My honest opinion of Summerville - for those considering the move (Charleston: crime, hotels)
Charleston areaCharleston - North Charleston - Mt. Pleasant - Summerville - Goose Creek
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I have lived here for a long time. I grew up here but moved away for a about 15 years and have been back in Summerville for about 4 years.
Of course Summerville holds a special place in my heart because of the memories of growing up here. I love Summerville but lately not enjoying living here. If I could scoop other family of mine living here and move, I would.
I will probably get a lot of back lash for my opinion but I'm prepared and won't let it bother me.
Come live in Summerville is you like traffic. If you love traffic and sitting in it, then this is the place for you. I personally find it a waste of time. If you live on the outskirts of town and need to go downtown, pack a lunch, get a good audio tape or podcast to listen to or bring a friend to catch up with while you wait in traffic. Or get some good be-bop music and crank up your base, lower your windows and enjoy your music. Perhaps you and your friend/spouse could enjoy a picnic lunch in the car on your way to Lowes.
Traffic is horrible horrible horrible horrible. It's HORRIBLE! You can NOT get anywhere fast.
How does Summerville fix the traffic? Good question. They don't. They just decide to build more stores and businesses around the congested areas. We'll all enjoy more traffic when Nexton and BJs and more hotels get built...can't wait. ha
If you plan to work in Charleston and live in Summerville, bring a pee jar. It can take close to an hour to get home, if no accident on the road. If an accident or breakdown, add an extra 1/2 hour or so. Don't leave work thinking you can make it home to use your own bathroom. I made that mistake once. Once in traffic, there is no pulling over to hit an exit. That exit will be bumper to bumper also and five miles ahead. Pee before you leave work.
Want to live in Summerville to be close to the beach. Great idea. Just plan on over an hour to get there if you leave at midnight or at 6am. It's not a short skippity doo dah down the road. It take a while to get to any of them from Summerville.
Summervillian's rarely say "Let me go run to the store real quick". That isn't something we say unless you're trying to be funny.
Oh, do you love the summers? Great. Be sure and take a shower early in the morning, then walk out the door at 9am only to find you will need another shower at 10am. Bring your deodorant. If you love humidity, this is the place for you. Have a nice hair-doo? No such thing in humidity and your make-up will run down your face so don't bother wearing it.
People still want more people to move here. More and more cheaply made homes in new neighborhoods are being built each day with one pear tree and a bush side by side right up on your neighbors. I swear it seems they only take 1 week to complete. Just be careful during hurricane season or if a sudden storm pops up. Pretty soon Hwy 61 won't be pretty after they build more subdivisions on it or build schools or whatever else. Traveling down 61 will only get worse and worse.
Summerville isn't what is used to be. I remember when we were excited to finally get a Hardees. Now there is fast food everywhere. You need a CVS, you got it. It's right across the street from the Walgreens and beside the Rite-Aid. Oh, you passed it? Don't worry, go a mile up the road and you're run into another.
You need a Walmart. We got 'em.....everywhere and more are due to pop up later.
You need a Dollar store? Come on down. We got your Dollar Generals, Dollar Trees, Family Dollars and more.
My family has been affected by crime in Summerville. My neighborhood recently had a mass of burglaries. Each day you would hear of another break-in. Actually the whole town area was having town meetings, creating Facebook pages so that we could all talk crime. The criminals were finally caught but the car break-ins and people stealing tools and other things from your home still go on pretty frequently. I was forced to buy a security system. I've never had one in all my life till last year.
My sister was robbed and her house broken into....twice. My brother has a security system in his house and cameras in his yard because he's had people stealing things from him. My mom even installed a security system in her home. We all have them. Don't think that since you live in a nice neighborhood that you won't be affected by some sort of crime, because you will. Just drive around and look at all the crime watch signs all around warning you to lock you car, take your valuables, etc.
Anyway, that's my opinion. Don't take my word for it. Of course take others opinions into consideration also.
I just don't feel Summerville can take anymore growth.
Oh, and did I mention the roaches, water bugs, Palmetto bugs or whatever you want to call them? They are all around and will be in your home....guaranteed in the summer especially.
ETA: When I moved, I missed the smell of the marsh, oak trees, Spanish moss, palm trees, the beach, beautiful old homes, etc The area of course has some great things. It's not ALL bad. It just seems lately I'm getting so frustrated with the traffic and other things here.
