Relocation to Mount Pleasant area from Long Island (Charleston: school districts, subdivisions)

[keysda]

Hi There--we are relocating from Virginia to the Mount Pleasant area. Just when i think i have settled on an area that is perfect for us, I find another. There are so many wonderful neighborhoods in Mount Pleasant and the schools all seem really good. With that being said, it just seems as if you can't go wrong. We have three boys 8,7 and 4, so a family friendly neighborhood with good schools, pool etc.. is very important to us as well.

Among the list that you have, it would be worth your while to check out Brickyard Plantation and Hamlin Plantation--we have found many homes there that we like as well. We plan on moving this summer. We are currently working with DJ Shymansky from Carolina One ( dshymansky@carolinaone.com ) and you couldn't ask for a better realtor. Highly knowledgeable and easily accessible, he has answered my questions for the past year and has made this transition so smooth for us! He ahs been a god-sent! Good luck and hth!

[MM17]

Thanks everyone for all your feedback! Heading down this weekend and plan to pack in as much as we can and decide if we do in fact want to move there. Sounds like a great place to live!

[trinity7]

Originally Posted by MM17

Hi - I'm new to posting to this site, but have been reading through some of the various threads in the last few weeks and have found it to be very helpful!

So, we are strongly considering a relocation from Long Island to the Mount Pleasant area. We love New York and Long Island, but with a growing family with 3 young kids, and both of us working long days in order to pay for the increasingly rising cost of living here, we are finding it difficult to have any sense of a good quality of life. We have heard wonderful things about the Mount Pleasant area, and are planning on taking an exploratory trip in about 2 weeks to see if it might be a good fit for us.

So, I was looking for feedback on the following:

- How is the job market in the Charleston area? My husband is an accountant with about 10 years of experience. The plan would be for me to not work for a while, but I may go a little crazy being a stay at home mom! So I may want to look for part time or consulting opportunities. I am currently an IT project manager for an asset management firm. Any feedback on job market for this field?

- It seems that most of the area is comprised of developments. Are there any good resources out there that would give us an idea about these developments? I like the idea of a gated community (reading about Dunes West), but am concerned about the restrictiveness of it. I've also been trying to research Park West - - but I know there are many more so any feedback on this would be greatly appreciated. I guess what we are looking for it a development that has a solid HOA (I translate this to better maintained homes), but aren't extremely restrictive. Amenities are also important to us - i.e. - pool, playground, etc. If we were to move down, we'd likely rent for a few months to get a better feel for the area, and buy shortly after. We'd be looking for a 4-5 bedroom house, 3000+ square feet, on at least 1/3 of an acre. We would definitely want an area which feels "neighborhood-y" - that is, that has lots of families with young kids. Also, it might be nice to be in an area that has transplants such as us, to make it an easier transition

Not sure what other requirements we might have yet, but I expect that will be better defined as we become more familiar with the area.

- I've read overall, that Mount Pleasant has good schools, but any feedback on some of the specific schools and any differences, specialties, etc, would be great.

- While we will likely be focused on Mount Pleasant, I've also come across some threads about Summerville. I haven't researched much on this area, so any feedback on some of the major differences between the 2 would be great.

We would be especially interested in feedback from those who have made the move from the NY area, and what their experience has been. How was the transition? How have you found the cost of living? Are you generally happy that you made the move? Any major negatives?

We have our trip booked, but haven't yet made specific plans on what we will be doing while we are there. Any suggestions on how best to "take in" the area would be great!

We are cautiously excited about this potential move - and we are so ready for a change! Thanks in advance for any feedback!

I am originally from Princeton, NJ and have lived on LI too and now live in Charleston )...if you want to l me talk about pros and cons of moving here (mostly pros) MOD CUT.... DM ME.....

[PapaJim]

Where in Beantown did you move from?

[kingping]

Originally Posted by keysda

Hi There--we are relocating from Virginia to the Mount Pleasant area. Just when i think i have settled on an area that is perfect for us, I find another. There are so many wonderful neighborhoods in Mount Pleasant and the schools all seem really good. With that being said, it just seems as if you can't go wrong. We have three boys 8,7 and 4, so a family friendly neighborhood with good schools, pool etc.. is very important to us as well.

Among the list that you have, it would be worth your while to check out Brickyard Plantation and Hamlin Plantation--we have found many homes there that we like as well. We plan on moving this summer. We are currently working with DJ Shymansky from Carolina One ( dshymansky@carolinaone.com ) and you couldn't ask for a better realtor. Highly knowledgeable and easily accessible, he has answered my questions for the past year and has made this transition so smooth for us! He ahs been a god-sent! Good luck and hth!

