Coastal Living (Charleston, Greenville, Summerville: headhunter, home, employment)

[WCD]

My wife are native Houstonians, and have heard about the great living & environment in South Carolina.... the weather seems to be somewhat similiar to Houston with heat and humidity which is fine. We are tired of the deteriorating social & family values which seem to have happened with many large cities. Being familiar with hurricanes and coastal living we want to find possible cities to move to, either on the coast or an hour away. We are not looking to live "out in the country" so to speak, as we are used to city environs. We dont need to live in a resort area, and would like to keep our living expenses simple. Our goal is to be by or near the ocean, yet still enjoy the advantages vibrant cities offer. We HAVE made several trips to the Carolinas, BUT South Carolina reminds us of our southern hospitality and decent lifestyle that we are missing in our Native Texas.
Got suggestions for Texas Ocean Lovers???

[Tinabean]

My hubby is from Texas and relocated here to SC with me We also had friends who relocated here from Houston so I think I might be able to provide some helpful info.... SC is hot and humid in the center of the state. The Upstate gets a break because of the mountains and the coast gets a break because of the coastal breezes. The midlands are usually the worst, in my opinion.

I think Texas is more Tax friendly. SC has personal income tax. Not sure how we compare on property taxes.

There is no BIG CITY experience in all of SC. You are trying to compare apples to gorillas ....doesn't get any more different. You have different regions with different vibes but no big city experience. The good thing is that you have Charlotte or Atlanta comfortable drives away for the big city fix. Charleston is a great coastal town with good restaurants, decent shopping and certainly a developed arts scene (check out the info on the Spoletto festival!). Charleston is a great city and highly recommended. I enjoy Greenville, SC which is in the Upstate and near lots of lakes, parks and natural beauty of the Blue Ridge mountains. It is a drive to the beach so if a coastal life is at the top of your list you may not be interested but since you like the SC vibe, it doesn't hurt to check out all of the options. There are good traveling broadway shows, some good restaurants and ok shopping. The traffic there will make you feel like you are in the big city I like the vibe there.

My hubby and I have a place in Garden City beach, South of Myrtle Beach. We love our little shack by the sea but will probably go further south to Litchfield/Pawley's island in the next 10 years when we start to plan for retiring. You may want to check out Pawley's Island and the Litchfield area of the beach as well.

Let us know what you decide and good luck wherever you land. Just don't encouage others to follow you.... our coast is the nation's best kept secret! Let everyone continue to think that we are a state full of elementary school dropouts with no appreciation for culture or the finer things in life It's how we were able to divert the masses to the Florida coast!

[PawleysDude]

As usual, Tinabean very nicely described what SC has to offer. The only additional comment I'd offer is that it is very difficult to live on or near the coast and still avoid a resort atmosphere unless you're willing to live in a small town/country setting. SC has a relatively small coastline, and most of it is dedicated to tourism. Right now, in early June, with the T-shirt shops in full bloom, the lines at the restaurants and the solid string of cars on Hwy 17, Myrtle Beach, Garden City and Pawleys Island offer all the joys of TouristTown, USA.

Although I don't know it well, many folks believe that Summerville, just outside of Charleston, offers an excellent compromise - close enough to the beach and a very nice city (Charleston) but far enough away to avoid the worst of the tourist crowds. Georgetown, just South of Pawleys Island, is a nice little town that's not *too* touristy, but it is most definitely a small town environment.

