South Carolina nice towns (Columbia, Charleston: house, school districts, contractors)

[jennieb]

Hi Barbara. I'm from LI too & my family & I are considering a move to SC. My in-laws live in Mt. Pleasant just outside Charleston. It was so cheap when we looked around shortly after they moved there. It has gotten a bit more expensive, but not much compared to LI!! When you go down you should definitely check out Charleston & the surrounding areas. I hear you about the hurricane concerns, but it's so nice there & my in-laws haven't had too much trouble after having lived there for 5 years. Good luck to you!

[lakersdylan8]

Originally Posted by Barbara

Been enjoying this forum and would appreciate some information. My family would like to move from Long Island, New York, to South Carolina.Too stressful here. We want to be near the coast but not so close that we have to worry about hurricanes. We are looking for towns with nice people, good schools and low crime rates. We have looked into a small town called Johnsonville, with a new community being built called Persimmon Fields. We have not been to South Carolina yet, but plan a trip this fall. Any ideas about Johnsonville or other areas we might like?

lol, im not trying to bash south carolina but...we have the worst public school system in the united states .


the main good schools are in Irmo/chapin are and also in york county and some in columbia.


you can check to see if the school you are going to is good at myscschools.com

like for example...my mom and i (im 13 and go to chapin middle school...ranks nationally)were bored so we decided to go into columbia and my mom said "let me show you where my friend used to live, she lived in a bad area"...well were getting close (near monticello road) (eau clair highschool is on monticello road...horrible school...people have been killed there...but jermain oneal did come from there)and she shows me this how...it is in the ghetto, like across the street there are houses that are run down (probably crack houses ) and we see these gang members (so we think) they are all wearing red so were both like lets get the hell out of here...


hope i didnt change your mind about the school system....remember the best schools are in irmo, chapin, york county, and some in columbia (gibbs middle school is in the ghettto i was riding by and saw a homeless guy sitting right near the entrance).

[Barbara]

Thanks for the info on Conway, I know a family who moved there about 15 years ago from Long Island and they loved it then and still do. We want to take a trip down there in the fall, and will check out Conway as well as some of the other places metioned on this forum.

[TornadoAlley]

Originally Posted by anonymous

Barbara, I would visit johnsonville before you move. Long Island is a different planet compared to the area you're talking about. Not that it's a bad area, but look at some statistics. I don't know a whole lot about long island, I'll just assume you're from Suffolk County.

Household median income
Suffolk County, NY - $65,228
Florence County, SC - $35,144
(3 miles from Johnsonville) Williamsburg County, SC - $24,214

% of population Below Poverty line
Suffolk - 6%
Florence - 16.4%
Williamsburg - 27.9%

Something to think about.

This isn't just for you, but for other people who've been asking about "being in hurricane region".

Johnsonville is about 30 miles inland. For example: Hurricane Hugo (1989) was a Category 5. My grandfather's house on Lake Marion, which is about 60 miles inland, had the roof torn off the house. Most people on the lake lost their boats. I was in Dalzell, SC, which is about 110 miles inland. We lost 3 Oak trees (out of 5) and lost power and water for a few weeks. Hugo traveled 175 miles to charlotte, and hit it with ~100mph winds.

Point is, if you live within roughly 150 miles of the coast, you are at some sort of risk. If you live within 50 miles of the coast, you can definitely call that a "hurricane zone". if you're right on the coast, well, you know it because of your insurance costs!

Good luck
-Anon

What cities are in Suffolk county? How does York rank?

[Racelady88]

I moved from Florida (minutes from the beach) in December. I chose Aiken, SC. It is beautiful here. Very culturally diverse, has everything including a small town feeling. I am 20 minutes from Augusta, GA.

There are plenty of lakes here. Langley Pond is just minutes away. There is a beach area (dog friendly), boat ramp, walking path, and a lot of history to go along with it. They hold rowing events and other water activities there. Richardson Lake Park is a water park ($5/person) in a natural lake complete with 3 water slides, 2 diving boards, and several old fashioned floating docks. This is also just minutes away. Aiken State Natural Area has a wonderful part of the Edisto River for canoeing (you can rent one for $12 including life jackets & paddles or bring your own) and is also dog friendly.

If I really must have salt water I can be to the coast in a matter of 3 hours.

I find that I do not miss Florida one tiny little bit.

[Kimbliz]

I am also looking to make a move, wanting affordable housing close to the water and far enough away from direct hits. I have noticed when I do searches for "affordable" homes ranging 100,000 to 150,000 I seem to be seeing alot of trailers or modular homes and I really dont want that. Am I looking in the wrong places? Help please Also have a 5 year old so schools?

[Racelady88]

New construction 3 bedroom/2 bathroom begins around $110,000 here in Aiken. You could spend a lot more, but you can still find a nice home here. I bought a "fixer-upper" for a lot less (still fixing since December).

[SCKate]

Have you considered the Upstate, namely Greenville? It's three hours to the beach, but the schools are the best in the state, the mountains are within sight, and it's a beautiful, international town. We moved here from the Jackson, MS area, thinking we were going from a very urban state capitol to a medium sized sort of hick town. Boy, were we ever wrong!

Greenville has so much to offer. It has major employers such as BMW and Michelin; both companies have their US headquarters here. The schools are much better than those in other parts of the state. The climate is wonderful, and everything you could possibly want to do is either here or not that far away. Atlanta, GA and Charlotte, NC are both less than three hours' drive.

As for hurricanes, any part of any coastal state is at risk. Wasn't it Hurricane Hugo that devastated Charlotte a few years ago?

[nmelfi]

Originally Posted by KMT

Unfortunately you cannot live near the coast and not have to worry about hurricanes. I currently live in Florida on the South East coast (17 years).

We are currently less than 8 miles from the ocean. Since September 2004 our area has endured three hurricanes...Frances, Jeanne, and Wilma.

Frances and Jeanne were direct hits and Wilma took us all by suprise as it traveled north and east over our area and re-strengthened over the Atlantic.

I looked up Johnsonville on the map and judging by its distance from the ocean, I think you will definately feel hurricane winds at their fullest strength.

The only relief you get farther inland is from storm surge that may occur. Not sure what the elevation is there, but the river to the north (Lynches Great Pee Dee?) may rise and the area may experience some flooding.

Not trying to be a downer or sound like an expert...just pointing out some things to consider.

Keith

I know the feeling,I am from Stuart and have had enough of the hurricanes.Time to relocate!

[Barbara]

Appleblossom:

Good luck with your move to Conway! I looked up some stuff about Conway on the internet and it looks beautiful. The "Main Street" was featured in an article about the nicest main streets in America. We will check out Conway, as well as the new community in Johnsonville, Fort Mill, and Tega Cay when we take a trip to SC in the fall. Fort Mill and Tega Cay sound great, but we may want to be a little closer to the shore.