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I am moving to Charleston in the next month or so and am still trying to decide where! I have visited and there are pluses to West Ashley, Downtown, No. Charleston and Mt. Pleasant, and I am still undecided.....I am an independent contractor so will be working in W. Ashley, the peninsula, and Mt. Pleasant and I am a single "middle aged" female....I want to be located in a good position for commuting and am thinking downtown but I only see college kids there (is that true???). Mt.P. seems a little "settled" as in married families, retirees, etc., but again there seems to be more people my age (and a whole foods!) West Ashley reminds me of Berkeley a little (in the good sense), but I may be a little isolated as a single. Any thoughts about areas?
Okay, one last question: I am printing up fliers for my business and want to include West Ashley, Mount Pleasant and ______ to include downtown Charleston AND North Charleston - what do I use to encompass this entire area - "the peninsula"? downtown?
Thanks for your input and looking forward to the next adventure! SFWoman
Downtown and North Charleston are separate areas & there is no term to encompass both. If you can only list three use Charleston, Mt Pleasant and North Charleston since West Ashley is in Charleston for the most part (even if it is not downtown.) Some people will read Charleston to also include Daniel Island and James Island- others will not but if you list the big three most people will take that to mean most of the area.
I live close in West Ashley and we are a very good mix of ages, races, familial/marital status. Byrnes Downs would be a good place to look since it drows a lot of singles, married without kids and people who are divorced.
Also there are plenty of parts of downtown that are not college students but you will want a good realtor to steer you towards them. Don't assume a high cost will exclude college kids as many of their parents have no problems paying several hundred grand for what ends up being student housing. I never quite had those parents but a lot of people do. Mt Pleasant also has nice areas for a single person but again you need to have someone who is in the know. Parts of James Island might also be worth a look.
If you do look in Mt Pleasant stay inside of 526 to cut down on traffic. Similarly be careful of the areas of West Ashley off 61 around Sam Rittenburg and beyond and areas of 17 between downtown and 526. Our traffic is not as bad as California but it can still be frustrating.
Thank you for your insight, mrpeatie. I don't believe I went to the Byrnes Downs area in West Ashley when I visited. When I checked on-line it appears to be south of 17, towards James Island; is this right? Is this purely residential, or are there commercial businesses there as well (cafe? store?). I will be venturing down again in two weeks to rent something and will definitely check out this area as well. I will take another look downtown as well - it seems the area around Hampton Park might be less student oriented and maybe have some apartments that aren't too high. As for Mt. Pleasant, I'm still on the fence. Thank you again for your help!
Hampton Park/Wagner Terrace is a great area. Not too much commercial business there, though.
Byrnes Downs is pretty much were you described. It backs up to a portion of 17 that is actually walkable with a couple of bars, restaurants shops and the best Italian restaurant in town. It is also very near South Windemere which has another set of restaurants, some shops and a healthy/organic supermarket. A greenway cuts through the neighborhood and the big draw is that everystreet has sidewalks and great oak trees. They are also buildign a new grocery store in the shopping complex immediately west of Byrnes Downs.
If you like Byrnes Downs and Hampton Park you should also look at Riverland Terrace on James Island and even Park circle in North Charleston. Everyone rags on North Charleston mercilessly but I swear that particular neighborhood is really up and coming.
Thanks again for your precise information! I will take a look at Byrnes Downs and South Windemere when I visit in a couple of weeks. I didn't head south in West Ashley towards James Island because it seemed too remote but I may have had some "notion" that just isn't true. Anyway, I'll definitely take a look. I also like some parts of North Charleston, and I've read a lot about Park Circle, so I'll venture there as well....just seemed like so many people on the forum said a block may be great, and the next block not so great (and having lived in SF for 30 years, I know what they mean). So I was a little cautious for my first year going there thinking perhaps after a year I may head there (prices are better, I like the feel, diverse restaurants, etc.) when I know which blocks are ones I would feel comfortable in as a single female. Your help has been great - thank you again!
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