Hi - I'm looking for some info on the Charleston area as I am thinking about relocating there. I am from the northeast and hate the winter. I am looking for someplace on the coast and keep coming back to Charleston. My kids are in college so schools are not an issue. I'd love to hear from other northeast transplants, but also would love to hear about the area in general - where's the best place to live, etc.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I'm not a northeast transplant, but I live in Mt Pleasant. I can tell you Charleston a lovely place to live. It is not cheap. Have you visited? What drew you to Charleston? It's important to visit, and spend time here during August so you'll know how it is during the worst part of the summer.

It's also important to secure employment before you come. Unemployment is high, and SC is poor.

I have to stress to you that it is the South, so people move more slowly, and the expectation is that northerners will adapt to that.

suewoo is right. Charleston is not cheap. A family member lived right downtown and it's great to live there but not inexpensive. The beach islands are nice too and there's a lot of second homes there. Less expensive are the suburbs and the more you go out to the country, the less expensive things become. SC as a state is poor. We do move more slowly but love the southern way of life. I was talking to a retired couple in a Savannah square this week (we stopped to visit with their schnauzer) and we joked about the heat and humidity - and that we love even that. High temps with almost equal humidity will be a big adjustment from the NE. I'd rather have it than snow and long winters, but not all will make that choice.

As is true with everything in life, when you come with a great attitude you'll have a great experience.

Thanks suewoo and starrs. I'm not concerned about the heat. I'd much rather have it hot and humid than freezing and snow. I've been to Charleston once a long time ago and loved it. I continue to hear good things about it. I am looking in to it further because it has the climate I want and is on the coast. I thought about the Atlanta area, but it's too far inland. I am fortunate in that I am able to work out of my home so employment is not an issue - at least at the moment thankfully.

Experience the heat before you say that. I can't tell you how many northerners i know that moan and complain about it. Come down during August and visit for 2 weeks. Stay either in West Ashley or East of the Cooper so you can experience what it's live to live here. If you don't know those terms, start a google search.

If you were considering Atlanta, you may want to look at Greenville, SC. It's a bit over 3 hours to Charleston, but in the foothills. Closer to the mountains and Asheville and cooler than the coast. Not a lot, but...

What suewoo says about the weather. It isn't just the second half of June through Labor Day. It starts mid-May and ends around October 1, There are thunderstorms almost every day during this period, and the chance of hurricanes in September.

My mom loved this kind of weather. Many of our friends who have moved from NE don't stay. The length of the season is as oppressive as the length of winter in Boston, just from a different perspective.