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My husband and I are considering retiring in Charleston, SC. We are active seniors from Orange County, California (recent empty nesters). We're researching cities where the housing prices are much lower than California so that we can pay off our retirement home with the equity from the home we own now.
My doubts about Charleston stem from the fact that we are liberal Democrats and not churchgoers.. would we be outright ostracized? It seems the entire state has a reputation of a majority of Evangelical Christian Republicans. We have friends from all walks of life, religious, non-religious and political leanings here, and would hope to have the same kind of social life in Charleston.
I'm not happy about moving from California, but we just haven't saved enough to retire comfortably here and we've heard wonders about your state.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Mary
My husband and I are considering retiring in Charleston, SC. We are active seniors from Orange County, California (recent empty nesters). We're researching cities where the housing prices are much lower than California so that we can pay off our retirement home with the equity from the home we own now.
My doubts about Charleston stem from the fact that we are liberal Democrats and not churchgoers.. would we be outright ostracized? It seems the entire state has a reputation of a majority of Evangelical Christian Republicans. We have friends from all walks of life, religious, non-religious and political leanings here, and would hope to have the same kind of social life in Charleston.
I'm not happy about moving from California, but we just haven't saved enough to retire comfortably here and we've heard wonders about your state.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Mary
I don't really find Charleston to be all that evangelical. I think the upstate has more of that reputation. This place is known for drinking just as much as it's known for it's churches.
Just out of curiosity why SC and not NC, GA, or FL? This particular part of SC is one of the more expensive housing choices in this area.
I would think coming from California that Charleston would be very affordable. To the OP.. Charleston is very liberal compared to the rest of the state. My husband is an atheist and doesn't feel any feelings of being ostracized here due to his beliefs. You really must visit to get a feel for the area. We are from very liberal New England and feel very comfortable here.
You won't be ostracized as liberals. Folks here don't tend to judge each other according to political persuasion or religion for that matter. Just be polite if you disagree and most people will react the same. Also, although SC is a very conservative state, Charleston is the second most liberal city in the state with only the state capitol, Columbia, being more so. Charleston County and Richland County are the only two counties in SC in which Trump did not win the republican primary. If you search the forum you should find that this topic has been brought up before with much the same conclusions.
As for affordability... I talk to a lot of people coming from other states and there's more from CA than any other state that feel Charleston is inexpensive. It's all relative but yes, coming from CA, I think you'll find it cheap here. I'm sure you must have looked at housing prices for the area and have an idea of that already.
No, you would NOT be ostracized. People here are great.
Like Ziggy, I'm confused why you're looking at Charleston. This is probably one of the more expensive places in the state and region. If you're looking to cut living costs, not sure this is the right place.
We're from MA and don't find the area overly religious. Yes, people are religious but so far haven't found an "in your face" attitude about religion and going to church or people imposing their views on you.
The area is also full of transplants, so it's not like you would be moving to a rural area where you are the only newcomer trying to fit in.
You might also consider Asheville, NC. More liberal than the Charleston area and cheaper cost of living.
Asheville is nice and if you want the mountains and to only be 4-5hrs from the ocean it could be a good choice.
As for Charleston vs other areas in the region... well sure there's cheaper places to live and it's generally because they don't have as much to offer. Charleston's relatively expensive because more people want to live here. It couldn't be simpler.
Just noticed that Phoenix, Dallas & Knoxville are slightly less expensive than Charleston.
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