Moving to SC: Do I move north or south of Georgetown? (Charleston: real estate, home)

[Mapela]

I originally had this posted on the Charleston forum, but realized I should probably post here to receive all points of view.

My work has offered me a job in Georgetown, and originally I was very excited. I had heard that the schools were great and of course its on the coast and I miss the ocean terribly. But now that I've started researching the area on line, I'm filled with many doubts about the possibility. I wanted this to be a move that would improve my families living conditions.

I currently live in Memphis, TN which is currently rated 13th on the most dangerous cities list (and trust me I see it), and 2nd on the most dangerous metropolitan area list. Then I see that North Charleston is 20th on the most dangerous city list, and the metropolitan area of Myrtle Beach is 3rd right under Memphis. Not only that, the schools in SC seem to be rated very low in the nation, though I'm having a hard time finding a source for school ratings that is easy to understand and that rates the schools on comparable metrics.

I have two girls, 7 and 11, so schools are high on the priority list for me. Both girls are active as well (competitive softball and cheerleading) so we need a community with opportunities in sports. My husband is a golfer working on his PGA card, so being close to PGA event courses would be a plus. I do not want to live in Georgetown, and was told by a fellow employee that I should look either north towards Murrells Inlet or south towards Charleston (Mt. Pleasant).

Which finally brings us to my question.... What's it really like in the area, and what area's would best suit my families needs? I've read a lot about Summerville, and that seems like a possible location, but I have not seen many threads that discuss the areas north of Georgetown.

I'm asking for realistic views and information to help me make a life changing decision for my family.

[baylovers]

Did you see the response I left on the other thread?

Moving to SC: North or South of Georgetown?

[Mapela]

Yes, I did see your posted response, and I thank you so very much. You provided me some very good information. I was following your suggestion, however, to post on the SC board to get information from other locations.

You did uplift my spirits some on the idea of moving there though. I was hoping to learn more on some other options. Pawleys Island looks incredible, but also a little expensive. We currently have a 3,000 sq ft home that we paid $250,000 for. I realize I'm not going to find that on the coast, but I was hoping to find an area where we could stay in a comparable price range (or a little less) even if I have to go down in the sq ftge. Another employee from Memphis relocated to Murrells Inlet 6 months ago, but she does not have children. Do you know much about that area? The only other option appears to be south towards Charleston (Mt. Pleasant and Summerville), but that appears to be such a long commute.

[baylovers]

The Georgetown county side of Murrells Inlet shares the sames schools as Pawleys, which I stated in the other thread that we were pleased with them. Murrells Inlet is a nice town, too. Its claim to fame is being the seafood capital of South Carolina, however there is much more to the town than the dozens of restaurants that line Business 17. Murrells & Pawleys share the same Recreation Department and the main ballfields are in Murrells Inlet behind the hospital.

On the Horry side the kids would go to the Saint James schools, from I've read appear to be pretty good too. There are several communities up along route 707 towards Socastee where you could easily find a 3 bedroom home for $250k. The commute to Georgetown would be about 35 minutes or so and you would be much closer to the amenities of Myrtle Beach.

I'll send you a PM with a couple of real estate search sites that I found helpful. If you have any questions about particular areas, or anything else, let me know.

[marndt]

Mt Pleasant has great schools, but you will be driving 45min + one way to Georgetown. Also the housing prices in Mt Pleasant are very high for what you get. I would not even consider Summerville. It is a great place, but the drive to Georgetown would be very long...

Good Luck.