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I'm in the process of interviewing for three different jobs (Boston, MA, Columbia, SC, and Charleston, SC), which is a bit overwhelming considering how different each of these locations are from one another (not to mention the jobs!). If I take the Charleston job, I will mostly work from home and travel 30ish%, so proximity to the airport is a factor. I'm hoping you on the forum may be able to help me get a better feel for what it is currently like to live in Charleston to help me compare my options? I graduated from CofC in 2000, so my experience may not be relevant.
I would have $2000/mo to spend and would rent in the immediate term. Ideally, I'd love a house to renovate, but it makes more sense to me to rent something small and establish myself socially, get a feel for the area again, and save up to make a proper realestate decision. Hence I'm thinking about $1500/mo rent, but have some wiggle room. I will need a home office area, so probably a 2BR or 1BR with den. (I don't know if it is common to have community work spaces like I currently have? We pay a small monthly fee to use an open office space with printers, high speed wifi, conference room, beverages, etc. If so, a 1BR or even studio/carriage house would be fine.) I don't have kids, but I do have two indoor cats.
I love the water (especially walking on the beach) and that's one of the big draws about the area for me, but I suspect living downtown is probably what I'm best suited to, so I would say urban or coastal. I am in my mid-30s, very interested in the arts and community service, and enjoy a pedestrian lifestyle when possible. I do have a car, though. I have previously lived in the UK for about a decade, but I am originally from Georgia. I have family in Awendaw, so venturing significantly south of the peninsula is less appealing for that reason. I like coffee shops and walking around historical areas. I also really like farmers markets, though since I cook a lot, restaurants aren't a particularly big draw for me.
What is it like to live downtown these days? Presumably deep in the historic district is out of my budget. I'm not aiming to relive my college days in a noisy King street apartment, but perhaps further west or north? When I lived there, up by the crosstown was not a desirable place to be after dark, but it seems this is no longer the case? I'd definitely like to be somewhere that walking home at night is okay, but don't mind an up and coming neighborhood.
Is it a better idea to aim to rent a condo on or near the beach? I would not be tied to heavy traffic times with my work schedule, so that might remove an obstacle. I just sort of have a hunch that I'd be more likely to make friends in town than at the beach. I may also choose to adjunct at CofC, so being downtown could be a plus there.
Definitely live downtown if that's the kind of lifestyle you're looking for. Pretty much the whole penninsula up to the neck (and even some of the neck) is either up and coming or has already come up. However, downtown has changed pretty significantly since the early 2000s. More hotels and more national chains, but still majorly residential as far as downtowns go and roughly 1/3 of downtown residents are college students. Park Circle in N.Chs is the "up and coming" neighborhood these days, lots of young professionals and young families. It's small, but has your bars, coffee, really good restaurants and the like, just not the most convenient to the beach. With Uber being here now, it's super easy to get from Coleman/Avondale/Park Circle/Riverland Terrace to downtown for whatever, whenever. It really alleviates the annoyance of the whole 'having to cross a bridge' thing. You can live most places on a $1500 rent, but as with any other city, you'll get a lot less apartment downtown than over one of the bridges or Park Circle.
For the office needs, look up the Regus company that leases sorta what you've described. They have 2 location in the Charleston area: North Charleston in the Leeds Avenue office park area and very North 17 in Mount Pleasant.
Though Mt P is a "bedroom community" vis-a-vis the peninsula, Coleman Blvd is happening. And the Boulevard apartments as well as the Riverwalk apartments (Mathis Ferry Road) are full of your people in your demographic. And a short ride to the beaches. Good luck!
Lots and lots of new apartments going up downtown and I'm sure some condos as well.
But many close to downtown also, West Ashley/Mt. Pleasant. Downtown sounds right for you if you can find a suitable place for outside cats.
Welcome back.
With a $2k budget you should be able to find something downtown with 2 bedrooms. The MLS shows 19 active 2+ bdrm rentals with several of them being below Calhoun and most being below the Crosstown. Most of what's below the crosstown would be considered safe and pretty much all of what's below Calhoun would as well.
Drives from downtown to the beaches wouldn't be terrible; probably 20-30 min depending on where downtown and which beach.
Craigslist will likely turn up more options as well.
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