Charleston or Wilmington, NC? (North Charleston, Goose Creek: crime rate, house, neighborhoods)

[49684guy]

I have the chance to relocate to either Charleston, SC or Wilmington, NC. Both cities strike me as nice coastal towns that aren't too big. I would love to get some feedback on opinions about the differences between these cities. Thanks!

[Rewilli]

Saw your message and HAD to comment. Charleston, hands down! Charleston and the immediate area offers so many, many options. Big city venues, small town quaint and everything in between, all within easy reach. You will never run out of options for interesting day trips. Not so in Wilmington, it's very limited in that respect due to it's location.

[OleTomCat]

Six of one half dozen of the other.....

We get less cold weather and fewer hurricanes...

[emilybh]

Their are pros and cons of both. Your choice will depend on what is highest on your priority list. Before I moved here I also was considering Wilmington but chose Charleston because is had more bigger city amenities, a Whole Foods store (which Wilmington doesn't have) and a prettier downtown.. although Wilmington has a very pretty downtown and Charleston is less prone to hurricanes.

When I got here I assumed the sailing would be wonderful but found that it leaves a lot to be desired due to all the restrictions for mooring and storing boats on or near the water and due to the shallowness of the water. The Wilmington area seems to offer a lot more to those interested in sailing. The ferry system alone that connects the outer islands makes it a lot easier and more enjoyable to access the islands and enjoy them Outer Banks Of North Carolina - Carova Beach, Corolla, Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Rodanthe, Avon, Waves, Salvo, Buxton, Ocracoke Village, Manteo, Wanchese and Roanoke Island . In Charleston (with the exception of Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island that are connected by a bridge, it takes more than two hours sometimes to get from one island to the next neighboring island having to drive and hour inland from one island to access a road that you must take another hour to drive down to get to the neighboring island. It would take a full day or more just to step foot in every island only to have to leave and head back to the next island. SC could use a ferry system like NC has to connect Folly, Kiawah, Edisto, St Helena/Beaufort and Hilton Head Outer Banks Of North Carolina - Carova Beach, Corolla, Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Rodanthe, Avon, Waves, Salvo, Buxton, Ocracoke Village, Manteo, Wanchese and Roanoke Island

Also except for the historic downtown area, Charleston County and near by lacks a lot of the southern charm you'd expect it would have that the North Carolina inner and outer banks seem to have retained. There seem to be many more original historic homes in the towns around Wilmington whereas, except for downtown and a few exceptions, you find mostly cookie cutter neighborhoods and subdivisions in Charleston most of which are not very walkable with either smaller or larger homes. The Cape Fear / Azalea Coast Region of North Carolina. Southeastern NC's resort and family vacation beaches and barrier islands and the great city of Wilmington



I think not only is the sailing better and beaches are nicer/prettier in North Carolina and NC has a great ferry system which connects the outer islands that Charleston and Beaufort/Hilton Head lack. It could take two hours or more to drive from one island to the next by car in SC where in NC it might be a 20 minute ferry ride while enjoying gorgeous vistas of the pristine coast on crisp blue waters. SC waters are cloudy and have a brownish tinge Follyweather.com Weather and Wave Webcam, Folly Beach South Carolina. due to the pluff mudd from the marshes that are so pervasive which detracts from the aesthetics. On the other hand, as was mentioned above, Wilmington is more exposed to hurricanes than Charleston.

If sailing isn't your thing or you are just as happy kayacking or going out in a motor boat and don't mind trailering it to a boat ramp everytime you use it, Charleston's waters might suit you fine. For the kayacker there are numerous creeks and rivers to paddle through and wildlife and birds to discover and enjoy. For the surfer, Folly Beach provides surfable waves.

[UNCHawks]

Wilmington now has a Whole Foods and will soon have a Trader Joes. It also has a 23 mile cross city bike trail and the second best public university in the state. Fortunately it doesn't have pitiful public schools, horrible street traffic, high crime rates, and slum areas like "Chucktown". Charleston was a nice place 20 years ago...but not anymore. Glad I go out when I did.

