Want To Relocate (Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Summerville: apartments, insurance, daycares)

[JustAMomInOhio]

For some reason, it has been my dream to move to SC since i was in my teen years. Finially, i am dedicated to making it happen, and have settled on the city of Mount Pleasant. But I do have lots of questions...
1. Hurricanes...I have never experienced one, nor do i want to.. how bad are hurricanes here?
2. Daycares...I have two children, 5 & 3, how are the daycare centers?
3. Ice storms...Think i've experienced one minor one in ohio... how bad are they in MP?
4. Apartments & Houses...how affordable would a small/medium 2 bedroom be?
5. People...How friendly are they here? I come from a fairly small town where everyone knows everyone.

I have a ton more, but those are the basics!! I plan on taking a small vacation down there before i relocate (as that will take time) but i really would like to know what i'm getting myself into!

[southerngentleman]

Originally Posted by JustAMomInOhio

For some reason, it has been my dream to move to SC since i was in my teen years. Finially, i am dedicated to making it happen, and have settled on the city of Mount Pleasant. But I do have lots of questions...
1. Hurricanes...I have never experienced one, nor do i want to.. how bad are hurricanes here?
2. Daycares...I have two children, 5 & 3, how are the daycare centers?
3. Ice storms...Think i've experienced one minor one in ohio... how bad are they in MP?
4. Apartments & Houses...how affordable would a small/medium 2 bedroom be?
5. People...How friendly are they here? I come from a fairly small town where everyone knows everyone.

I have a ton more, but those are the basics!! I plan on taking a small vacation down there before i relocate (as that will take time) but i really would like to know what i'm getting myself into!

Ice storms, you will not have to worry unless there is some freak storm!

[Luvsdabeach]

Originally Posted by JustAMomInOhio

For some reason, it has been my dream to move to SC since i was in my teen years. Finially, i am dedicated to making it happen, and have settled on the city of Mount Pleasant. But I do have lots of questions...
1. Hurricanes...I have never experienced one, nor do i want to.. how bad are hurricanes here?
2. Daycares...I have two children, 5 & 3, how are the daycare centers?
3. Ice storms...Think i've experienced one minor one in ohio... how bad are they in MP?
4. Apartments & Houses...how affordable would a small/medium 2 bedroom be?
5. People...How friendly are they here? I come from a fairly small town where everyone knows everyone.

I have a ton more, but those are the basics!! I plan on taking a small vacation down there before i relocate (as that will take time) but i really would like to know what i'm getting myself into!

Mt P...I think you will feel right at home there. MANY people from Ohio live there.

1. Since Mt P is on the coast it will get hit harder than farther inland.
2. Not sure about the daycares there.
3. You shouldn't have to worry about ice storms.
4. It costs more to live in Mt P. Plus insurance rates are higher since it is on the coast.

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by JustAMomInOhio

For some reason, it has been my dream to move to SC since i was in my teen years. Finially, i am dedicated to making it happen, and have settled on the city of Mount Pleasant. But I do have lots of questions...
1. Hurricanes...I have never experienced one, nor do i want to.. how bad are hurricanes here?
2. Daycares...I have two children, 5 & 3, how are the daycare centers?
3. Ice storms...Think i've experienced one minor one in ohio... how bad are they in MP?
4. Apartments & Houses...how affordable would a small/medium 2 bedroom be?
5. People...How friendly are they here? I come from a fairly small town where everyone knows everyone.

I have a ton more, but those are the basics!! I plan on taking a small vacation down there before i relocate (as that will take time) but i really would like to know what i'm getting myself into!

Hurricanes are a frequent menace along the coast, but it is rare that a strong hurricane actually hits the coast and even rarer that a particular spot is significantly affected. Mt. Pleasant was last significantly affected by Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and before that, moderately affected by Hurricane David in 1979, Hurricane Gracie in 1959 and Hurricane Hazel in 1954. Other than these storms there haven't been any other hurricanes that would have really impacted Mt. Pleasant. With only one hurricane having a big impact in the last 60+ years, I don't think it should be a huge worry, just pay attention to weather forecasts in the late summer and fall.

Ice storms are very rare along the coast, you'd have to go further inland for them to be a very frequent occurrence.

[Skyliner]

Hurricanes are definitely a necessary consideration whenever moving to anyplace along the Southeastern coast. As Waccamatt stated, the strongest monsters are rare, however if you plan to invest so much of your life in relocating to the coast, it is something you should be prepared to face. It could be compared to California's constant earthquake threat, with the major exception being that you have much more warning before a hurricane disrupts your life. As always, having solid plans in place well in advance of any storm will go a long way to minimizing the resulting personal stress in the end.

[Tommy1981]

There are plenty of nice towns that are just a bit further inland that remove most of the hurricane threat, but still let you live fairly close to the coast. Summerville is just up 26 from Charleston, but being a 30 min car ride inland means you'd be away from the worst of the hurricane, even if it does hit directly. Most Hurricane damage is done by flooding, most of which comes from storm surge. If you're not in a flood prone area that would flood from the rain, you can reduce the exposure should a hurricane hit.

As mentioned, Direct hit hurricanes that do the most damage are fairly rare. Most of the time, we just get alot of rain from a hurricane (a more likely threat would be a tornado from the bad storms). In recent years, we've had a drought and really enjoyed the rain.

[Frankie117]

Originally Posted by waccamatt

Hurricanes are a frequent menace along the coast, but it is rare that a strong hurricane actually hits the coast and even rarer that a particular spot is significantly affected. Mt. Pleasant was last significantly affected by Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and before that, moderately affected by Hurricane David in 1979, Hurricane Gracie in 1959 and Hurricane Hazel in 1954. Other than these storms there haven't been any other hurricanes that would have really impacted Mt. Pleasant. With only one hurricane having a big impact in the last 60+ years, I don't think it should be a huge worry, just pay attention to weather forecasts in the late summer and fall.

Ice storms are very rare along the coast, you'd have to go further inland for them to be a very frequent occurrence.

Hugo devastated the entire Charleston area, including Mount Pleasant, that was one monster of a storm, and if it happened once it can (and probably will) happen again. I believe you might be underestimating hurricanes a bit, doesn't anyone remember Katrina? Something like that could just as easily happen to Charleston or any coastal city for that matter (aside from the levee breaks).

Tornadoes, heavy rains, and storm surges are the main problems coming from Hurricanes. The high winds produced by hurricanes probably causes more damage than the tornadoes. The outer bands of hurricanes often hit far inland, but its nothing different from a severe thunderstorm.