Last edited by diddlydudette; 04-27-2017 at 05:17 PM..
To be honest, this sounds like most American cities today. Its nothing unique to Summerville, especially the Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, dollar store, retail part.
I understand your frustations though. As far as traffic goes, Im hoping Nexton and other Charleston mega communities actually improve traffic. Its sounds like a paradox, but it can happen if done right.
It's true not just for Summerville but the Tri County area in general. We are not equipped infrastructure wise to handle the mass growth in population and businesses. I live 22 miles from my job and my commute is 1 hr each way. Last week because of one accident, which really didn't block lanes, it took me 1 hr and 40 minutes to get home. I am frustrated that even the supermarkets run out of produce and supplies because there are so many people moving here and the entire infrastructure is incapable of dealing with this accelerated growth. I've been here just over 7 years and in that small timeframe the growth is just insane. I'm actually considering leaving the area when I retire in 1 year. You just can't get anywhere you need to in an acceptable length of time and I really don't want to spend my last years of life in traffic.. so depressing because I really love Charleston but it is just not the same anymore.
No matter how long I have to commute, I love Summerville. I enjoy the city that within 15 minutes, you can find grocey stores, u-pick farms, local chicken eggs, pharmacy, houses with land, ... Beaches are not too far, just 1 hour to Edisto beach or 1hr 20 min to Kiawah beach. Just my 2 cents.
Join the club. I know exactly what you mean. The crime thing is the most scary part. But the traffic can be deadly. We went to the dentist today and going up a road that used to be grass fields and pastures both of us were commenting on what an obstacle course the road had become with what seemed to be about 20 housing developments where the fields used to be. Drivers were just pulling out in front of us and others sitting in roads trying to get onto the main road where we were had a look of desperation on their faces. Dh stopped and let some of them out in front of us.
Another poster said it is all over and I am beginning to believe that poster. We were on Providence Road going into Charlotte, N. C. I love your area and have stayed at the Wyndham Resort behind the welcome center on I-95. It was pretty easy to go straight down the street and get to Food Lion but the pizza run was a little more difficult. DIL needed a swimsuit but never found one.
To echo the others, it's not just Summerville. Traffic is worse all over the Charleston area as is petty crime. Summerville might have seen a bigger building boom than some other places but it's still the same basic story all over.
Maybe it's time for you to move more out into the "country". There's still quiet areas farther out from Summerville.
It's true not just for Summerville but the Tri County area in general. We are not equipped infrastructure wise to handle the mass growth in population and businesses.
Well then the state needs to kick it in high gear and get us the roads and infrastructure we need. And residents need to find compromise. If no 526, then there needs to be some other alternative.
Well then the state needs to kick it in high gear and get us the roads and infrastructure we need. And residents need to find compromise. If no 526, then there needs to be some other alternative.
They've waited too long to get 526 extended. They've waited too long to widen roads, repair roads and bridges. The boom is going full on now and when they do decide to fix the problem with the roads we all get to deal with the road construction and all the traffic problems associated with that. Just what we need. I'm disgusted with the politicians who've waited too long to resolve this problem that they saw coming many years ago. Total BIG fail.
Me thinks someone is being a tad dramatic. Granted I've never driven to Summerville at rush hour, but every other time or on the weekends it's been a piece of cake. Had a beautiful drive down 61 from Bee City Zoo.
Me thinks someone is being a tad dramatic. Granted I've never driven to Summerville at rush hour, but every other time or on the weekends it's been a piece of cake. Had a beautiful drive down 61 from Bee City Zoo.
Try staying here for about a week. Drive around at different hours of the day. Then tell me how you feel. Unless you live here, you can have no idea how horrible the congestion has become. It is a smidgen better on the weekends if you catch it at a good time and I've also seen it horrendous on a weekend. Probably the best day would be on a Sunday when a lot of people are at church.
Even just last weekend, I had a 10 year old with me and thought we'd go to town to get something to eat. This little girl was complaining about us not moving. We sat at a light for what seemed like forever. It is awful..... It's not dramatic but how the Summerville traffic has become. When it takes you about 1/2 hour to go 5 miles most days, it's awful and getting worse and worse with all the growth happening around the congestion.
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