Moved to South Carolina - HUGE MISTAKE (Greenville, Aiken: renting, broker)

[pamyg]

Originally Posted by chitownguy

I moved to the Summerville area 2 years ago from Illinois (Northern suburbs of Chicago) - and can't wait to get out of here!! In the process of listing the house. My wife & I had thought that moving someplace w/ a lower cost of living would be a GREAT idea. Boy, were we wrong, because along w/ a lower cost of living comes LOWER PAYCHECKS!

Both my neighbors on either side of my house are from out of state, one from Michigan, one from Florida. They are BOTH looking to get out, too! It appears that many ppl move here from other areas for a couple of years, like it for a while, and then realize South Carolina isn't what they imagined!! The schools are the worst, crime is rampant, and the weather isn't that much better. This past summer was H-O-T. The winter is bitter and cold (and I'm from Illinois!). Not only that, but everyone around here is still STUCK in the Civil War. What's up w/ THAT???

South Carolina is a GREAT place to vacation, see the sights, go to the beach. Living here.....not so great. We are sooooo outta here!!!!

Save yourself! Run while you can! I've been here for 8 years after being born and raised in NYC. It is a very depressing place to live. It is backwoods and backwards. I thought summerville was more "progressive" than some of the surrounding areas like Orangeburg. Did you try the Mt. pleasant area?

[Summering]

Originally Posted by mich1

I'm from Long Island, New York and we are thinking about moving to the Myrtle Beach area, does anyone have anything positive to say? Long Island is not like New York City for those of you thinking another New Yorker who will hate the South.

I have spent the last six years of Jan. thru March in Myrtle Beach. Surfside Beach actually. The beach areas are divided into different location names.
Some winters are worse then others. But, all in all you can still golf in these winter months. Most of the time it is around 50 at least, and even up to 70's.
By March we have gone swimming before heading back home. So one thing is you are not cooped up.
We get to walk at the Broadway at the Beach or walk outside at Barefoot landing. Just a light sweater, or light jacket is needed.....sometimes you need not even have a jacket, it can be that warm.
The flowers are still out all winter ( some types)
We meet a lot of people from all the various states, and everyone joins each other for dinners and outtings.
However, summers in Myrtle can be hectic. Crowded beaches and streets........so I would never plan to live in the central area of Myrtle Beach.
I do love Socastee and the lower Myrtle Beach areas. Surfside, and Pawleys Island. I love also the Huntington Beach State Park for swimming at the ocean and picnicing.
The new Mall and all the new stores are great. Hard Rock is also building a theme park.
I have never felt a feeling of North and South....except at the Dixie Stampede Show of Dolly Partons.
South Carolina can be a wonderful state to live in. But, everyone is different.
What you like, and how you feel about an area, can differ from my feelings.
I love the weather, the warmth..........no snow......( December is good enough for me and snow)
I love the people, the places, the ocean and the fun with others who visit there. Try it first.........stay for a bit........rent for awhile. See if it is for you.
By the way Mt. Pleasant is just the greatest upcoming place. Great new Mall, nice beaches........I know someone who was just crying that they had to leave due to a relocation. They loved it there. I was quite impressed by Mt Pleasant.

[luvfoothills1013]

Hey, Everyone this is LuvFoothills from South Carolina and what a very Historical weather day it is. The temperature at the Greenville Spartanburg Airport recorded the highest temperature ever recorded in History with 105 degrees today. Also breaks the record for the high temperature for the day as well as for the month. This is just unreal for this time of the year. Cooler air is going to filter in starting tomorrow with temperatures in the middle 90s to upper 90s throughout the upstate. Going from the A.C. to the outside was like going into the oven. Hopefully everyone has been drinking lots of Fluids and limiting outdoor activity. Even the mountains of North Carolina were hot for this time of the year with 93 degrees for a high. Even the rural areas were just as hot. South Carolina is not a bad state to live, alot of it depends on where you live in South Carolina. North of Greenville, and Spartanburg it is nice.

[Stac2007]

Originally Posted by pamyg

Save yourself! Run while you can! I've been here for 8 years after being born and raised in NYC. It is a very depressing place to live. It is backwoods and backwards. I thought summerville was more "progressive" than some of the surrounding areas like Orangeburg. Did you try the Mt. pleasant area?

