Little River, Calabash, or Carolina Shores? (Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach: apartment, to rent, insurance)

[movinginthenewyear]

Hi! My husband, baby, and I are moving to the North Carolina/South Carolina border at the beginning of January because of my husband's job which will be in the North Myrtle Beach area. It looks like Little River, Calabash NC and Carolina Shores NC would all be wonderful places to live, but I thought I ask for your expert opinions!

Here is what I'm wondering specifically:
--Do you know if there are any differences in vehicle insurance rates or living expenses in general between the two states?
--We would like to rent a house, condo or townhouse rather than an apartment. Do you know if prices are less expensive in Little River vs the NC cities? At this point schools are not an issue for us so that is not a deciding factor. We are looking to rent at first and purchase a house in 6-12 months. We have found a few places to rent and it looks as if Little River is more rural than the NC cities?
--How accessible is shopping, specifically for necessities like groceries?

We will be visiting in a couple of weeks but I would love to have a better idea of these areas before we visit and make commitments! Thanks in advance, y'all are a wealth of information!

[Nancy-NJ-NY-ME?]

While we've never lived in the Myrtle Beach area, we do have relatives and friends there and have visited there at all times of the year.

My B-in-L and S-in-L both work in North Myrtle Beach and for several years they lived in Myrtle Beach. (Their kids were in elmentary school at the time.) They eventually moved over the SC/NC state line into Calabash, NC and have never regretted it.

While they are in the tourist area for work, they get to go home to a more suburban / rural area. And they're kids have thrived in the Brunswick County (NC) school district. It's a great location -- not far from the beach, i.e., Sunset Beach, county parks and, yes, supermarkets.

And being on the far north side of Mrytle Beach, they have the benefit of being between two airports -- Wilmington, NC and Myrtle Beach, SC.

Good luck with your move!

[Mpinskaya]

If you are interested in Little River, there is a great new community called Cypress Bay that has inexpensive but very nice condos. Good luck