Job offer in Charleston

Hello all,

My girlfriend and I are in our late 20%26#39;s and are expecting a child this september. I was recently offered a position down in Charleston and have been doing research like mad to find out if it%26#39;s a place we%26#39;ll enjoy. We both love the ocean, are tired of city living (we currently live in Chicago), and want more space and land for our child and dogs. I want as much info before I pay $500 out of pocket costs to come visit.

I did some real estate searching and found many incredible looking homes for under $200k. Including this one:

www.century21properties.com/detail.asp…

It is located in Charleston Heights, is this area safe? far? etc? My work would be in zip 29492, which I believe is away from downtown. Should we be concerned about safety? I%26#39;ve lived in Detroit and Chicago, which well, aren%26#39;t anywhere near the safest places in America. Is there any surfing on the ocean? What areas should we look to move into on a low budget (obviously not mt. pleasant)? And will it be difficult for my girlfriend to find a job with health insurance that pays well (probably in the admin assistant or resturant business)? thank you for any help.

Job offer in Charleston

I may be speaking a bit out of turn here, as I don%26#39;t live in that part of the area and frequently go up there; but I believe it%26#39;s a pretty nice area. I don%26#39;t want to suppose too much but as property values are in the area, this home seems to be a good price (notice I didn%26#39;t say ';deal';). As I recall, that is a nice area as far as livability and convenience to amenities. The traffic might be a drag, but it%26#39;s bad all over.

I%26#39;m hoping some of our more learned posters can give you more information than I.

If not, then call a realtor down here and ask questions. Or the chamber of commerce.

Good luck.

Job offer in Charleston

That house is actually in North Charleston in Dorchester County...the subdivision right next to mine. That part of North Charleston is okay but I would not go any further south than The Park at Rivers Edge or west on Ashley Phosphate as it can be a little sketchy. If I%26#39;m not mistaking, the house you listed is in District 2 which is a very good school district.

From the zip code you listed, it looks like you%26#39;ll be in the Daniel Island/Cainhoy area. Daniel Island is a very nice place but very expensive so you may need to steer clear of there for finding affordable housing. To get from the house you%26#39;ve listed above to DI, it%26#39;s about a 25+ minute drive depending on traffic...Dorchester Road can be brutal at times.

DI is only about a 15-20 minute drive from downtown depending on traffic and again is a safe area. If you%26#39;re working in Cainhoy, it will depend on the location as parts of Cainhoy are right up to DI so they are good but the further out in the country you get, it can be a little sketchy.

You may want to look for housing in the West Ashley side of town (the other end of 526 from DI but a pretty straight shot if you%26#39;re off of 526...they%26#39;re building lots of new places on Hwy 61 which is right off 526). Definitely talk with a realtor as they will be able to help you find things within your budget that will also meet your needs.

As far as jobs for your girlfriend, for an admin job she%26#39;ll be looking at around $20K in this market. Unfortunately, the job market here is not that great...we%26#39;ve got the 2nd highest unemployment in the country (Mississippi is the only state with higher unemployment).

If you live in the area of the house above, you%26#39;re only about 25 minutes from the beach. If you live in the West Ashley area, you%26#39;re looking at maybe 15-25 minutes depending on your location as you may closer to Folly Beach or the Isle of Palms/Sullivan%26#39;s Island areas. If you go with the DI/Cainhoy area, about 10-15 minutes to Isle of Palms. The East Coast isn%26#39;t really the surfing mecca like the West Coast but you can catch a few waves out there and there are quite a few surfs shops in the area.

Having moved all over this country with a former employer, I do think it is best to check out the area first. I moved to Anaheim, CA and Chicago sight unseen and in hindsight, I wish I would have had the opportunity to make a visit before accepting the jobs.

Charleston is a great place to raise a family. You%26#39;ll just have to determine for yourself if the salary you%26#39;ll make and the potential salary of your girlfriend will make it possible for you. With a child, keep in mind that day care is around $150 a week down here so that should be factored into your budgeting.

Best wishes!

See, I knew tg would come to my rescue!

I%26#39;d like to reiterate what she said about the traffic - my wife works on Daniel Island and the afternoon/evening traffic is absolutely horrible. The morons around here can%26#39;t drive for nothin%26#39; and there is almost always an accident on the Don Holt Bridge, which links DI with the mainland. I would easily make that commute 45 minutes, as once you clear the I-526 traffic, you get to play with Dorchester Rd (or Ashley Phosphate if you feel extra gamey) traffic as you get closer to home.

I would also venture to say that the beaches (well, Folly for sure) are at least a 45 minute commute from that house you show.

Take travelgirl%26#39;s advice and expore West Ashley, Goose Creek, even Hanahan.

Bad news. While I love Charleston and my home in Mt. Pleasant, the job situation and cost of living here is frankly through the roof. Unless you have a wonderful job waiting for you, I wouldn%26#39;t recommend it. Everyone wants to move here and most jobs reflect the abundance of cheap, tourist industry labor and (let me be PC)...undocumented workers.

