What do you love/hate about the SC Lowcountry? (Columbia: transplants, sales)

[southerngentleman]

Originally Posted by Skyliner

Please, please, please do not be misled by southerngetlman's extremely prejudiced negativity toward the Upstate! He is among a very small group who think that way. Since this thread is dedicated to discussion about the Lowcountry, let's all honor the original questions and not let this thread slip into a region bashing fest like others have in the past because of posts like the one above.

Kayaklin, if you want to live on the coast, you are looking in the right place. If you would like to research information about vibrant and beautiful Greenville and the Upstate, we have a fairly active subforum with loads of good information from a diverse group of newcomers and longtime residents, along with a tiny bit of misleading information from a few members without a healthy or balanced outlook on life. You can usually quickly isolate the few who post bad information. I would recommend that if your options are open, Greenville is definitely worth closely checking out. It is a very nice place to live and raise a family. People are genuine, friendly and honest, unlike the bad info given above. For a small glimpse, click here.

I love it when he Jokes with me.
As I said the lowcountry you will love,There are several options for you.
What are you looking for from an area? Educated conversations? Cosmopolitian feel? small town charm? laid back surfer village? The Low country has it all, Plus much much more!

[scyogi]

You know what I miss/love/miss......fresh shrimp! Coming home from the beach feeling sticky, sleeping with the windows open and sticking to the sheets, the way the downtown battery smells on a hot summer day............

[kayaklin]

Great responses and I deeply appreciate them all. I will definitely look at those websites mentioned, thank you.

What I'm looking for in an area would be sunshine, warm breezes, a diversity of flora and fauna, a familiar feel/smell that just says you're home, a timeless area where my husband and I can stroll the sidewalks hand in hand, a safe community to raise a family, a place where I don't have to follow my kids with "hawk eyes" while they ride their bikes down the street, somewhere that isn't a huge hub for meth (for some reason I seem to "pick" the meth cities)... some place I can be proud of. A town my kids can be proud to have grown up in, where they can talk about "the good ol' days back home" when they are older.

And a region that doesn't have 4 to 5 months of 30 below zero with no end in sight!

Thanks again everyone for all your answers. The poetry I read in your descriptions has me thinking that the lowcountry (and SC in general) is definitely a place I can write home about.

[kayaklin]

Also, if anyone has any info on a good real estate agent, I'm looking for someone who is kind and enthusiastic about working with a first-time homebuyer. Our price point is $200k and under so I would love to meet someone who won't treat me as an afterthought compared to the bigger clients who buy the more expensive properties. Would probably limit me to the newer agents, but I don't mind.

[oz in SC]

Right now our area(Beaufort County) is a good place to buy.

Prices are down and there are quite a range of home prices.

As to the Lowcountry, it is an acquired taste in my opinion.

I have lived here for over half my life and it has changed a lot.

Summers are hot and HUMID( you really need to grasp what that means,sweating by simply walking outside) and quite long.

Spring is almost over already but nice enough and fall doesn't really happen.

Winter is nice enough although not anything like anyone from up north would consider cold.

We live about ten minutes from the local beach,we have a public boat landing within walking distance,a pick your own produce at the end of the street and the Publix supermarket(best we have) is less than 15 minutes away.

You might need to go up some on the price you gave,you can buy in the area for less but not anywhere near the water of course.

Our house is for sale if you are interested...

[kayaklin]

Originally Posted by oz in SC

Summers are hot and HUMID( you really need to grasp what that means,sweating by simply walking outside) and quite long.

I lived in Puerto Vallarta for a few years. In summer, you can't wear makeup because it sweats off in less than 5 minutes and it's so humid you can literally feel the air in your lungs. But the heavy rains tended to make up for it. I don't know how comparable it is to SC lowcountry but it sounds similar. I guess I would like a milder climate for the long haul, or at least a little rain in the summer. Any luck there?

I've seen beautiful houses on the local MLS for under $200,000. We aren't necessarily looking for anything on the water since I'm assuming it's not a far drive to the beach no matter where you are in Bluffton.

Little worried about the weather being that hot for that long, though.

We are also considering Charleston and the surrounding areas but the houses I see currently listed just aren't as pretty or as nice for the money.

[CavalierSV650S]

I think the area is beautiful and there's plenty to do. I recently rode my motorcycle all the way through to Myrtle Beach and enjoyed every mile! (Started in Southeastern Kentucky) I was originally planning on riding to the Florida Keys, heading south on I-26 to hit I-95, but then around Columbia I decided to change direction and head to Myrtle Beach. Why?

KISS Coffeehouse! Yes, I'm serious, KISS coffee. I've been a KISS fan for most of my 34 years so there's the obvious attraction but the truth is that the coffee itself is awesome. Beats the hell out of Starbucks, and you get to cozy up to some rock and roll history to boot! It was my second visit to the coffeehouse (last time was late 2006) and I only wish it wasn't so far away!

US 17 is also a nice drive, but the traffic was bad and I think I hit every red light.

Overall, the whole area is beautiful and the people I talked to on my excursion were very nice. When you're travelling alone on a motorcycle you get a whole different perspective. God blessed the South!

[kayaklin]

Originally Posted by CavalierSV650S

I think the area is beautiful and there's plenty to do. I recently rode my motorcycle all the way through to Myrtle Beach and enjoyed every mile! (Started in Southeastern Kentucky) I was originally planning on riding to the Florida Keys, heading south on I-26 to hit I-95, but then around Columbia I decided to change direction and head to Myrtle Beach. Why?

KISS Coffeehouse! Yes, I'm serious, KISS coffee. I've been a KISS fan for most of my 34 years so there's the obvious attraction but the truth is that the coffee itself is awesome. Beats the hell out of Starbucks, and you get to cozy up to some rock and roll history to boot! It was my second visit to the coffeehouse (last time was late 2006) and I only wish it wasn't so far away!

US 17 is also a nice drive, but the traffic was bad and I think I hit every red light.

Overall, the whole area is beautiful and the people I talked to on my excursion were very nice. When you're travelling alone on a motorcycle you get a whole different perspective. God blessed the South!

Hahaha, my father is the Ultimate KISS Fan. Whereabouts is this coffee house? I'm sure it would lure him in for a visit all the way from Colorado!

[oz in SC]

It will rain in summer, trust me....it seems like it rains almost everyday either in the afternoon or early evening along with thunderstorms.

Bluffton is a little inland so the beaches are a further drive,especially with the traffic on Hilton Head Island.

[baylovers]

The KISS Coffeehouse is at Broadway at the Beach in the Celebrity Square area. I was looking in the window the other day while waiting for a table at the Key West Grill. There are also a couple of neat Rock and Roll memorabilia shops there too.