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Old 03-27-2018, 08:32 AM
 
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Howdy everybody, looking for your collective input on where to settle in Mt. Pleasant. We are a family of 5 (kids turn 11, 7 and 5 this year) relocating from TX. I will work from home and my wife is a SAHM so no commute to worry about. Answers to standard questions below.

1.Budget - $600-650k (can go a bit over that for a water view/access)

2. House/Condo/Townhome? – 3000-3300 sq ft house with at least 4 bedrooms to accommodate our growing kids so each one gets his/her own bedroom at some point

3. Employment Status (commute/work from home) – work from home

4. Children(public school vs. private) – public schools, oldest is very strong in math/STEM so we are thinking about having him attend Laing MS. Will he get in automatically if we live within their covered area? Jennie Moore ES is next door to Laing and seems to be fine for the younger kids? Input on elementary/middle schools would be greatly appreciated.

5. Suburban, Coastal or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of them together (or even Rural) – we’d like to be close to the beaches so thinking about southern parts of MP. We like established neighborhoods with big trees and are not looking for a new construction home.

6.Amenities preferred or must-haves - we are active and like outdoors so hiking/trail running/biking close by would be great. We’d like to have some space in the backyard and not have neighbors’ houses too close together. We’d like to have a neighborhood pool that the kids can enjoy (and I can do laps). Kids are into sports (soccer, gymnastics) so having those facilities not too far away would be a plus.

I’d like to be able to bike to a grocery store/coffee shop/etc but not sure if that’s feasible in MP. Not sure if water view/access is within our price range (please share your thoughts) – would be nice to get a SUP workout in the morning or go ride a kayak/fish with the kids on weekends.

7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood – prefer areas with other active families with kids. We are mid-40s so similar age demographics would be good.

We will be house-hunting in early June and plan to relocate this summer. Thanks in advance for your advice and we are looking forward to the move!

Last edited by shahter; 03-27-2018 at 08:46 AM..
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Old 03-27-2018, 09:46 AM
 
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1) Budget is good for Mount Pleasant.
4) All public schools in Mount Pleasant will be fine. I would look up the coverage areas to make sure you can get Laing if you want.

The rest) I know you mentioned South Mount Pleasant, but Brickyard is an established neighborhood that has water access in the back of the neighborhood, as well as a pool. There are other neighborhoods that have water access and pools, but I live in North MT P, so I can't help you there if you want to stay south. I think you could get water view for that price range (of a river/ creek), but probably not access, although some homes on Horlbeck in North Mt P have tidal water access around that price point.
I'm sure others will chime in with better information, but I think most neighborhoods (other than maybe old village) would have a good mix of people with kids.
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Old 03-27-2018, 09:55 AM
 
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The kid centric part of town is typically on the north end and your price range will get you the square footage you’re looking for.
I would look at Park West, Rivertown, Dunes West and Carolina Park.
I live in Carolina Park and love it. Both Carolina Park and Park West have bike trails running through the neighborhood. I do some trail riding in Laurel Hill County Park (abandoned plantation) which is within bike riding distance from either neighborhood. The middle school for this part of town is in Park West, while the only two high schools so far are in Carolina Park. A new high school is slated to open on the south end of town in 2020.

Carolina Park is still largely under construction. They’re building a Costco there and there’s a “town center” concept zoned for the middle of the neighborhood. A library is currently being built, and so far both of the high schools are located here (one is a charter school). There is no kayak launch yet, but they claim Bolden Lake will be open this summer with a kayak launch. Eventually they plan to add another one on the Wando River once it develops out that far.

The demographics here are largely what you’re looking for. Kids all seem to be enrolled in some kind of sports, there active sports fields everywhere, neighborhood pools, etc. Many of my neighbors work at home.
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Old 03-27-2018, 10:10 AM
 
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Originally Posted by Ziggy100 View Post
The kid centric part of town is typically on the north end and your price range will get you the square footage you’re looking for.
I would look at Park West, Rivertown, Dunes West and Carolina Park.
I believe only Rivertowne is districted to Laing and JM. The back part of Rivertowne and the CC have been around since the early 90s, and there are a good number of properties with Marsh/ some sort of nature view.
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Old 03-27-2018, 10:58 AM
 
Location: Mount Pleasant, SC
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You may be able to buy in Creekside/The Groves/Cooper Estates in that $ range. All established neighborhoods; all have lovely old tree canopy. Creekside Pool & Tennis Club is open to all neighborhoods. Easy to bike to shop or to Shem Creek for SUP. If you are handy with renovations, you may find a gem. That's the place for easy access & natural beauty.
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Old 03-27-2018, 01:14 PM
 
Location: Mount Pleasant, SC
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If you are looking for a newer home with a neighborhood with lots of kids, look at the neighborhood amenities. Neighborhood pools and tennis, etc equals families with kids. Brickyard, Charleston National, Hamlin, Dunes West, Park West, Carolina Park and Belle Hall all have many families living there... just drive around about 4pm and see all the kids getting off busses. The older neighborhoods have lots of nice homes, but many of those neighborhoods also have folks who boiught new in the 1970's, kids grown and moved away, and they are now in retirement age. Sure there are young families there, but not as many as the newer neighborhoods.

