looking for a progressive liberal town in SC or NC?? (Columbia: real estate, crime)

[sally1977]

Hi,
My boyfriend and I are planning to relocate to NC or SC. We are both in the medical field. We are looking for a progressive liberal town that is full of young couples on the coast. Does this exist???? Any suggestions welcomed

[Michael T]

On the coast, Charleston SC. Great city! Rooftop restaurants/bars, the water, the history, and fairly liberal. Real estate is a little expensive in the city. But the areas nearby are a little more reasonable(Mt. Pleasant, Folly Beach, Summerville etc.). As for NC the entire Raleigh/Durham area would be what you're looking for but it's a ways from the coast. Check out Greenville NC. Closer to the coast than Raleigh and not as "liberal", but its a college town and not too pricey. It's beautiful in each of these areas as far as landscape and houses. Find out where the jobs are, check out the community and go for it.
Good Luck,Mike

[sally1977]

Thanks, how far is down town Charleston from Mt. pleasant? How from from Mt. p to a large hospital?

[Michael T]

Sally---- As I recall Mt. Pleasant is just across a bridge from Charleston. Don't know about hospital locations. We've just vacationed there and thankfully didn't need medical care. Google Charleston SC real estate and I'm sure you'll find a map along with home prices on more than one of the sites. Mike

[waccamatt]

I think you'd enjoy the Charleston area since it is along the coast. The Medical University of South Carolina and several large hospitals are located there so you should be able to easily find work. Charleston isn't extremely liberal, but it isn't bad at all. If you can't afford downtown I believe the West Ashley area might interest you.

[Margaret Bangs]

I have a few friends who re located to Ashville North Carolina. Definitely liberal! My friends love it there! Also have a friend who re located to chapel hill area & loves it. I personally found Ashville a little too new agey & small for me so I'm moving to Columbia S.C. It's currently building billion dollar research facilities for nano-technology & hydrogen fuel cells so lots of different types of people are moving there. City Center is where the main action is for younger people & has a lot going on. Goggle The Congaree Vista & Five Points for night life. People like Sting perform there & Jerry Seinfield has shown up at the comedy club. The State newspaper is also on line as is Columbia Metropolitan Magazine. I found Charleston to be a little too class conscious & still standing with one foot in the Civil War. Charleston was more expensive & also has a higher crime rate.
The art scene in Columbia is more progressive than Charleston. There are numerous medical facilities in the greater Columbia area. For house prices go to Realtor.com & put in various area codes to get an idea of real estate prices. Some are codes for columbia are 29212, 29210, Downtown would be 29205 & 29203 for a start. Hope this helps.
Margaret

[sally1977]

What is the commute time from Mt. Pleasanr to Medical University of South Carolina? Is the traffic bad in Mt. Pleasant?

[mpaquette]

Ditto on Asheville.

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by mpaquette

Ditto on Asheville.

Didn't they mention they wanted to be on the coast? I would recommend Charleston or Wilmington.

[shanster2128]

I live in Wilmington, NC. We moved here because we thought it was really progressive, but it's not. There are some cool artsy and progressive people, but overall it's for people and their Hummers and boats. I think Charleston would be even worse. It's great for a weekend, but definitely not what I think you are looking for. I'd look inland for such a place. And then let me know where you find it.