Charleston areaCharleston - North Charleston - Mt. Pleasant - Summerville - Goose Creek
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I'm 33 lived here my entire life. I grew up in WA. Lived in N. Chas in college ( cheap rent) and both sides of my family live all over Mtp. We live in Summerville now westcot area and we love it. The rush hour traffic is horrible here but small price to pay for a great area and wondful homes. We looked at new construction mtp but they were extremely over priced. The same builders were in Summerville and the price points a lot lower. All of the comments are true except some very important details. Mtp does have good ele schools (wando hs has a bad drug problem so beware) but all the schools in chas are fine if you live in a good neighborhood. don't get sucked in to the allure of downtown social scene the schools are terrible. (I worked at one of the elem schools in the city). It's not the best place to raise or educate your children if they are not going to private school. Traffic is bad everywhere now. So try to find a home close to your workplace WA is usually the best location bc you can get to the city, mtp, n. Chas and Summerville with in 30 to 45 min during rush hours. Avoid north chas like a rash!!! The area is the worst example of chas the quality of life doesn't improve until you get to the kings grant/ westscot area and then your basically in Summerville
...and safe. The best area for you is a matter of personal preference. Great place to live and the beaches are close no matter which town you pick!
Hi everyone! I'm going to be moving out on my own for the first time soon and as I've been researching cities to move to, Charleston is one that's caught my interest. Unfortunately I've never been there so it's hard to be sure - I'd really appreciate any information you could provide and opinions on whether or not Charleston seems like it might fit my needs.
I'm 22 years old, female, from Connecticut, have completed some college but am taking a few years off to work and live on my own (for various reasons) before finishing my degree - so in terms of jobs I'd probably be looking at waiting tables/serving coffee/etc for the time being. I want to live somewhere that has a lot of other young adults, some nightlife (more along the lines of bars/pubs than clubs) and shopping and restaurants and culture - basically I've lived in the suburbs my whole life and I want to be in a city where I can have fun, make friends, enjoy being young and meet other singles, but somewhere that's still charming and not overwhelmingly huge and urban. I also prefer to live somewhere that's not too extremely conservative, as I'm more on the moderately liberal side of things, and ideally in a climate with reasonably nice weather year-round. Again, I'd REALLY appreciate any input on Charleston (or suggestions of other cities to check out), and I'm happy to answer any questions! Thanks!
If you want to move from the suburbs to a real city, Charleston is probably a terrible choice. Chas has a population of 120k, which by north east standards would barely qualify it as a city. What's more, that population is largely spread out. Basically, as soon as you leave downtown, you're in the burbs.
What's worse is that it feels small. There aren't a lot of going out options, and you end up running into the same people over and over and over again.
Plus the bars close at 2am, which is a travesty in and of itself.
For early 20s, there are a lot more cities that are a lot more fun. The only advantage that Charleston has over NYC, Portland, Seattle, Austin, Miami, DC/Nova etc. is that Charleston is dirt cheap to live in.
If you want to move from the suburbs to a real city, Charleston is probably a terrible choice. Chas has a population of 120k, which by north east standards would barely qualify it as a city. What's more, that population is largely spread out. Basically, as soon as you leave downtown, you're in the burbs.
What's worse is that it feels small. There aren't a lot of going out options, and you end up running into the same people over and over and over again.
Plus the bars close at 2am, which is a travesty in and of itself.
For early 20s, there are a lot more cities that are a lot more fun. The only advantage that Charleston has over NYC, Portland, Seattle, Austin, Miami, DC/Nova etc. is that Charleston is dirt cheap to live in.
This is a great example of "it all depends on where you're coming from, and what you're looking for". Most people on this forum seem to feel Charleston is a great place with lots of fun things to do and but that it's expensive to live here. Of course most people wouldn't expect to match Charleston up with the much larger cities you mention.
Living on your own for the first time in challenging enough in your own hometown. Moving to an unknown city looking for work and not knowing anyone is going to make it a difficult transition. My first apartment was after living away from home while in the military for four years. It was structured similar to your boarding school so I know where you're coming from in a sense.
Perhaps you can move out of your parents home but across town and be independent but still maintain your existing circle of friends? I've been in Charleston for almost three years and it still feels very new to me.
Charleston might be dirt cheap compared to NYC, Portland, Seattle, Austin, Miami, DC... but the wages are no where near as strong. Our wages do not even keep pace with ATL or Charlotte.
Charleston makes a great small, coastal, Southern city. I cannot imagine someone cross shopping Chicago, LA, NYC against Charleston. Or some generic suburb or small inland city.
I think Asheville might be worth a look and think Savannah and Wilmington offer a lot of the same charm as Charleston with much lower COL (specifically housing costs.)
Living with roommates is a very typical situation for 20 somethings in Charleston, even the ones with good jobs. It is how so many people live downtown or in the inner part of Mt Pleasant. Its pretty typical to see people move further out as they either want their own place to rent, then to purchase and especially to have a larger home.
Good luck.
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