best place to retire in North or South Carolina?? (salary, support, restaurant)
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Thanks again for all of your input. You are right, we have to make our list of what's most important and stick to it! We'll let you all know what we decide....
I'm going to agree with most of the posters here that you will not avoid the heat and humidity by moving to the Carolinas instead of Florida. It just exists for a few months less in the Carolinas and you'll have a mild change of seasons, which you won't see in Florida.
Although you have some palms from Wilmington, NC southward on the coast it does not have a "Florida type" tropical feel. But you could say that about the northern third and interior of north Florida as well.
It really comes down to what is most important to you. As someone mentioned, the snowbirding option is the best of both worlds. If that is something you could afford, it would be worth considering. If being close to your daughter in Raleigh is important there are some great options, within an hour of there. Someone mentioned New Bern and Pinehurst. Chapel Hill is also another great choice.
These towns will offer a significant climate change from what you are currently experiencing in upstate NY. Some who make the move to FL find the change too extreme and wind up moving halfway back to the Carolinas they are fondly called "Halfbacks". They find it to be a nice middle ground compromise.
If you choose that option you could always rent a beach house somewhere in south Florida for a month in the winter to get that beach/tropical fix that you are looking for. The cost of living savings by moving to the Carolinas (not on the cost) will allow you to afford this.
Thanks for all of your input. My husband and I don't need a job so work is not important. We love the palm trees, green grass and the mediteranean home styles that Florida has to offer and thought that living in South Carolina those traits would convey. But after looking at homes on line in the Mt Pleasant and Summerville areas we found the homes to look like they do here in Upstate NY. We were looking for a lifestyle change, being able to walk on the beaches, go to quaint places for coffee, meet new people and have a nice open floor plan with Florida style homes. We like to get out in the nice weather and for 4 months out of the year (or more) we fight snow, ice and cold in the North East. We are tired of it. I'm sorry for continuously bringing up Florida but everything was right for us except the extreme heat!! I wonder if we could build a Florida style home in SC and plant some palms!! Believe it or not, we are looking on the coast for a home. The James Island and the others scare me for Hurricanes but I hear they are nice! I'm rambling...sorry.
As an NC native who has also lived elsewhere, knows SC well, and considered a home in Florida - what you describe you want is much more likely in Florida than either NC or SC.
What family and friends have done here for generations is have a small home in one place and a larger home in the other . . . or two condos . . . or a mountain home and a house/condo elsewhere (Fla, NC, SC). Or some have retired to the mountains and then rent a furnished condo for the winter in Florida (or vice versa). . . there are many strategies to pursue. You can enjoy the best of the weather and social season this way in both places. If you select gated communities, then you don't have to worry about vandalism/burglaries when you are not living in that particular home. The only downside can be high HOA dues. If you choose to make Florida your permanent residence but spend part of the year in NC, there can be a tax benefit to that strategy.
As an NC native who has also lived elsewhere, knows SC well, and considered a home in Florida - what you describe you want is much more likely in Florida than either NC or SC.
What family and friends have done here for generations is have a small home in one place and a larger home in the other . . . or two condos . . . or a mountain home and a house/condo elsewhere (Fla, NC, SC). Or some have retired to the mountains and then rent a furnished condo for the winter in Florida (or vice versa). . . there are many strategies to pursue. You can enjoy the best of the weather and social season this way in both places. If you select gated communities, then you don't have to worry about vandalism/burglaries when you are not living in that particular home. The only downside can be high HOA dues. If you choose to make Florida your permanent residence but spend part of the year in NC, there can be a tax benefit to that strategy.
Your suggestions are wise. What the OP is looking for is to live in Florida without the heat, humidity and threat of hurricanes. Sorry but that cannot be.
Your suggestions are wise. What the OP is looking for is to live in Florida without the heat, humidity and threat of hurricanes. Sorry but that cannot be.
Absolutely correct about taking the hurricanes, heat and humidity (and bugs, lol) with life in Florida. The thing that others have touched on is . . . as far as coastal NC and SC, you also have the high likelihood of hurricanes and flooding. Hurricanes that may even miss Florida often still scrape by the NC coastal region. So NC, SC and Florida may not be the best year round situations for everyone.
One of my friends, who is a Raleigh native, is preparing for retirement and sold his coastal home this past winter (Nags Head area) b/c the cost of insurance and stress of dealing with repairs after storms just got to be too much. They loved the place! But I talked to him right after Irene had exited our coast, and he was feeling much better about selling the place, lol. In fact, he was quite happy about it, as the road wh/ leads to his home was completely washed out and he suspects the house took on some sizeable damage.
A person can live inland in NC/SC and make day trips to the beach . . . or rent a hotel . . . Yes, it isn't the same as owning your own place but then - no insurance worries, no after-storm headaches w/ months of insurance negotiation and out of pocket expenses . . . There is a downside to the upside of waking up and walking on a beach.