I don't know why people like comparing apples to oranges. How can you expect New York City to be like Summerville? I live in Rockland County, outside NYC and we usually get a lot of weekend warriors from Manhattan who thinks my home town is the sticks. Well if you don't like it in Summerville or the Carolinas, why don't you take your New York City attitude and go home? I bet the reason your living in the south is because you wanted to save money on your taxes and purchase a larger home. Did you even spend time in Summerville before you purchased your home or were you one of thousands of fools that bought a home sight unseen? See what we have here is a greenhorn who has never been out of shadow of a big high rise. I guess grass, trees and stars are things city people like to look at in travel magazines, but in real life they feel threaten and can not assimilate.

[jcubbin]

Originally Posted by Stac2007

I don't know why people like comparing apples to oranges. How can you expect New York City to be like Summerville? I live in Rockland County, outside NYC and we usually get a lot of weekend warriors from Manhattan who thinks my home town is the sticks.

It's really true, I live on the North Shore of Long Island and anytime I travel north of Manhattan... it feels incredibly wide open, very country. I'm planning a move down South and I think to make it a successful one, you really need to get used to the idea that you're going someplace new... not an extension of where you were.

[groove1]

Originally Posted by GoPadge

Don't worry too much about the "Yankee" attitude things. Based on your statement about judging people, you should do fine. You can expect some ribbing about being a "Damn Yankee", but it should be mostly good natured.

As far as the taxes goes.... Yup. That's the way it works in SC. Now if you had bought the SUV in SC, you would have only paid $300 for sales tax, that alone could have saved you several thousand dollars. One thing that can help you lower that property tax is to remember to ask about the high mileage discount. The more miles on your vehicle, the less tax you'll pay.

Sell the SUV before you move. Even showing up as being registered for a few months on a carfax report in any "rust belt" area will seriously hurt your chances of selling it in the south.

[joee]

Originally Posted by groove1

Sell the SUV before you move. Even showing up as being registered for a few months on a carfax report in any "rust belt" area will seriously hurt your chances of selling it in the south.

Hey now there's another good reason to head south, no more white residue on your car from salt but the trade off may be red residue from clay lol, but i'll take the red over white.

[appalachiangirl]

I am a native of northern West Virginia (probably considered Yankee country) and also grew up in a small western Pa town. I have been seriously considering relocating to Charleston--there is very little work or opportunity where I live-umemployment is over 12% here. Some of these posts worry me though-- the attitude toward non Southerners and especially work discrimination. I really liked Charleston when I've have visited the area but am I making a big mistake? I don't have any "big city"prejudice againt the South or small towns either. I live in a town with only 15,000 people, but unfortunately the people where I live are not very friendly. I don't want to live in a huge city like NY or Atlanta--driving in them is downright scary to me!

[flgargoyle]

I think it depends on the type of work you do, and how well you're willing to try to fit in. I can't speak for Charleston, but I've been in downtown Greenville a number of times during working hours, and you see people from all over the world- looks like they're making good money, too. I'm originally from CT, but I don't announce the fact, and I no longer sound like it much, either. I've been in FL for 27 years, but plan to move to Greenville in a couple years. Everyone we've met has been very friendly and accepting- and a lot of folks I've met are from somewhere else. I have a friend who lives in NC that is atypical New Yorker. Even though he left NY about 30 years ago, he hasn't shed the accent or the attitude. He definitely looks down on the locals, then wonders why he hasn't been better accepted! By way of contrast, I can slip in a little southern accent, I respect the local people and ways, and wear overalls whenever I can. Call me a 'stealth Yankee'! I've said it countless times on this forum- try to fit in, rather than change things, and don't talk about how we did it better where we come from. I'm always flabbergasted when people move to an area that features people, customs, or weather they they don't like. Don't move there, then! I've also said many times that I've never had any luck landing a job until I actually moved to an area. I'm a department manager, and I ignore out-of-state applicants- it's too hard to take them seriously. Good luck!

[susie4]

flgargoyle

Your last sentence was interesting. You said you ignore out of state applicants. My daughter was living in California and kept trying to get interviews before she actually moved (it would have been nice for her to have an income before she left Ca). But at least she now has work -- just started two weeks ago as a manager of a retail store. But unfortunately nothing happened until she actually moved. Now she's in Charleston. Now my son-in-law just needs to find work - he worked in IT and has an enginerring degree.