My wife and I really like Hamlin Plantation. Can't beat the proximity to the beach.

[moneill]

Because of a slow real estate market in the Atlanta area we have had almost three years of perusing areas in Charleston.

We started in Summerville.....it's a great area but the commute and the lack of proximity to water did us in.Within a month of living not far from the highway, my husband declared it a no go because of the commute. It isn't long -- just a disaster when one little accident shuts down I26.

We toyed with James Island, Johns Island but schools are a priority and while James Island schools are okay....you can't beat Mount Pleasant schools. We aren't private school people. Three kids, two finished in public schools and guess what, they are highly functioning individuals!!!.

Then we rented a place in Mount Pleasant. After living here for a while -- perfect!!!!

Now we have ruled out parts of Mount Pleasant (Rivertowne/Park West -- great communities just a little too far for us)....

We now know exactly where we want to live and will sacrifice 'space', for locale.

If we had sold in that first year and moved -- no telling where we would be but it wouldn't be where we are now?!

I do think, mind over matter plays a role. We probably would have been happy in Summerville, cursing the commute and the drive to the beach (right now I'm on the beach, umbrella up, book in hand, ipod pumping out tunes within 15 minutres of my house --can't beat that) but I bet I would be happy anyways.

It's very personal. There isn't a right or wrong choice -- except for some areas that you wouldn't be looking at anyways. Start e-mailing with agents and find one that gets you and you are set.

[irvkrelops]

Originally Posted by MM17

Hi - I'm new to posting to this site, but have been reading through some of the various threads in the last few weeks and have found it to be very helpful!

So, we are strongly considering a relocation from Long Island to the Mount Pleasant area. We love New York and Long Island, but with a growing family with 3 young kids, and both of us working long days in order to pay for the increasingly rising cost of living here, we are finding it difficult to have any sense of a good quality of life. We have heard wonderful things about the Mount Pleasant area, and are planning on taking an exploratory trip in about 2 weeks to see if it might be a good fit for us.

So, I was looking for feedback on the following:

- How is the job market in the Charleston area? My husband is an accountant with about 10 years of experience. The plan would be for me to not work for a while, but I may go a little crazy being a stay at home mom! So I may want to look for part time or consulting opportunities. I am currently an IT project manager for an asset management firm. Any feedback on job market for this field?

- It seems that most of the area is comprised of developments. Are there any good resources out there that would give us an idea about these developments? I like the idea of a gated community (reading about Dunes West), but am concerned about the restrictiveness of it. I've also been trying to research Park West - - but I know there are many more so any feedback on this would be greatly appreciated. I guess what we are looking for it a development that has a solid HOA (I translate this to better maintained homes), but aren't extremely restrictive. Amenities are also important to us - i.e. - pool, playground, etc. If we were to move down, we'd likely rent for a few months to get a better feel for the area, and buy shortly after. We'd be looking for a 4-5 bedroom house, 3000+ square feet, on at least 1/3 of an acre. We would definitely want an area which feels "neighborhood-y" - that is, that has lots of families with young kids. Also, it might be nice to be in an area that has transplants such as us, to make it an easier transition

Not sure what other requirements we might have yet, but I expect that will be better defined as we become more familiar with the area.

- I've read overall, that Mount Pleasant has good schools, but any feedback on some of the specific schools and any differences, specialties, etc, would be great.

- While we will likely be focused on Mount Pleasant, I've also come across some threads about Summerville. I haven't researched much on this area, so any feedback on some of the major differences between the 2 would be great.

We would be especially interested in feedback from those who have made the move from the NY area, and what their experience has been. How was the transition? How have you found the cost of living? Are you generally happy that you made the move? Any major negatives?

We have our trip booked, but haven't yet made specific plans on what we will be doing while we are there. Any suggestions on how best to "take in" the area would be great!

We are cautiously excited about this potential move - and we are so ready for a change! Thanks in advance for any feedback!

You wont like it. Stay in Long Island. We have to like you first!

[maggiekate]

Originally Posted by jake4c

Hi... You might want to check out Daniel Island. It is a great community and very family/kid friendly...and lots of transplants from NY & NJ...we LOVE it here and moved about 18 months ago from Boston. I can also give you the name of the real estate woman that we used...who really was amazing to take the time to show us the area...if you are interested I will send her name to you.

I also liked James Island when I was on vacation a few years back.
I also did visit from Boston and the Cape Cod area.

[clanaxberg]

Originally Posted by irvkrelops

You wont like it. Stay in Long Island. We have to like you first!

[OleTomCat]

Just another troll.....