NYC to Myrtle Beach...transition questions from a senior citizen (Garden City: real estate, sublet)

[Ohmarianne]

[SIZE=2]Hi to everyone and I am so glad I stumbled upon this message board. I have tried to find answers to several questions on Google, but the information either was not there or in such an abbreviated form that it left me still somewhat clueless.

I am a 69 year old woman with somewhat limited mobility due to back problems looking to relocate from New York City to Myrtle Beach in the coming year. I currently live in a 5th floor walk-up apartment in a falling apart building dating back to 1899. It is relatively cheap by NYC standards but very costly compared to what I have been able to glean about Myrtle Beach rentals. I have been in this same apartment for 41 years, but the stairs and getting around by subway (with more stairs!) has become not only difficult but hazardous due to the chance of a fall.

I am not looking for an assisted living place...not anywhere near that point yet, but would prefer an area populated mostly by seniors...no kids or noisy college students with their parties.

These are my questions:
1. What neighborhoods are mostly inhabited by retirees?

2. Are there any organizations for senior citizens? I know no one in Myrtle Beach and would like to meet people...but how? I would be living alone and would like to make some social contacts.

3. How necessary is a car? I know there is some bus service but is it enough to depend on alone for transportation? I have a driver's license but have not driven or owned a car since the mid-70's and would prefer not to deal with what I understand can be horrendous traffic in MB. Taxi's - are they a viable means of transport or are they outrageously expensive?

4. Are there actually any areas of Myrtle Beach where necessities such as grocery stores, drugstores, etc. are within walkable distance? Do stores and restaurants make home deliveries for a fee?

5. Libraries....are there local branches or just one central one? The availability of books is a big thing for me.

6. Smoking...I, alas, am one of the hold-outs. Are most rentals in MB smoke free? In NYC, one can not smoke in restaurants, bars, in city parks, at city beaches. Are the laws as stringent in MB?

7. I have an idea about the price of rentals from Craigslist. Are there any real estate agents who handle rentals? I am not interested in purchasing anything and the real estate web-sites I have looked at on-line seem to lean heavily towards selling condo's or houses.

8. Has anyone used a reasonably priced long-distance mover that you would recommend? I am not taking any furniture, only clothes, computers, necessary paperwork, some reference books. Maybe a total of 4 or 5 suitcases and 10 or so 18 gallon Rubbermaid storage containers. I have no one to drive a small U-haul truck for me and do not want my first driving experience in decades to be a truck from NYC to Myrtle Beach! And I need someone to get all the stuff down all the stairs for me. So doing it independently is not an option. UPS or the post office won't work because I would still have to transport the luggage and stuff to their locations.

9. Any insights on making the transition from a large city to a smaller town? How difficult is the change? Ideally I would prefer to try MB for 6 months but I am on a limited fixed income and cannot afford to pay rents on two places, holding onto my NYC apartment while I do a trial in MB.

Thanks for any advice or suggestions!
[/SIZE]

[neecewh]

What neighborhoods are mostly inhabited by retirees?

Are there actually any areas of Myrtle Beach where necessities such as grocery stores, drugstores, etc. are within walkable distance? Do stores and restaurants make home deliveries for a fee?

There are many areas that are inhabited mostly by retirees. My neighborhood in Surfside Beach is one of them, although there are children here as well (including mine ). One neighborhood that came to mind when reading your post was Ocean Pines, a 55+ Jensen community in Garden City. Most of the homes are owned, but they do have some rental duplexes. If I am not mistaken, the rentals are near the entry off of business 17. If that is the case, a Krogers grocery store and Walgreens pharmacy are within walking distance. There are many restaurants that deliver as well as a Myrtle Beach restaurant delivery service, but I can't think of their name off the top of my head.

How necessary is a car? I know there is some bus service but is it enough to depend on alone for transportation? I have a driver's license but have not driven or owned a car since the mid-70's and would prefer not to deal with what I understand can be horrendous traffic in MB. Taxi's - are they a viable means of transport or are they outrageously expensive?

I am not sure you could get around this area without a car. Maybe in Myrtle Beach you could, but even that would be difficult I think. Maybe someone else can help you more with that.

Are there any organizations for senior citizens? I know no one in Myrtle Beach and would like to meet people...but how? I would be living alone and would like to make some social contacts.

