in Walhalla. If you're in a subdivision, you'll obviously have more of a sense of community. I do think that Walhalla/ Seneca has a more small town feel than Anderson does. Townville is too small of a town to feel like a town. "Downtown Townville" is less than a mile long, but we did have our first annual Christmas parade this year!! Definitely no red lights though, just open spaces with fields. Townville is about a 15 minute drive to Anderson but there are new grocery stores about 5 minutes away, so it's a lot more convenient than it use to be to live there. My parents can even have pizza delivered to their door now...haha.
4) Lake residents, since they are not from the area, usually keep to themselves. However, if they are from Seneca and live on or near the lake, they definitely are active in the community. Not saying this is a black and white situation, but this is the trend. My husband's aunt lives on Keowee and she loves it, but the drive to get to her house is pretty far out. However, she lives on a point and it is gorgeous. There are about half and half retirees from different areas and natives in her area. Like on Lake Hartwell, you'll find more subdivided areas of neighbors on the lake - not necessarily subdivisions. Not a huge sense of community, but you do know your neighbors. This is also what it's like where we live on Lake Hartwell. There are about 20 houses near my house (parent's house) but most of them are summer homes and it's quiet during the winter. They all know each other and look out for each other, but don't have parties together or anything.
5) My husband's aunt is a lawyer in downtown Walhalla and her daughter is at Walhalla high school. They love it, but I have definitely heard her daughter say she's bored on the weekends (when it's too cold to play on the lake). During the summer, they're on the lake. His aunt is in her mid fifties so she is fine with being at home and eating out nice dinners. There are good restaurants close by. Going out on the boat is fun at night. The movie theaters are always there, there are sporting events at Clemson, concerts at Clemson, Soiree in Anderson, lots going on in Greenville which is about 30-45 minutes away.

Sorry for the book - I hope that through my strong Lake Hartwell biases you were able to learn a little more about Walhalla!

[drfranklin]

Follymom,

The Upstate (especially Oconee county) holds a special place in my heart. My family and I just moved back to the Upstate (Simpsonville) from Chattanooga recently - we love it here! We lived in Seneca (just down the road from Walhalla) several years ago - it was a great experience - and it was a huge influence in our family moving back to South Carolina.

Please refer to my original post about a year ago:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/south...ing-areas.html

This post is a little old but may give you some idea of the general area. I'll answer your specific questions later today.

[Follymom]

A heartfelt thanks to OCONEE MOUNTAINS, FISHER33 and DRFRANKLIN for all your thoughtful insights. I really appreciate the time you spent answering my questions and I am grateful for your suggestions, too!
Have a rockin' weekend!

[drfranklin]

OK, there's not much I can add after the great replies from FISHER33 and OCONEEMOUNTAINS, but here goes:

1. The quality of life for a young family is all about what you want. If you and your clan are into outdoor activities, the possibilities are nearly endless. Waterfalls are abundant in the area (see: SCwaterfalls - Waterfalls in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia - great resource). My family and I would go to Whitewater Falls all the time (Whitewater Falls, Whitewater Falls - highest waterfall east of the Mississippi - great way to cool off in the heat of the SC summer). Of course there's Lake Keowee and Jocassee for any type of water recreation. These lakes (esp Jocassee) have a spectacular mountain backdrop. And, there's plenty of mountain biking and hiking in the area (see: SCTrails Upcountry Hiking Trails, SCTrails Mountain Bike Trails). As for "urban" activities for families (sporting events, well known shows/plays, big name concerts), Walhalla (and Oconee county for that matter) really does not offer this. Clemson and Greenville are relatively short drives. I'm not sure how young your children are, but when we lived in Seneca, there was not a Mom's Club (International MOMS Club) group in the area, but I believe there are some meetup groups there now.

2. Oconee County is attracting a multitude of retirees from the Northeast and Mid-West due to the lakes and low cost of living. Your husband will blend right in .

3. I'm not sure how to answer this. I'm sure there are some long-time residents who may shun newcomers. For the most part, the entire area is welcoming.

4. Lake residents are active everywhere - I encountered this especially in the church we attended (Home Page).

5. Date night activities in Walhalla? - HAHAHA! - what exactly are you looking for? If it's a nice restaurant and movie, then you need to drive into Seneca/Clemson (maybe - but there's no "upscale" cinema in Seneca or Clemson), or, better yet, drive to Anderson or Greenville (count on at least a 45 minute drive each way from Walhalla).