Thinking of moving to Summerville

[djmason9]

Hi, I am from Missouri but I have lived in Phoenix, AZ for the last 10 yrs. I am thinking of cashing out my chips and moving to Charleston, SC. Why Charleston? Because I have heard a lot of good things about it. But I want to know what it's REALLY like to live there. What are the Cons. Bugs, humidity, crime. What are the water and beaches like? Are there good beaches there? I am specifically looking at Summersville to move. I hear there are new houses out there. Is that a nice area? How is the traffic into Charleston from Summerville as I would most likely be working in Charleston.. Any information would be helpful. Thanks all.

[Spartan]

In SC, it is always humid, usually worse in Charleston with it being on the coast.

Summerville is a nice suburban area from what I understand. I usually never stop there though. Its about a 30-40 min drive into Chas. from there, depending on traffic, which isn't that bad- but there is alot of it. It can get bad during rugh hour though.

The beaches are on the Islands. They are good beaches. Access can be an issue (the access areas ant always marked very well). Folly Beach, Sullivans, and Isle of Palms. They are about 20-30 mins from DT, and at least an hour from Summerville I think.

I can tell you that I've never actually lived there, this is just my impression of the place. You'll hear from others who do live there, and they can give you a better impression that I

One thing I have found about Charleston, is that people who live there absolutely love it. I have many friends who went there to go to college and have no plans on coming back. So, I doubt that you would regret moving to the area.

[djmason9]

In SC, it is always humid, usually worse in Charleston with it being on the coast.

Summerville is a nice suburban area from what I understand. I usually never stop there though. Its about a 30-40 min drive into Chas. from there, depending on traffic, which isn't that bad- but there is alot of it. It can get bad during rugh hour though.

The beaches are on the Islands. They are good beaches. Access can be an issue (the access areas ant always marked very well). Folly Beach, Sullivans, and Isle of Palms. They are about 20-30 mins from DT, and at least an hour from Summerville I think.

I can tell you that I've never actually lived there, this is just my impression of the place. You'll hear from others who do live there, and they can give you a better impression that I

One thing I have found about Charleston, is that people who live there absolutely love it. I have many friends who went there to go to college and have no plans on coming back. So, I doubt that you would regret moving to the area.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the info. If anyone who lives there has something else to add please do. I really need the real scoop the good the bad and the ugly.

[randy1]

Thanks for the info. If anyone who lives there has something else to add please do. I really need the real scoop the good the bad and the ugly.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I live here in the area. Charleston is a wonderful place to live. Summerville is growing by leaps and bounds now. Its about a 30 min drive to downtown (with light traffic). If your like tourists then you will love it here. the upside is that you are on the coast in one of the most beautiful cities around. You have the beaches and alot to do as far as activities. The downside is of course the weather. Hurricane season can keep you oin edge and the heat and humidity is serious. Right now we are going through one of the hottest seasons since I can remember. Crime has been a problem but its usually concentrated in the North city and very small parts of peninsula downtown. Traffic is a bother also. The best way to avoid that is to build a strategy if you are commuting from Summerville to downtown or West Ashley. There are alot of great things to say about Charleston but don't have enough room to list every one. Everyone I've known who has come here has absolutely loved it and most of which have relocated to the area.

[monsoon]

I have relatives that live in Summerville and it has some nice great confortable neighborhoods with plenty of trees, spanish moss, and decent sized lots. Many of these neighborhoods are 60s - 70s type houses and are moderately priced right now. However given the increase in housing costs there, I can see these places going up in value a lot over the next decade.

Coming from Phoenix, you are going to think that living in Coastal SC (especially the Charleston area) is like going swimming everytime you go outside in the summer. The humidity is pretty tough there this time of year.

[djmason9]

Thanks for the info. I was sort of concerned about the humidity and the huricanes but I lived in Missouri most of my life and there are tornadoes and humidity there too... The crime thing I did read about but no in summersville. I hope to visit this fall.

[Charleston native]

I hope I'm not too late to post on here. I was born and raised in Charleston, I still have family to visit down there, and I have great pride in my hometown, so I hopefully can tell you a few things.

Charleston is a great place to live, whether if you have a family or ir you're single. In Summerville, there are many reasonably affordable houses in nice neighborhoods, and crime is pretty low there. It is essentially a bedroom community or suburb of Charleston since many of the town's residents commute to downtown or other parts of the metro area. The people there are friendly...it is truly a great suburban city.

My hometown has such a variety of things to do, you can almost be overwhelmed. If you go downtown, there will be plenty of tourists, but I always found that doing the touristy things are alot of fun and even educational. You can go shopping in great local and nationally-known stores, and you can dine in 5-star restaurants or quaint little cafes. If sight-seeing is your thing, Charleston has got tons to see from colonial-style houses, historic sites, and modern aquariums and IMAX movie theaters. There's also many shops and restaurants of many varieties in areas like West Ashley, Mt. Pleasant, James Island, and the North area.

