Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello Everyone,
It seems that my family and I maybe moving to Charleston from Canada. Would anyone be able to tell me the best places to live. We have 1 child so family friendly areas are best. We are okay will commuting but nothing over 30 minutes. Can't wait for the beaches. I hear they are beautiful. How is the crime rate?
Thanks
You're in for a HUGE change in climate! The best family-friendly places are (IMHO): James Island, Summerville, Mt. Pleasant, and Daniels Island....depending on your needs/preferences and what you are willing to pay for a home. West Ashley also has some nice, family-oriented neighborhoods. The crime rate in SC is high and North Charleston is among the highest in the nation...but I would not recommend N.C. unless you look into Crowfield Plantation, which is really nice and not anywhere near the crime areas.
The Lowcountry, in general, places high importance on families and you will find many, many attractions and events for children and families here. I think you will fall in love with this area immediately!
hey! thanks for the quick reply. Yes the climate will change although we do get hot summers but not like there.I will not miss the snow. We just had the worst winter as did the northern states.
Can you get a nice place for 200-225K? Do you need do go over that amount? under?
I looked on the Charleston realestateguide.com page and did a quick look. There are homes in all these areas for that ballpark. You get a little more home in summerville , but you are farther from the beach! We are moving down too! We chose Mt pleasant area,because it is closer to the shopping we use regularly( Whole foods) and downtown for the entertainments Plus the school that my wife wants for our son. But that is just us. All the areas that you have mentioned were the ones on our list when we started. We went down and looked at them all,and they ALL were nice!
Also everyone we have meet or talked to is very Family oriented,so that should not be a concern for you.There are some GREAT areas that have wonderful amenities for kids. Hamblin park had a Waterpark at the clubhouse!!!!Parkwest also had incredible pools and playgrounds for the kids.
Hope you move(and ours) go smoothly.
The crime rate in SC is high and North Charleston is among the highest in the nation...but I would not recommend N.C. unless you look into Crowfield Plantation, which is really nice and not anywhere near the crime areas.
For $200-225 you might find a nice home in Summerville, but for a single family home with a yard, you probably need to go above that amount....at least $250,000. However, you could buy a nice condo in the price range you mentioned. Mt. Pleasant and Daniel Island prices are higher than the rest of the area, so I would limit my search to James Island, West Ashley, and Summerville. There is at least one new neighborhood on Johns Island where the homes start in the $180's, but if you bought there, you might want to consider private schools when your child gets older.
Keep in mind that the closer the neighborhood is to downtown Charleston or to the beaches, the higher the prices are.
As for our summers....yes, it's hot here - but also very HUMID, which some northerners have found they can't tolerate. Our heat index is sometimes 105*F and has even gone above that with the hottest month typically being August. As for snow...no worries here!
Thanks for advice! I certainly don't mind paying for a place to be safe and to get what we want. I hear that it is very buggy in the summer. What kind of bugs? I know that Florida has fire ants that are a pain. Anything like that?
thanks.
Good luck with your move southergentleman
My wife and I are Nova Scotian's and we are one of three Canadian families that own houses on our street in Weatherstone park. This is one of the best locations in Summerville and is very handy to shopping and the I 26.
As far as commute times that depends on where you are going. Other than that, I think Summerville is great. It seems to have everything you are looking for.
Yes, we have fire ants here, no see em's and very Large palmetto bugs/roaches.
As far as temperature goes, I would rather spend July and August here than January and February back home. The heat isn't as depressing.
Yeah it sucks when it is above 100F, but it is even worse when it hits -30C back home!
OOPs.....sorry about that! I rarely leave the Johns/James Islands, West Ashley, downtown areas so I'm not familiar with the outer perimeters and their boundaries. Anyway - Crowfield is very nice and often gets overlooked as a potential place for newcomers to look for homes.
NS highlander.
How long have you been there? I would rather the heat then having the snow too. Did you hear about our winter this year. I live outside Toronto and man it was long. Same in NS.
Thanks again for all the help everyone. I was a little worried about 'fitting in' but i think that it is great. I keep reading posts about how bad the violence is.
Is it as bad as what people are saying?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
