Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My husband has an opportunity to relocate to the Summerville area. We visited a few weeks ago and, to be honest, did not fall in love with the area. We come from a small town, so I guess it was a bit of a culture shock for us. I have heard that the area is growing quite a bit, and that concerns us. My question: Can anyone recommend some towns within an hour drive of Summerville that are smaller, less congested, but still have some shopping (grocery, wal mart)? We are looking at homeschooling and maybe putting our oldest in private high school, so we would need to be close to a good private Christian school. Are we asking for too much?
We have always had our hearts set on moving to the Upstate area, but this opportunity has opened up, so we are hoping to find an area in the summerville area that we would feel comfortable in.
Thanks for your help!!
That seems reasonable. I don't think you are asking too much. I'd look at Moncks Corner or Pinopolis, if Summerville is too big.
My advice is to branch out a little more with schools. Outside of public schools, the most common are:
(a) non-affiliated independent SCISA schools
(b) affiliated private SCISA schools (Baptist, Episcopalian, Catholic, Methodist, etc.)
(c) independent non-SCISA Christian schools
I think that typically, A and B offer the best education. If you're talking about a non-SCISA, non-SACS accredited school (type C), you're taking a gamble. There are some extremely sketchy "Christian Schools" out there. The Christian school in my hometown was basically a reform school, where they would send all the kids who were expelled from the other private and public schools in town. At the same time, the "Non-Christian" schools were overwhelmingly Christian.
Last edited by anonymous; 05-14-2007 at 10:30 AM..
Thanks, Anonymous.
That is some good advice about private schools. How is the crime in Monck's Corner? Do you know about any schools in that area? How long a drive to S'ville?
Thanks again
Thanks, Anonymous.
That is some good advice about private schools. How is the crime in Monck's Corner? Do you know about any schools in that area? How long a drive to S'ville?
Thanks again
Moncks Corner probably does have a moderately high crime rate, but you may have to research that a bit yourself. I will say that crime stats don't mean all that much. It is far more important to live in a safe neighborhood than a safe city/county/state. I've heard consistently good things about Pinopolis, which if you look at a map, is a peninsula that sticks out into Lake Moultrie.
Pinewood Prep, in Summerville, I believe is the best private school in that area. I don't think Moncks Corner is far enough away to have it's own (good) private school. I've never lived in either town, though.
It all depends on what was so culture shocking. Most of the areas outside of Summerville have some of the worst schools. Unless you head towards the coast, most of the small areas and towns get poorer, not wealthier. I'm curious as to what you considered so shocking. It would help to know so we can guide you. Are you looking for an exclusive wealthy area? You won't find it within an hour of Summerville unless like I said before, you head towards the coast and even there they have their share of poverty mixed in. Daniel Island is a wealthy area with a beautiful private high school, but you will pay more $$$ to live there.
Hi Scjj,
i guess shocking isn't the right word. I guess what I am looking for is a small town with the "mom and pop" store where people know you. Summerville seems soo big to me. In all fairness, we did not have time to see the main st. area (we were short on time and towing 4 kids around!). I am not looking for a wealthy area. Believe me, we couldn't afford it if I did. Our price range is somewhere under $240. I guess I had in mind a small southern town and Summerville seems more like a city to me. If I missed a certain area that would fit that, please let me know. When we were there the realtor showed us Wescott, Crowfield, Whitehall, etc... That was about it. So, I am sure we missed a lot.
thanks for your input.
I see. Yes that does shed some light on things. Yes, you did miss it. You missed the main part of town. The area you were in on Dorchester Road is the borderline area between Summerville and North Charleston, it is not the heart of Summerville. That is heading out of Summerville on the other side of town. Can't believe that your Realtor didn't show you the downtown areas. Oh well, ask to see it next time. Even so, it might still have seemed large and congested to you. There is shopping (Walmart, Target, Kohl's) and restaurants and the movie theaters, then you have the little downtown area and then it pretty much becomes residential.
If you are looking for a town that just has your basics like a Walmart and not much else, then Monck's Corner might work. Goose Creek might work, although it is growing. Walterboro is less than an hour away. Those are areas within an hour of Summerville that would have a Walmart/Grocery and would be within your housing price range but the schools will become an issue. You might want to check out Knightsville. It's outside of Summerville but not that far outside and it is in a country setting. There is a nice new grocery store/shopping area and it is still close enough where you could go into Summerville for more shopping if you need it and you will be within the Dorchester 2 schools. Pinewood Prep is out that way. There are many little areas that you could live outside of Summerville and be away from it all, but most won't have their own shopping areas, you would have to drive into town for that. Which is why Summerville gets so congested.
Thanks SCJJ,
That really helps a lot. I knew we must have missed a lot when we were there. I will look into Knightville. Can you give me an estimate on how long a drive it would be to Dorchester road? the school we liked is out that way (that's why I think the realtor kept us in that area). Thanks again for all of your help. I really appreciate it!
You're very welcome. From Knightsville to Dorchester Road out by Wescott is about 20-30 minutes depending upon traffic. If the school you are looking at is Cathedral of Praise, that could take maybe 10 minutes or so longer.
Last edited by scjj; 05-15-2007 at 01:18 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