Charleston does get humid during the spring, summer, and fall, so if you're from Phoenix, you might have to get adjusted from dry heat to "wet" heat. Overall, crime in my hometown is not bad, but the North area is notorious for its problems as well as the East Side of downtown. Avoid walking in the area between Dorchester Road and Spring Street at night...go through by car, only!

Traffic? Hmmm... since Charleston is starting to boom, traffic will not be pleasant going from Summerville into downtown. Plan on at least a 30-minute commute. However, it really is only bad during rush hours in the morning and afternoon. Traffic moves fairly well the rest of the week and the weekend.

The water in the rivers and beaches in Charleston is a little dark, but you get used to it. It is clean; the color is from the silt coming from all the marshes and coastline. The beaches are beautiful and you have many different types. If you want an upscale beach, go to Isle of Palms or Sullivan's Island. Many locals go to the "middle-class" beach, or Folly Beach. This is my personal favorite. This is the best beach to go surfing, relaxing, or fishing. If you want a truly quiet beach which is truly upscale, go to Kiawah Island.

Anyway, I hope this information helps. Keep in mind that when you move there, you might not want to leave. Charleston has a "New-Yorkesque" way of instilling pride in where its citizens live, and many people that have left always long to return.

[djmason9]

thanks for all the information. i can't wait to go there and see it all for myself.

[MikesLogic]

Summerville is one of the most affordable suburbs of the Charleston area I believe. It is very sprawly though(but still a nice area to live) and traffic for 9-5ers is pretty bad coming into and leaving Charleston. If i'm not mistaken there is a certain stretch of interstate in N. Chas that gets like 6500+ vehicles an hour during rush hours.

I spend most of my time when in Charleston downtown and on Sullivans Island(where most of my family lives) but I have a brother that lives in Summerville whom I visit fairly often and he seems perfectly happy living there. There is a ton of development taking place there, though that could be said for all of the Charleston region even Mt. Pleasant with its building permit caps stays maxed. Summerville has a nice little strip right off the interstate that has all your shopping needs and restaurants, movie theater etc. And if you can't find what your looking for there N. Chas(most retail sales in the state for like 13 years straight) is a short drive away.

The weather like everyone says is sticky hot but so is most of the SE with high dew points and humidity. The beaches are very nice imo, but if you want a more festive atmosphere you can always take a road trip to MB. Sullivans Island and Isle of Palms are laid back, Folly Beach is more happening. Crime is like night and day here for the most part, in some areas there is bad crime in other areas its almost non existent.

Like CharlestonNative said there are a TON of things to do in Charleston you can keep yourself occupied very easily. Parks, Plantations, Beaches, Historic sites, Restaruants, so many points of interest like browsing around downtown, walking the new Cooper River Bridge, etc etc too many to list.

Other places you might want to check out are Goose Creek, Hanahan, James Island or West Ashley (not a big fan of N. Chas but i'm sure they have some ok places too) talk with a few different realtors. One example of affordability I've seen is the exact same model of house being sold in Summerville and Goose Creek was about $30,000 more expensive in GC.

Hope you find what your looking for here in Charleston. Be sure to check out as much as possible when you visit.

[waccamatt]

I'll address the hurricane question. Charleston has taken a direct hit from a major hurricane once in the last hundred years - hurricane Hugo in 1989. If you were going to build on a sea island, marsh or inlet then hurricanes would be a major concern. Summerville is 30 miles or so inland so it is not a major factor. If there were a major hurricane to pass through again, Summerville would have some damage, but nothing that you probably couldn't live with.

[wellington]

It depends where you plan to live in Summerville, but I know someone who lives there and it takes her 45 minutes to get downtown during rush hour. She loves living in Summerville. However, the area is changing so fast with new developments going up all over the place. Here is my rundown on + and - of Summerville:

Positives:

1. Compared to the rest of the Charleston area, schools in Summerville are really good. In fact, there are plans to build a new high school as well as new middle and elementary schools.

2. Despite the hot, steamy summer months, most of the year the weather is very nice.

3. There are numerous things to do in the area: old plantations, historic downtown Charleston, lots of water, beaches, sports.

4. Home prices in the Summerville area are reasonable (at the moment).

Negatives:

1. One of the big negative factors is a lack of major employers -- job market is limited. Hopefully that will change in the near future, but compared to the Upstate of South Carolina or Charlotte there are not a lot of work opportunities.

2. The growth that is taking place is putting a major strain on the infrastructure (i.e. roads, schools).

3. There is still a large sector of the population that is very poor, so there are pockets of crime/drug use. Nothing out of the ordinary, but something to be aware of.

Other comments:

If I was moving into the area, I would also consider Johns Island or Daniel Island.

Daniel Island is expensive, but it is a great place to live and is centrally located within the Charleston area. It is also a great investment -- I know many people who have doubled their money there over the past few years. House prices just keep rising at an astronomical pace.

Also, Johns Island has a lot of potential and I think it will be an area of major development over the next 5-10 years.