moving to pawleys/murrells inlet - pros/cons of neighborhoods (Georgetown: for sale, rental)
Myrtle Beach - Conway areaHorry County
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hello all. first post here trying to gather some info.
I am moving the family to pawleys/murrells inlet area for work related reasons.
We are leaning towards pawleys/litchfield more so to get away from the crowded area north of the gardens.
But if the school system and housing prices are right, we are considering murrells inlet.
Any neighborhoods I should stay away from?
I understand there are many areas like the ricefields, the reserve, pawleys plantation, heritage club, debordieu club area. Are there pros and cons of each?
We are a younger family but we are not necessarily looking to be with the younger crowd. We can be flexible. We do like our privacy, as most do I suppose.
Any upcoming areas I should look into? last post about these neighborhoods were posted in 2008 so I was hoping to see if there are any changes/updates.
I live in Surfside and have friends in Pawleys. Its very nice , definitely on the smaller more expensive side , upscale. Every area is more retiree than young but I'm sure if you stick to a subdivision you will meet some other young families. Murrells is great with probably more housing choices and more younger families but its a different vibe. More beacher dude, if that makes sense. My one negative to Pawleys is its one road in and out only. I would think in the summer this makes it harder to come and go from. Also most big box stores are not around, you would drive to Murrells for that.
Best of luck, leave your shovel behind!!
Welcome!! First off, have you been here before? I'm assuming yes, since you're packing up your family to move here.
How old are the kids? Budget? House size that you want? Will you be working from home, if not, how far is work commute?
I moved here from NY 4 years ago. I chose Murrells Inlet because I knew the area, and in my opinion, it was a better school district than Waccamaw SD down in Pawleys.
When are you planning on coming down?? Either way, if you pick Murrells or PI, you will be happy.
My suggestion is to try and find a rental to make sure you like your targeted area. Then you have the flexibility to move if you find that you don't like where you are. Then, once you find the right area, buy a house. My brother-in-law drives to Pawley's to work and says that traffic can be pretty bad on 17 in both MI and Pawley's in especially in the summer.
I live in Murrells Inlet. I would have chosen Pawleys Island but I wanted on a lake. You can buy a lot and build in Woodlawn Plantation on a twenty acre lake.. There are a couple of lots for sale. As far as school district, parts of Murrells Inlet feed to Georgetown County schools and some are zoned to Horry. If that matters to you, then it’s something to ask about when you look.
I would say that if you have a young family, Pawleys may not be your best option. The school system is Georgetown county, not Horry, so the funding is considerably lower and this is reflected in the education overall- and I say this as the neighbor of 2 teachers from elsewhere who feel that Georgetown county schools are "off the mark" in terms of quality and funding and now sort of wish that they had gone with Horry County instead.
The "thing" about the Pawleys/Litchfield area is that it has a reputation for being affluent, and for catering to the "above average income" visitor, so cost of living is pretty high, IMO.
But, the exchange is the reduced "commercialism"( for now) and a more rural feel to the area which can be really appealing.
I think that if I were still in the "young family " stage I would look to Murrells Inlet and particularly at Prince Creek which is a bit out of the hoopla yet still convenient to lots of things. Its not as close to the beach and thus has a less tourist-oriented vibe, in my opinion, and it seems to offer a pretty good mix of occupants.
We are moving from the midwest. Work will be closer to pawleys island, thus we were considering that.
Thank you for explaining the school system/budget between the two counties.
Budget wise we were thinking 300-500k for homes. We can be flexible if we see something we really like.
That said, we are now leaning towards renting for a year to really scope out the place before taking the plunge.
As you mentioned, we did like the reduced commercialism feel of PI; but I guess it comes with a price.
Talk to lots of people. Everyone will have different opinions. I know some Georgetown teachers who’ve said they would prefer slightly lower pay than to work in Horry. I’m not saying that to slam Horry at all. It’s just a lot more scripted. Georgetown teachers tend to have more flexibility/freedom in their lessons. Again, both districts have their strengths. When I interviewed and asked about schools, Georgetown schools were recommended by future colleagues. Again, I know people happy with kids in both districts.
I’d definitely rent. I hated the idea of renting, but now am glad I did. That way I could buy a lot and build. It also gives you time to check out builders if you want to build a house. I’d still prefer Pawleys because of the feel if I weren’t in my current neighborhood. My son was five when I moved here (eight years old now), and we rented in Surfside Beach. There are about 15 houses plus a few owned as vacation homes in our current neighborhood. No other kids, but he swears he’ll never leave this house to move again. Lol. Between school and swim team there’s not a lot of time to be bored. Tidelands on Pawleys is great for swim team for kids.
I love the south Strand and really enjoy living here.
Definitely I would live in Murrells Inlet east of Business 17.
Great community, outdoor activities, families, dining, lots to do.
I love Pawleys Island a lot but it is more retiree centric.
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