We love the St. Augustine area and visit there once a year. We have been watching that area (Palm Coast, for ex) for about 25 years. We have thought about buying a small home there for winter, or renting something furnished. Just not certain what we will end up doing. But I am pretty sure we are not going to buy anything on the Florida coast - renting seems more feasible.
The big criteria we have kept in mind is - insurance in hurricane/flood prone areas is high, out of pocket costs can be staggering when disaster does strike - plus, dealing with contractors for months long after the disaster strikes can be a terribly debilitating situation. My 85 y/o uncle is in a lovely gulf coast city in the winter and back in NC for the summers . . . and it took nearly 2 years to get his house back in shape after the last hurricane ripped off his roof and severely damaged his property. I am learning from others' experiences, and hope what I have considered may help someone else.
The best of all situations may include some travel!
Look at Clemson, Oconee, Easley or Anderson SC. Right by Lake Hartwell (beautiful) looking right at the mountains called the Blue Wall by the Cherokee (we call them the Blue Ridge) and near Clemson University. Anderson is a pretty good enough size town am sure it has medical facilities. Atlanta to the south and Greenville to the North.
Alternative is Rock Hill, York Lancaster area SC. More piedmontish than mountainy but Charlotte NC to the north and Greenville, SC southward but it is nice.
then you got the lowcountry.
Kind of more what you like and where you are comfortable. Lots of places.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hermianne
Hi I would like to retire in South Carolina. I would like somewhere in a small town, not to far from a major city (2 hours).
Any suggestions.
I don't recommend the piedmont area. I grew up there, and I've lived back there a few times over the years. If you need decent medical facilities, you're putting yourself in a place where there's not really much. Charlotte's 1 to 1 1/2 hour away, and Columbia's about the same, depending where you're situated. Rock Hill's not really that great as far as medical, and don't even ask about Lancaster's hospital. (That's actually where I grew up. No matter what the hospital claims, most local residents do not feel good going there.) Since Springs Mills closed years ago, the economy has been weak at best. The area is tired and you can see it. I would more likely suggest going a bit further south to be closer to Columbia. There's just nothing there.
Upstate is lovely. I would check out medical facilities, though. I know Greenville is most likely good, but I don't know about Anderson. I do love that city, and Greenwood, though. I went to college in Due West, so I know the area fairly well.
Gentlespirit..........Not sure where you are living now or when the last time you were back home, but the northern parts of Lancaster and York Counties are doing decently. Housing developments going up all around and businesses going up everywhere. I live in a Sun City just 5 miles south of the the NC border and they are selling homes faster than they can build them. And even re-sales are going strong. Plus there are many other regular family housing developments selling fast. And last November Lancaster Co. passed a referendum to allow Sunday liquor sales in restaurants, so we should be getting more of those soon. And Publix chose Indian Land and Tega Cay to build their first stores going into the Charlotte market. Anyone interested in this area needs to check out the York/Lancaster Co. section of the South Carolina board on C-D. And since we are only about 9 miles down the road from the I-485 loop around Charlotte, we can get to virtually everything Charlotte has to offer in decent time. Even Lake Norman is only a little over an hour away up I-77. Red Ventures here in Indian Land is expanding again, and MetLife is moving their offices to Ballantyne and we fully expect many of them to actually purchase here in SC just over the border. Of course all of this is going to bring in more businesses as well.
As far as medical facilities. The actual closest hospital to us is Carolina Medical Center in Waxhaw, NC. Only about a year old and beautiful. The next closest is Carolina Medical Center in Pineville, NC. As I'm sure you know, the CMC system is huge with many hospitals. Plus I really haven't heard any complaints about Springs Hospital from anyone who has been there. They have a satellite physical therapy office that is golf cart drivable for us. There is supposed to be a new hospital built in Fort Mill, but unfortunately there has been an argument about who will build it the last several years. CMC won out, but now Piedmont is contesting it in court......some day! There are also bunches of new doctor's offices going up here.....probably something to do with Sun City, but benefiting all in the area.....including 2 brand new medical buildings within 1/2 mi., one housing a branch of the Mecklenburg Medical Group, which is probably the largest group of doctor's here.
Now I'm not saying that further south in the county doesn't have some depressed areas, but the panhandle areas are doing fine. We have the best of both Carolina worlds. Near Charlotte for everything it has to offer, yet actually in South Carolina where the taxes are better!
I say the two best areas in SC are Greenville and Charleston. Greenville is more mountainy, rural, and has more seasonal change as it can get cold there in the winter. Charleston is beachy, relaxed dress, more touristy, and more temperate weather.
The two are about as geographical opposite as you can get in SC, as are their politics. Greenville conservative. Charleston liberal.
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