[WCD]

I appreciate your response and surely understand the "dont tell" !!
We have a getaway in Galveston that serves us well on the weekends, just to decompress from the "city & people" insanity...
Of course, Galveston gets Houston's overflow without even a blink of an eye, SO.. you almost feel like you havent left.
My wife is a Therapist for a Health Care Company (in & out patients), I was working up till last November, Now I'm the "home manager" and we have figured out a way to live on one salary (more or less).. yet she tells me I'm not & she's not ready for me to retire at 55 ! So I part time here & there... But we want near the Ocean, and we want a kinder gentler environment to exist in ! The Houston we knew has been put on Steroids "so to speak".
She would need to find a comparable job, which on the outset (just briefly looking) could be an issue. I dont expect to find much for myself, and with the SC cost of living "less", we seem to think we could make a go at it. Thats why we were curious about cities with the most potential for employment versus how far away that might put us from the coast... then again we didnt consider any neighboring states.
Any other suggestion would be greatly appreciated...AND...
Does the Texan miss TEXAS ?? Thanks again.

Originally Posted by Tinabean

My hubby is from Texas and relocated here to SC with me We also had friends who relocated here from Houston so I think I might be able to provide some helpful info.... SC is hot and humid in the center of the state. The Upstate gets a break because of the mountains and the coast gets a break because of the coastal breezes. The midlands are usually the worst, in my opinion.

I think Texas is more Tax friendly. SC has personal income tax. Not sure how we compare on property taxes.

There is no BIG CITY experience in all of SC. You are trying to compare apples to gorillas ....doesn't get any more different. You have different regions with different vibes but no big city experience. The good thing is that you have Charlotte or Atlanta comfortable drives away for the big city fix. Charleston is a great coastal town with good restaurants, decent shopping and certainly a developed arts scene (check out the info on the Spoletto festival!). Charleston is a great city and highly recommended. I enjoy Greenville, SC which is in the Upstate and near lots of lakes, parks and natural beauty of the Blue Ridge mountains. It is a drive to the beach so if a coastal life is at the top of your list you may not be interested but since you like the SC vibe, it doesn't hurt to check out all of the options. There are good traveling broadway shows, some good restaurants and ok shopping. The traffic there will make you feel like you are in the big city I like the vibe there.

My hubby and I have a place in Garden City beach, South of Myrtle Beach. We love our little shack by the sea but will probably go further south to Litchfield/Pawley's island in the next 10 years when we start to plan for retiring. You may want to check out Pawley's Island and the Litchfield area of the beach as well.

Let us know what you decide and good luck wherever you land. Just don't encouage others to follow you.... our coast is the nation's best kept secret! Let everyone continue to think that we are a state full of elementary school dropouts with no appreciation for culture or the finer things in life It's how we were able to divert the masses to the Florida coast!

[WCD]

Thanks for the response... I dont necessarily think tourists would bother us that much, since we have a little place in Galveston we go to on the weekends...visitors are there all the time as well. Thats why we were more concerned with my wife finding work as a therapist. We live in Houston, so we dont worry if a Hurricane heads to Galveston. But if we were to live on the SC coast, would it be as treacherous as Florida or our own Gulf Coast... thats what we would have to think about. Finding the city/town with work.. and then going from there is where we are right now... otherwise its wait till we retire to get out of the Big City Zoo. Thanks for your taking the time to respond !

Originally Posted by PawleysDude

As usual, Tinabean very nicely described what SC has to offer. The only additional comment I'd offer is that it is very difficult to live on or near the coast and still avoid a resort atmosphere unless you're willing to live in a small town/country setting. SC has a relatively small coastline, and most of it is dedicated to tourism. Right now, in early June, with the T-shirt shops in full bloom, the lines at the restaurants and the solid string of cars on Hwy 17, Myrtle Beach, Garden City and Pawleys Island offer all the joys of TouristTown, USA.

Although I don't know it well, many folks believe that Summerville, just outside of Charleston, offers an excellent compromise - close enough to the beach and a very nice city (Charleston) but far enough away to avoid the worst of the tourist crowds. Georgetown, just South of Pawleys Island, is a nice little town that's not *too* touristy, but it is most definitely a small town environment.

