Affordable living near the coast: fact or fiction? (Columbia, Charleston: insurance, house)

[SteveO813]

Okay, so as I stated in my previous thread, my fiance and I are getting married in July, and are looking to relocate to South Carolina from Kansas City. We'll be 22 next summer, and as such, fairly poor. She'll graduate with an elementary education degree next May, and I'll graduate with a journalism degree, so we're not going to be CEOs or anything.

We've been looking at the Greenville area, but I'm worried that it will be too similar to where we currently live. I love the looks of it, but at the same time, I kind of want to be closer to the coast (maybe within an hour/hour and a half).

Can anybody recommend an area within about that distance of the coast that would be somewhat affordable? One thing that concerns me, along with housing costs, would be hurricane insurance. I suppose there's not much I could do to avoid this, but this isn't something we have to deal with here in the midwest, so I don't know what to expect.

I'd also like to be somewhat close to a larger city. The two places I've lived in my life had populations of 115,000 and 150,000, so I definitely don't want to move out to the middle of nowhere. At the same time, I don't want to live next door to a crack house and worry about robberies and murders.

Basically, I guess I want it all. We're going to try to visit Greenville in February, and I'm looking for recommendations on places closer to the coast we can visit while we're out there. Thank you very much for any help.

Steve

[GoingtoPA]

Good morning,
I grew up in South Carolina about an hour north west of Myrtle Beach.
I also lived in Myrtle Beach for many years and my chirldren went to school there. Please don't make the same mistake I did. If schools are not an issue and you like people on vacation out side your windows all night then the coast is for you. But if you want to get close and have a nice drive to the beach. Then Columbia would be a nice place to start. I have family that lives in the Greenville area and they love it but you will be about 4 hours from the beach.
Columbia about 2 hrs. I have a sister that lives in Florence and she and her family love it. Not a big city but a nice town. It is about an hour and 15 mins. from the beach.
Good look on your search

[Steve Rowe]

Steve in KC,
Good luck in your research for coastal SC (or nearby) on a shoestring budget.
Consider the greater Charleston area (emphasis on greater area) as you look. It is a beautiful area, rich in arts, history, good restaurants, great natural assets, etc. My understanding is that there is a surprisingly vibrant night life for the young professional segment downtown thanks to a combination of tourism and local college influences. (I'm a few decades past that sort of nightlife, so this is not a first hand report).
Lots of interest in the area for all it has to offer, which is having some effect on housing affordability.
Not cheap at all along the coasts & waterways, but there are some surprisingly affordable areas certainly within an hour of the beach. Some of those areas will feel quite rural, though.
S Rowe

[scjj]

Look into Dorchester or Berkeley Counties in the Charleston area. They are going to be the most affordable. Each are within less than an hour to the beach and you won't need hurricane insurance.

[SteveO813]

Thank you everyone for your help. I'll definitely be looking into the Columbia and Charleston areas. Hopefully we can get out there and visit all of these places. Thanks again!

[alittlejazzbird]

I definitely join the chorus of people encouraging you to look to greater Charleston. Check out the area around Summerville....it's a smaller town but within an easy drive of Charleston and within 45 minutes of the beaches. The metro area is over 500,000 people and growing, so you won't be in the boonies. The Summerville area has some of the best schools in SC (Dorchester 2). Good luck!

[DixiePeachVA]

SC, hilly Blue Ridge and low country/ocean, is nothing like flat dry land locked KS and anywhere you go will be an improvement!! Just remember, if you want the beach and don't live near it - you will be joining ALL your new neighbors on the weekend trek to the beach in miles of traffic on roads built without expectation handle such volume.