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I have been working hard doing research on Charleston tennis. I am a tennis instructor from Omaha, NE and I am thinking of relocating my family to Charleston. I'm looking to find somewhere to teach year-round. I run a small business as an instructor and pro shop owner. Charleston weather looks great, and its tennis popularity is through the roof!
I have also been considering Corpus Christi as a possible relocation site: Google Trends.
Unfortunately, its a stalemate between these two cities. Corpus has better interest than Omaha (but less than Charleston) and not a ton of tennis facilities (private or public). It seems there is a need for instructors there. However, the problem is that the disposable income seems much lower in Corpus.
Charleston seems to have plenty of disposable income. And things like this are promising: Nick Loudermilk at Park West Tennis Club Charleston Deal of the Day | Groupon Charleston. However, Charleston seems to have TONS of facilities and options for lessons. I didn't find much competition for private instructors like myself (looked for ads on craigslist, tennislessons.com, and google searches). I'm worried that private instructors simply can't develop a client base due to so many facilities to compete with.
I'm curious if there is a need for instructors in Charleston or not.
Perhaps there are other factors then just tennis I should consider..... Things such as crime, climate, and schools only seemed slightly different. Any one have any advice? Thanks!
I played USTA and ALTA in Atlanta for 10 years, and it is much more of a tennis mecca than Charleston. We played year-round there as well. I would not dismiss Atlanta as a possible location.
A few years ago the USTA lauded Charleston as “America’s Best Tennis Town” at the US Open. That was about when I was giving up on the game. (I loved it, my elbow didn't) I don't have the experience of tennis in Atlanta or elsewhere but it seems pretty vibrant to me around here given the size of the city.
I would try contacting all the Charleston tennis centers that Google comes up with and sounding them out on the scene here.
Charleston is a 'tennis' town because of the stadium on Daniel Island...there isn't much competitive tennis.
In Atlanta -- even a subdivision of 250 homes will have a tennis team and host matches....
Thats the problem with Atlanta: saturation. Atlanta is the mecca for tennis. Problem is that everyone knows it, and the competition is fierce. I'm not a hack instructor...however I'm not a retired ATP pro either. I'm looking for that "hidden gem." In city-data language: I'm looking for an amazing place to live, but I don't want to pay Monte Carlo prices
Charleston and Corpus Christi seem to be hidden gems.
What about a nearby town such as Summerville, close enough to Charleston but not "in", for setting up a shop or working out of?
Or perhaps a bit south to Savannah, if you are interested in a somewhat similar coastal/historical living area?
What about a nearby town such as Summerville, close enough to Charleston but not "in", for setting up a shop or working out of?
Or perhaps a bit south to Savannah, if you are interested in a somewhat similar coastal/historical living area?
I like the idea of living in Summerville and commuting to wherever I give lessons (west a, n char, mt p, dan, etc.). As for moving south, I could go down to Hilton Head, but it has a similar problem that Atlanta has with saturation (both clubs and instructors). Savannah doesn't look as saturated. In fact, it looks about the same a Charleston. However, the Charleston metro population is higher and so is the disposable income. Savannah seems to have more low income areas.
Also, I mean no offense to anyone who lives in Savannah, but I've read some horrible stuff (especially in regards to schools and crime). Maybe if I was alone, but I have a wife and 2 year old son.
I suppose a more accurate comparison would be this:
Summerville, or Mount Pleasant, West Ashley (live) -> Charleston Metro Area (work)
OR
Portland, Port Aransas, Ingleside, or Calallen (live) -> Corpus Christi Metro Area (work)
I suppose I care more about the metro areas. It seems like all of the places in the "live category" have unique pros and cons, but they ALL seem to be great places to live. The real question is population, disposable income, interest in tennis, and maybe a few other demographics.
There's plenty of nice areas to live around Charleston and most people like living here. But that doesn't seem to be the question you're asking... I suppose only the local tennis pros will know the answer you're looking for; is the area saturated with tennis pros now or not? I can only say that the tennis community is pretty active here and the population is constantly growing.
My personal opinion? You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a tennis pro round these parts. A ton of neighborhoods have tennis courts and there's always a pro attached to each of those. In addition, there's clubs, etc. Over saturation? Maybe. Not Florida like saturation but tennis is pretty big in Charleston.
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