South Carolina Verses North Carolina (Columbia, Charleston: sales, insurance, homes)

[patchman]

Hi Everyone,

I've been looking to relocate to the Charlotte area. Does SC offer a better tax advantage for seniors? I've read some of the threads and it sounds like SC is more laid back than NC. Been checking out areas all around Charlotte and am thoroughly confused. Looking for someone to give me their opnions about the areas around Charlotte. We are looking for a small town atmosphere, where it is easy to get around, doctors and hospitals are reasonably close as well as shopping. Some type of public transportation would be a bonus.

Thanks for your help

[Laurie2000]

I do not know about tax breaks - sorry. Charlotte is probably my most hated part of NC. Congested, snobby - ugly strip mall. Ugh. I currently live in coastal SC - but have lived in Wilmington, NC for 7 years. Yes, NC is much more uptight. I would check out Greenville SC if I were you. Beautiful parks, great community, theater - and close to Asheville and plenty of other charming mountain communities. Pawleys Island (where I am) is very nice as well.
I don't mean to be discouraging, but I think there are better places in the area than Charlotte.

[sheena]

Originally Posted by patchman

Hi Everyone,

I've been looking to relocate to the Charlotte area. Does SC offer a better tax advantage for seniors? I've read some of the threads and it sounds like SC is more laid back than NC. Been checking out areas all around Charlotte and am thoroughly confused. Looking for someone to give me their opnions about the areas around Charlotte. We are looking for a small town atmosphere, where it is easy to get around, doctors and hospitals are reasonably close as well as shopping. Some type of public transportation would be a bonus.

Thanks for your help

I just spend 5 months in Charlotte NC. It is a very busy place, quite beautiful though. I am now in Myrtle Beach and I don't know if it's just the coastal SC area or if all of South Carolina is really laid back. The two areas are night and day but then again this is the coast so I don't know.

The popular areas in SC close to Charlotte are FT Mill, Tega Cay and some of the people I met up there live in Clover. Check that one out, I hear it is more rural and laid back but I doubt you will have public transportation.

I don't know about the tax advantages........sorry.

Good Luck!

[abcdef]

If your a rich retiree , North Carolina is where you need to be, otherwise the area around Anderson, South Carolina has all one could ever ask for or need. Great medical services , loads of places to shop for anything & everything, loads of places to go to with less than an hour to Georgia, North Carolina , or Tenneessee . No sales tax on food as of October 1st , very very low property taxes , low auto & home owner insurance , we have 4 bedroom , 3 bathroom all brick home 2,500+ sq ft we paid $140,000.00 earlier this year.

[Ceezer]

Maybe it's just me, but I spent 6 years in Onslow County, NC and I found eastern NC to be much more laid back than just about anywhere else in the Carolinas. Western NC would follow closely, with which I would include upstate SC (Greenville/Spartanburg/etc). Outter Charlotte would be my next choice (Concord/Kannapolis/Salisbury/etc). Snobby? You must never have been near Raleigh... I, personally, find those Charlotte areas to be much more laid back than Columbia areas, where I'm constantly snubbed for not meeting some unspoken appearance expectations.

[dkclark]

Check out both Rock Hill and tega cay SC, both suburbs of Charlotte. VERY laid back, I live in Fort Mill and would never leave my "SC ways!" Different state of mind when you cross the border, but you get to keep the benefits of a city not too far away (sports teams, culture, arts, big festivals, theme parks). Great taxes, SC property taxes are among the best in the nation and were just cut again for 2007 up to 1/2. Check out heraldonline.com, lakewyliepilot.com, tegacaysc.org...

Moderator cut: tos violation

[lizzettems]

I am currently living in New Jersey and I am planning to move to South Carolina. I've just read all these opinions ...I would like to thank all those who have provided me with great insight into where to look into living....

[Navyeyedgirl]

I am not from SC or NC, though I tend to like SC more. SC does seem more laid back, to me... I know it is expensive, but have you ever been to Hilton Head? I absolutely love Hilton Head! I don't know about the healthcare there, though I always see a lot of seniors when I visit. What about Charleston?

[Akhenaton06]

Originally Posted by Ceezer

I, personally, find those Charlotte areas to be much more laid back than Columbia areas, where I'm constantly snubbed for not meeting some unspoken appearance expectations.

That's extremely interesting. From my experiences in both cities, I'd say the opposite would be more true. "Unspoken appearance expectations"? Wow.

[Carolina-Trader]

Without going into the nuances of tax codes between states and counties; SC offers a 50k homestead deduction to those over 65. Yes - SC gives retirees a tax break. The tax bill on my property would be less if you lived in it.

SC does tax your personal property at 6% as well so take this into account if you own an expensive car, boat, or plane.