[klysik]

There is UNCHawks giving his hate speech on Charleston again.
49684guy..it really depends on what is important to you..your likes/dislikes.
We too had the chance to go to either Wilmington or Charleston (actually, anywhere we wanted down south) and chose Wilmington last August. For many reasons, it just wasn't for us. We ended up moving to Charleston this past June and absolutely love it. But our reasons may be very different than what your needs are. I know many who love Wilmington - the beaches are beautiful, the people (most anyways) are really friendly and it is a great boating community. For us, Charleston has the charm, the city that we spend a lot of time in dining, theaters, higher end shopping, nightlife, etc. Again, all things important for us. We have children and the schools that we chose for our kids here, are better. The beaches are beautiful here too, but not as vast as NC beaches. There is a thread here where people were asked in a survey which they liked better: Myrtle Beach, Wilmington or Charleston. Charleston won hands down..but again, people had/have their own reasons.

As far as the above comment regarding cookie cutter neighborhoods in/around Charleston...that confuses me as I have yet to see a cookie cutter neighborhood when I've been house shopping.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by UNCHawks

Wilmington now has a Whole Foods and will soon have a Trader Joes. It also has a 23 mile cross city bike trail and the second best public university in the state.

The hell??? NC State, East Carolina, UNCG, and UNCC are all ranked above UNCW and pretty easily.

Fortunately it doesn't have pitiful public schools, horrible street traffic, high crime rates, and slum areas like "Chucktown". Charleston was a nice place 20 years ago...but not anymore. Glad I go out when I did.

Charleston has some schools in need of serious help, but there are also more than enough good schools to choose from. "Horrible street traffic"? Well that's because Charleston is older (narrower streets), more popular, and more visited. Crime and "slums" are localized to a couple of areas that are easily avoided (and the highest crime area isn't even in Charleston proper--it's in North Charleston).

Seems like you just prefer big towns as opposed to small/midsized cities.

[TealDreamer]

Unbelievable AND hysterical. We MOVED FROM NC due to the horribly high crime rate in the SMALLER city (MUCH smaller than "Chucktown") that we lived in up there. Using the words of UNCHawks....."Glad we got out when we did."

high crime rates, and slum areas like "Chucktown".

[magnasty]

Resurrecting a 2 year old thread.

[adamj2281]

I grew up in Wilmington, 18+ years, and have now lived in/around Charleston for 7 years. It really depends on what you are looking for, so I'll highlight some of the differences as I see them:

Wilmington is much easier to move around because it is much smaller. Charleston is more spread out, however, it is easily navigated using I-526, etc. but you can make it to one of the beaches in Wilmington from pretty much anywhere in town in 15 minutes or so.

Beaches - I prefer Charleston area beaches for one clear reason - parking. I go to Sullivan's Island to kiteboard, and even on July 4th weekend, I park for free within a half block of the station I have to go too. Wrightsville Beach on July 4th is a nightmare, hell, it's a nightmare on October 4th.

Restaurants - Charleston is far superior in terms of restaurant choices, variety, and quality. Wilmington has some nice spots, don't get me wrong (and eastern NC barbecue is far superior to SC). Charleston has a lot of great choices that run the gamut in pricing.

Activities - Wilmington has gotten better, and they may be getting a Single-A Atlanta Braves affiliate, but Charleston has decent enough venues for larger bands (Dave Matthews Band, Zac Brown, etc) and a Double-A baseball team. There's large festivals like Spoleto, Taste of Charleston, etc., PGA Championship this coming week, etc.

Crime, etc. - I really don't have a lot of info on this, I lived in the Myrtle Grove/Masonboro Loop Rd. area in Wilmington, and crime was never a problem. I rented for awhile on Daniel Island/Clements Ferry Rd. and now live in Fosters Creek - Liberty Hall Plantation between the Goose Creek and Hanahan areas, and haven't had any issues. No worries about running at night, leaving doors unlocked etc. (however I'd be worried in some other neighborhoods). N. Charleston and downtown Charleston definitely have some sketchy areas, but so does Wilmington.