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After much consideration the husband and I have decided on coastal SC. We are both born and bred in the DC metro area and are ready for a change. We initially thought Florida may be a good fit with the crystal clear blue water but after some research feel that it won't offer us the "suburban" atmospehere we desire.
A little background on us before I start playing 20 questions. The husband is a Naval District Washington (federal) firefighter and I am a Management Analyst for a Navy contractor. We have two sons, 5 and 3 and three furry kids (a dog and 2 cats). We both LOVE the water as well as the occasional night out on the town.
We're most interested in Charleston, Goose Creek and Beaufort and surronding areas due to the military installations and the ability for my husband to transfer within the federal system. I guess what I'm looking for is opinions regarding every aspect of life in said areas. How are the schools? Job market? Is traffic a problem? Crime? What does each area offer in terms of recreation, malls, historic districts, etc?
Any and all opinions are welcome and thanks for any input you can provide.
Have you looked into Bluffton? It is right outside Hilton Head. My wife was raised there and her family still lives there. WE LOVE IT!!!!!!! There are some great neighborhoods, still small town atmoshpere. You should take a long weekend and go visit.
Have you looked into Bluffton? It is right outside Hilton Head. My wife was raised there and her family still lives there. WE LOVE IT!!!!!!! There are some great neighborhoods, still small town atmoshpere. You should take a long weekend and go visit.
Bluffton is beautiful We are looking there for eventual retirement and may buy soon to lock in the decent pricing
It's a short commute to Beaufort or Savannah which also has military bases.
You should go down and do a long weekend as the other poster suggested.
Thanks for the replies. I will look into Bluffton for sure. My family is from south GA so Savannah is a HUGE draw for me. I'm also considering a career change as I'm getting burned out sitting behind a desk day in and day out. I know that Savannah has a historic district are there any nice ones is lower SC? We'd love to renovate an early 1900's house.
I'm loving the price of housing in Bluffton and Beaufort! The prices up north are totally outrageous! Does Bluffton have a historic district? What about shopping? One of my biggest gripes up here is lack of quality grocery stores close to home. We have several within a five mile radius to our house but they are terrible. The quality of their produce and meat is severly lacking.
How is the quality of the land? I have a passion for gardening. The ground here is nothing but hard clay. In order to have a flower bed or veggie garden we've had to till up the ground and bring in truck loads of soil which is rather pricey.
I am a Northern VA resident who is also tired of the disgusting housing prices who is looking to relocate...possibly to Beaufort (a few miles to Bluffton). My parents are retiring to the Beufort area and allready own a lovely home down there that would have sold for over twice as much in the DC area. I don't know Bluffton specifically, but I think it's like Beaufort (downtown at least) that has more of a small town feel. There are some very nice grocery stores right of the main drag (278) near Bluffton. They are akin to a gourmet Giant or Safeway up here. The prices are similar for most things (except seafood is cheaper down south). The soil (I used to do landscaping) is pretty sandy and dry most of the year, but I have seen some fantastic gardens. I'm assuming that some type of irrigation would be necessary for many plant species, but many types of plants that grow natively down there are beautiful and don't require a lot of work. Sorry I don't have specifics. I am actually going down there in Sept. to vacation and look around at properties. One thing I have found in my searching is that jobs seem to be much more limited. Most are in Savannah, which has a pretty high crime rate these days, and the salaries are quite a bit smaller than up here. The job issue (for me) is the biggest issue, but I am not as skilled as you and your husband. I have a bachelors and do medical administration/customer service and jobs are scarce in the Bluffton area. I wish you the best of luck in your search...the sooner we can get out of the DC metro area the better!
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We are looking there for eventual retirement and may buy soon to lock in the decent pricing 
Groceries and soil, etc.