I used to visit a girlfriend in Chicago Heights and some friends in Steger-both are far safer than Charleston Heights/North Charleston/Hanahan and so on. Do some searches on New Bern, NC. You might find it more lucrative. Sorry.

OK, Tripadvisor/Uncle Joe, delete me for telling the truth now.

Thank you all for the help. My number one worry was my girlfriend finding a job, and based on your comments it sounds like that worry is legit.

One comment about housing and cost of living going through the roof though: Here in Chicago it%26#39;s no picnic. We couldn%26#39;t purchase a house for less then $300k, and that house would be within arms reach of the neighbors place. Not too mention a 9% city tax rate (7.75% in the suburbs).

I actually have a choice of going to Charleston or going to Raleigh, NC. Having visited neither city, the one that borders the ocean lighted up my imagination. And, of course, when your looking for the good in things you tend not to imagine or think that there will be bad things about an area as well. It%26#39;s good to hear both sides...

They are building brand new homes in Dorchester County in Summerville for that same price. If you are willing to make the drive into work, it might be something to consider.

There is no doubt there are many good qualities of living in the Charleston area. Lots to see and do, great restaurants, great weather. Great places to go on day trips, such as Beaufort and Myrtle Beach. All this outnumbers the bad to me. We have quality of life.

Raleigh is also a great place to live too though and it is only a two hour drive to the beach from there. Housing seems more reasonably priced. There would be far more opportunities for your girlfriend to find a job there then there would be here, probably with better pay too. We know several people who have lived in the Raleigh area for quite a while now, they seem to really like it there.

Best you can do is visit them both, maybe hook up with a realtor and make a decision from there. Good luck!

Following on previous comments, the job market overall in Raleigh is definitely better than Charleston. Your girlfried would likely find more opportunity there. The housing is also somewhat more reasonable, unless you are willing to live out in the Summerville area. And even though several people have commented on the traffic in Charleston, the traffic on I-40 in the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) is also horrible.

All that being said, Charleston is definitely more interesting, picturesque, and an overall better location. It has character that Raleigh really doesn%26#39;t have (which all due deference to my Raleigh friends).

Hi! So funny about your situation. We are in the same boat. Looking at transfering with my husband%26#39;s company to either Charleston or Raleigh. We visited Raleigh in November, and adored it. No, it isn%26#39;t as close to the ocean, but the suburbs are very nice, it is as neat and clean as a pin, and we would move there in a second. Now, a few months later, we find out about an opporutnity in Charleston, where we have never been. We will probably be visiting in a week or two. After we go, I%26#39;ll compare the two and let you know! If it, like they say, is BETTER than Raleigh, it has to be absolutely wonderful! (We are from a small town in the Northwest US, so crime and dirty cities would freak us out!) Also, we have several children, so we are very concerned about the schools. The public in Raleigh are unbelievably wonderful. Award winners all over the place.

Well, you might want to head for the triangle, then. ;-)

The schools in the Charleston area are not what I would call ';superb';. I graduated from the Charleston County School District, and my son is now a junior in a CCSD high school. I truly wish I could have sent him elsewhere or have him in private school. SC education is sub-standard throughout. There are some schools that are fantastic, and if you can get your child(ren) in there, great! But those are the minority.

Now Dorchester County has a good system, highly rated in the state.

If you have friends or family in the area, talk to them and get their views; or, you should talk to a realtor.

Whatever you do, don%26#39;t let your children go to NC State or Duke! ;-))))

Although I love Chasn, I%26#39;m telling you, run for your life! For two reasons: the cost of living in Charleston is ridiculous, mainly because of the very high -- and rising -- cost of housing; secondly, the dreadful job situation. Even if you can find a position in your field, what employers are willing to pay is always (I%26#39;ve never heard of an exception) *substantially* less than in, say, Atlanta or Charlotte, despite the fact that Charleston%26#39;s cost of living exceeds those two cities. It%26#39;s a common joke around here -- you interview and the interviewer loves you, goes on and on, and ends with an offer so low it%26#39;s shocking. It%26#39;s like, ';Oh, we want you so much but we can%26#39;t actually *pay* you.'; One friend was offered a job managing a high-end retail store downtown and she was excited until the interviewer told her they would offer no more than $10.00 an hour.

It sounds like you may be considering employment at Blackbaud; I worked there my first year (back)here, where I made $36,00; a comparable job in Atl. or C%26#39;lotte would have paid $45,000 or 50,000, and I know because I%26#39;d been job hunting in those places as well.

Many, many out-of-towners move here only to be quickly disillusioned and forced to move to more lucrative areas. Although I%26#39;m a native S. Carolinian, I%26#39;m also leaving. After three years of struggling to pay an escalating $830.00 rent in Mount Pleasant, while working an $11.00/hr job, this summer I%26#39;m relocating to Charlotte where I can freelance in my former field, and make about $80,000 a year in a much cheaper housing market.

BTW, North Charleston is pretty yucky. There%26#39;s a reason those houses are under $200,000.