Biking to shopping? Park West would be my #1 followed by Rivertowne. As for the schools, every public school is excellent in Mt. Pleasant. I wouldn't worry about Laing Middle vs. Moultrie vs. Cario. I would send my kids to any of them. No need for a private school unless you are looking for a Christian-based school.

As for water access, in this price range you aren't going to get 3000 sf and a dock. Many neighborhoods have private neighborhood boat ramps, and there are several county ramps in MtP. Anywhere you live in MtP is 15 mins or less to the beach, basically. And all beaches are public...

Any more questions?
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Old 03-27-2018, 02:44 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shahter View Post

5. Suburban, Coastal or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of them together (or even Rural) – we’d like to be close to the beaches so thinking about southern parts of MP. We like established neighborhoods with big trees and are not looking for a new construction home.
Next thing to ask is with your list, what your priorities are since (like everything) there will be trade-offs. We initially had no interest in the older Brady Bunch style homes in South MtP but found the lack of greenery/big trees in North MtP striking enough that we were able to find an older home with modern touches in South MtP as a compromise. However to my knowledge not many areas in South MtP where you can bike or walk-and-shop. Also as mentioned by others who actually live in the area (alas I am just a mere enthusiastic new home buyer), more families seemingly located on northern end. Just wanted to call this point out as if having trails/family-focused areas is bigger than the backdrop, then the Park West/Carolina Park neighborhoods are great options. Otherwise I found while exploring and house-hunting both sides that the proximity to beaches and lowcountry landscape was far more profound closer to the south of MtP.

Just finished last month going through the searching and buying process - enjoy it! Everyone warned me how stressful it would be, particularly purchasing out-of-state, but it's been anything but. We are set to move in this June and are getting stir crazy while we wait. No kids yet, just a married couple from Chicago (early 30's). I'm a masochist that checks the weather in Charleston every day to maintain my sanity during the long winter.
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Old 03-27-2018, 05:50 PM
 
Location: Mount Pleasant, SC
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Originally Posted by tonyroundtree View Post
Next thing to ask is with your list, what your priorities are since (like everything) there will be trade-offs. We initially had no interest in the older Brady Bunch style homes in South MtP but found the lack of greenery/big trees in North MtP striking enough that we were able to find an older home with modern touches in South MtP as a compromise.
https://www.google.com/search?q=brad...w=1094&bih=492
I had to google to be sure what the Brady Bunch house looked like -- really not representative of South MtP, though there may be a handful. Center hall colonials & '50s ranches (being renovated & expanded like mad) are more the norm for the pre-2000's builds.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tonyroundtree View Post
However to my knowledge not many areas in South MtP where you can bike or walk-and-shop.
FYI: from my home off of Mathis Ferry, I bike to Publix, Trader Joe's, WholeFoods. Probably not a good thing for a middle-schooler to do since we cross Hwy 17 for the latter two. We walk to Collective Coffee on Saturdays. Easier to do these from Cooper Estates, I'on, the Groves, Bayview Acres, Somerset Point, Wakendaw just to name a few neighborhoods.

But there sure are a gaggle of young families out in Park West. And it's pretty insulated & with bike trails to that Publix.
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Old 03-27-2018, 07:39 PM
 
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Originally Posted by joyeaux View Post
https://www.google.com/search?q=brad...w=1094&bih=492
I had to google to be sure what the Brady Bunch house looked like -- really not representative of South MtP, though there may be a handful. Center hall colonials & '50s ranches (being renovated & expanded like mad) are more the norm for the pre-2000's builds.



FYI: from my home off of Mathis Ferry, I bike to Publix, Trader Joe's, WholeFoods. Probably not a good thing for a middle-schooler to do since we cross Hwy 17 for the latter two. We walk to Collective Coffee on Saturdays. Easier to do these from Cooper Estates, I'on, the Groves, Bayview Acres, Somerset Point, Wakendaw just to name a few neighborhoods.

But there sure are a gaggle of young families out in Park West. And it's pretty insulated & with bike trails to that Publix.
Is there a sidewalk that runs along Mathis Ferry?
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Old 03-27-2018, 09:50 PM
 
Location: Mount Pleasant, SC
2,206 posts, read 3,276,506 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tonyroundtree View Post
Is there a sidewalk that runs along Mathis Ferry?
Yes there is, but it's far from smooth! And it crosses over from one side to the other 3 or 4 times. But riding through I'on & Olde Park is a small/short alternative. Also, I'll ride down Shelmore & onto the frontage (smooth) road to Publix; or further to cross 17 & then onto that frontage back to TJ's/Whole Foods.
My "bike friendly" definition may be vastly different from others due to me being an old cyclist from NYC -- nothing beats city streets for bike friendly! TMI?

Last edited by joyeaux; 03-27-2018 at 10:09 PM..
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