[Tinabean]

Originally Posted by WCD

I appreciate your response and surely understand the "dont tell" !!
We have a getaway in Galveston that serves us well on the weekends, just to decompress from the "city & people" insanity...
Of course, Galveston gets Houston's overflow without even a blink of an eye, SO.. you almost feel like you havent left.
My wife is a Therapist for a Health Care Company (in & out patients), I was working up till last November, Now I'm the "home manager" and we have figured out a way to live on one salary (more or less).. yet she tells me I'm not & she's not ready for me to retire at 55 ! So I part time here & there... But we want near the Ocean, and we want a kinder gentler environment to exist in ! The Houston we knew has been put on Steroids "so to speak".
She would need to find a comparable job, which on the outset (just briefly looking) could be an issue. I dont expect to find much for myself, and with the SC cost of living "less", we seem to think we could make a go at it. Thats why we were curious about cities with the most potential for employment versus how far away that might put us from the coast... then again we didnt consider any neighboring states.
Any other suggestion would be greatly appreciated...AND...
Does the Texan miss TEXAS ?? Thanks again.

Oh yes, My Big guy misses Texas very much. I made Texas Gumbo last night for dinner and we go back 2-3 times a year to visit his family. You know there is never anything or any other place that ever compares with home. But just like most folks, at some point you have to look at your life goals and situation to see where you can have the best quaity of life.

Ask your wife is she can find a headhunter for medical professionals ...maybe they can offer better insight and assistance with job placement in this area? If not, I'd start cold calling the largest hospital systems in the areas you target to see what the hiring forecast looks like. Sure, it takes a little legwork but every market is ultra competitive now....

Good luck to y'all and let us know what you decide.

[Buckeye in SC]

Originally Posted by PawleysDude

Although I don't know it well, many folks believe that Summerville, just outside of Charleston, offers an excellent compromise - close enough to the beach and a very nice city (Charleston) but far enough away to avoid the worst of the tourist crowds. Georgetown, just South of Pawleys Island, is a nice little town that's not *too* touristy, but it is most definitely a small town environment.

They could also explore smaller less-developed places like Edisto Beach or even Beaufort to some extent to avoid the tourist onslaught! From Memorial Day to Labor Day, we typically only go to places like Edisto if we are going to the beach!

[arrgy]

Texas Gumbo...yuck. Having lived in Austin, I do miss real BBQ...the pork vinegar crap down here is awful. One thing to consider about living on the coast of course is hurricanes. Where I am at in Bluffton we have been blessed with a wonderful coastline. Look on a map of the US and notice that nice bend in the Savannah area, that bend has protected this coast for many many years since many storms follow the bend northwards and slam into areas north of Charleston. We are a protective cove which has allowed the port of Savannah to operate since the 1700s without many problems. Just another thing to consider.

And if your gumbo isn't made by a black creole woman who came from Baton Rouge that it aint Gumbo.

[Tinabean]

My gumbo turned out amazingly well! Each to their own

[WCD]

There's nothing like a good Texas Meal..... a good Creole meal.... or just good southern cooking ! Thanks for the heads up on the Hurricanes... we obviously have our share here in Houston.. and know where to live to avoid most of the worst (just gotta deal with wind and rain from 60 miles away)..... so we'd be real interested to know which part of the Coast is "Hurricane" friendly (if there is even such a place).... we have a home in Houston, and place to go to in Galveston which withstood Hurricane IKE..
we were on the highest part of the island which avoided the flooding.

Originally Posted by arrgy

Texas Gumbo...yuck. Having lived in Austin, I do miss real BBQ...the pork vinegar crap down here is awful. One thing to consider about living on the coast of course is hurricanes. Where I am at in Bluffton we have been blessed with a wonderful coastline. Look on a map of the US and notice that nice bend in the Savannah area, that bend has protected this coast for many many years since many storms follow the bend northwards and slam into areas north of Charleston. We are a protective cove which has allowed the port of Savannah to operate since the 1700s without many problems. Just another thing to consider.

And if your gumbo isn't made by a black creole woman who came from Baton Rouge that it aint Gumbo.