Safe, but not too far from the coast?? (Columbia, Aiken: income, work)

[Debra]

I'm hoping someone can help us. We were seriously looking to retire in Bluffton because our best friends moved to Hilton head two years ago.
But with all of the talk That was generated on the possible amount of hurricane damage in that area,we have since changed our minds.
My question is, is there a nice small town, not too far from the Bulffton area that we could look into that wouldn't be prone to major hurricane damage and yet have us not be too far from our friends?? maybe we're asking the impossible. Aiken looks absolutely beautiful but that's about 2 hours away? We'd like to try to be a bit closer.
Schools are not an issue as we have no children and would just love to be near our friends.

Thans to all .

[Carolina_1690]

I wouldn't worry about hurricanes in Bliuffton. That part of the state is at a pretty low risk for hurricanes (compared to the other areas of coastal SC north of there)

But if that is your concern, I would suggest Hardeeville. Its a quiet area right now, and they are next in line for major growth because its not far from Hilton Head and its not far from Savannah either. Something like 40,000 new people are expected to move to that area over the next 20 years. Look for the Tradition, SC development on Google.

You might also want to look at Walterboro. Its a nice, small town. Very historic, very southern. Nice old houses, and plenty of new ones too.

[Debra]

Hi Carolina_1690!
I appreciate your post. I had another thread going called Hurricanes and Bluffton and most people agree with you regarding the fact that Bluffton is well protected and not too prone to hurricanes--then one or two people came on saying that we would indeed sustain great damage there if hit by a big one....so, you know how the mind works--once tha seed was planted!

So my husband and I have been going back and forth and just wanted an alternative ..just in case...

So we both thank you very much for you two suggestions. We love Savannah and it'd be wonderful to not be too far from there too. We are going to look into both Hardeeville and Walterboro. Both sound like their what we'd want.

[Debra]

Just looked into "Tradition"!
Looks like it's going to be outrageous!!

Thanks so much for this!!!!

[acs.1979]

Don't forget, in SC, hurricanes are not the only thing you need to worry about...check out this link....

Earthquake Hazards in SC

[Debra]

Thanks for this!!

[waccamatt]

There is no way to avoid all risk associated with mother nature, but you can reduce your risks. Hurricanes do occasionally hit South Carolina. If you are above 25 feel in elevation and more than 20 miles from the immediate coast, your risk of being severely impacted by a hurricane is significantly lessened, especially if you do not have large trees immediately surrounding your house and you are not in a flood-prone area. I personally would not live right along the coast, but I wouldn't hesitate to live in the interior coastal plain.

Here in Columbia we had a little bit of damage from Hugo, which is the worst hurricane, damage-wise, to hit our state since weather records have been kept. Yes, Hugo even caused damage well inland, but this was a once every 40-50 years storm so, in my opinion, live where you want to live as long as it isn't in the high-danger area right along the coast or in a flood-prone ara.

[Debra]

Hi Waccamatt!
I believe that Bluffton is 20 feet above sea-level but only about 10 miles inland...

Would you consider that interior coastal plain?

I would expect damage from a biggy like Hugo, But we really don't want the risk of going without power for weeks...... I could handle days, but not weeks.

We get so many opposing opinions regarding Bluffton--which is where we really want to be. If we have to evacute, we won't hesitate--if it's a false alarm, at least we're safe. We'll be retired and won't be losing income from work.

Give me a nudge again towards Bluffton??

[Debra]

Sorry to be such a pain.
I guess Hilton Head where our friends are would be coastal and I'm hoping Bluffton is far enough inland. That's our biggest fear I guess--that it's not far enough inland to not sustain heavy damage. I know there's no way to predivt thes things--I'm a bit of a controll freak and hate suprises.

Hear that mother nature???

[waccamatt]

Debra, I'd use the 25 feet about sea level rule as far as protection from storm surge and make sure a house you buy isn't in a flood zone or close to one. You won't be risk-free in Bluffton, but it would be much less risky than on Hilton Head or any of the other barrier islands. You seem to have your heart set on living in Bluffton, but the hurricane risk scares you. The last hurricane to directly affect Bluffton was Hurricane David in 1979. The last one before that was Hurricane Gracie in 1959. I'd ask someone who has lived in that area a long time, how much damage occured in Bluffton during those hurricanes. Gracie was a Hugo-type storm, so it would be a good point of reference, along with the 2 rules above. The rarity of that area getting hit should be of some comfort to you and keep in mind that hurricanes also occasionally affect greater New York.

Try asking some people here:

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