In the south end of Myrtle Beach - Garden City, Surfside, and Murrells Inlet - I think you would be hard pressed to go anywhere and NOT meet other seniors. This area is largely retirees, so I wouldn't worry too much about being unable to meet new people.

Libraries....are there local branches or just one central one? The availability of books is a big thing for me.

There are several different libraries (http://www.horry.lib.sc.us/joomla.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=104 - broken link) so no matter where you end up I am sure there will be one not too far away.

Smoking...I, alas, am one of the hold-outs. Are most rentals in MB smoke free? In NYC, one can not smoke in restaurants, bars, in city parks, at city beaches. Are the laws as stringent in MB?

So far the beaches in Horry county still allow smoking with the exception of Surfside Beach. You can still find restaurants here that allow smoking also, but there is a "Smoke Free Horry County" group trying to change all that.

Good luck with your move! I hope you love it here as much as I do.

[blueherons]

Myrtle Beach is retiree haven. Just about any neighborhood will have tons of retirees.

The only walkable neighborhood in Myrtle Beach is Market Commons (www.MarketCommonMB.com) and it has lots of shopping, dining, attractions, parks, recreation, and grocery stores that are walkable. With a bike path, you could greatly expand your carless area. Ocean Boulevard is bike path from start to finish.

Can you sublet your apartment for six months?

I use to work in Manhattan and had a corporate apartment on West 57th and I think you are going to be quite shellshocked. Things you all take for granted (ethnic food, museums, theater etc) are quite non existent compared to what you are used to.

Good luck with this! The climate may more than make up for what you are missing!

[vrexy]

There are other areas besides Market Common that are very walkable. Surfside Beach is just one of them. Depending on where you live, you could walk to the post office, the library, grocery stores and pharmacies, parks, etc. Also to the beach! I live here and know that for a fact, despite what others might have to say about it.......

Although technically, Surfside Beach is not Myrtle Beach. All I am saying is that there are other options and you can't take the word of just anyone, even if they present themselves as the resident "expert" on everything!

[blueherons]

Originally Posted by vrexy

Although technically, Surfside Beach is not Myrtle Beach. All I am saying is that there are other options and you can't take the word of just anyone, even if they present themselves as the resident "expert" on everything!

Is that supposed to be another dig at me?

[vrexy]

Originally Posted by blueherons

Is that supposed to be another dig at me?

No, it isn't. I just wanted this person to know that there are other areas and other opinions........

[hulagirlatheart]

Originally Posted by blueherons

Is that supposed to be another dig at me?

[Summering]

Market Commons is a good location for having everything at your fingertips. Food, restaurants, parks,stores with clothes and books, a movie theater. It might just win in that regard.
However, yes.......You can live where you can walk to some stores.
Jamestown Colony, behind Walgreens and near Krogers and some restaurants comes to mind.
But, at the minimum there, I would think it would work best to have a golf cart.
There is a mobile park called Windjammer near those same stores...( you won't own the land there)
But, to go far and wide and attend various functions its best to have a car.
You could rent or own at Oceanside Village and use a cart to get to Bilos and Dollar General....
also the beach. But, without a car......you could miss all the fun there is to be had in the local area.

[Summering]

After reading your post more carefully I think you should look into Jensens.....To rent or own.
It is a beautiful retirement community. Everyone there seems quite happy too.
Mainly and mostly retired and few visiting children.
I have always used the Mayflower movers but they are not cheap anymore ( not any mover)....
So if you can just send a box or two and purchase new this way, it would be the best thing to do.
I'm sure just a local ride would not cost too much by taxi however we had a bill of $50.00
from Tangers to Surfside last year.
I'm afraid the Market Commons might give you steps........
All homes in Jensens are one level.
Oceanside Village is "all ages" so you might not like that.
Having someone with a heart condition and a little fellow with Asthma the no smoking rule is a good thing.
We have wonderful libraries...........Best of luck to you.

[burr]

Do I understand a 5th floor walk-up apt as 'you climb 5 flights of stairs to reach your apt' ? If so, you should really love the ground floor living at the Beach. and you'll be in fine shape for the area, except for one thing - it gets a little muggy. Although the ocean breeze is great to offset the mugginess, it ends a block or so off the water. It is an oppressive heat and keeps a lot of people in the house but that's not so bad during the summer months around here.