Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My husband and I are in our 30's and we have 6 children. Most of them are grown and will be graduating school this year and most likely not be coming with us, at least not immediately. Our other 3 are 16, 12 and 11. Our 16 year old is home schooled. The 11 year old has high functioning Autism. The 12 year old is a typical 12 going on 20 tween girl. We are from Maryland. My husband and I grew up in Baltimore until our late 20's when we moved our children out to Havre de Grace Maryland which is about a 45 minute drive from Baltimore. We are looking for a nicer climate as the cold here is starting to hurt our bodies and i really don't want to see much snow anymore, if at all. We are not a very conservative or liberal family but fall more to the independent side of the political spectrum. My husband is a plumber by trade and also plans to get his CDL license before we make the move. I plan to return to college, as i had put that aside to be a stay at home mom. Our family is very outdoorsy and we also love to have summer BBQ's and bonfires. I am full of questions since i haven't been to Myrtle Beach since i was a young child and have never lived there.
Most importantly to me is how are the schools in Myrtle Beach area? Primarily the special education department. Are they equipped to handle a child with Autism? I find here in MD they just don't want to deal with children like him and try to shuffle them out the door or put them in alternative school for "bad" kids. This just negatively impacts their education. I want to find a school that is more proactive in helping and educating children with special needs.
Next question is what kind of mental health services are readily available and does anyone know if they specialize in Autism treatment? If you have any first hand info or numbers to places I could call and inquire it would be very appreciated.
Are there any strange laws that I may need to know about? My friend vacations there every bike week and said she was informed on her last trip to not let her son play or dig near the grasses or sand dunes because they are protected and carry a hefty fine. Are there such laws that a city person would be unfamiliar with?
How does transferring a vehicle work? Is there an inspection and emissions process we must go through? If so is this every time we renew our registration or just once when you first register the vehicle? Is it pricey?
I have been looking at houses on craigslist and the housing market is quite cheaper than here from what I am seeing. My current home is about 1100 square foot and is literally the size of a small 3 bedroom apartment which i pay 1200 a month for. The homes I am finding on craigslist are much larger and nicer for what i am paying now for this tiny box. Now my question here is if what i am seeing online is typical rent prices for the area or false hope and what areas or neighborhoods would you suggest? I don't want to pay any more than i currently am for a home I am not going to own. I plan to rent for a year or two before i buy, simply because if i buy a home and find i am unhappy i don't wanna be stuck. I want to make sure that we are happy in the area and school before settling down permanently. Are there rental agents or property management companies you would recommend dealing with?
Also, what is the crime in the area? Meaning is there a gang problem? Are drugs a rampant issue? Prostitution a problem? Areas we should just avoid? Violent crimes? Now i realize that no matter where you go there's problems especially in a resort town, but my question it to what degree and how proactive is the local police and community? Is it safe to allow my kids to run and play with their friends or do i need to keep them close? Is everyone on some type of drug or is that more of a tourist problem?
Up here i found that when we moved from Balto further out to get away from rampant issues it seemed peaceful at first but over the past 5 years Havre de Grace and surrounding areas have been plagued by drugs, gangs and prostitution. Areas that used to be peaceful and nice are now ridden with it. My youngest can't even walk to school without getting beat up by some bully. My 16 year old got jumped by 3 gang members walking home from the farm store which is only a few blocks from my house. My oldest daughter, 17, was held at knife point at the McDonalds by gang members. This has all been in the past year! We need to get away from this.
The economy is horrible all over the place. Here in Baltimore area it seems to be fluctuating up and down. It will get better for a while then fall again, like a roller coaster. Is this how it is down there also or would my husband be able to find work plumbing or as a truck driver? Is anyone familiar with how the trade licensing works? Would he be able to transfer his plumbing license or would he have to take a retest?
What are the utility rates? Are they affordable or rather high? Also, is there more than one company servicing an area or is it just one company? Like here in central MD it's BG&E and that's it. They are also very expensive, I'm surprised they haven't asked for my liver or something yet!
Lastly, is anyone on this forum from Baltimore or Maryland area that could offer some comparative insight or suggestions?
hummingbird, I am very familiar with Havre de Grace, prior to moving to SC I lived in Chesapeake City. I will try to offer a comparison the best that I can. First the crime rate is very high in Myrtle Beach but those numbers are very skewed in tourist areas. Despite the high crime rate I can assure you that it is NOTHING like the Baltimore area. I am living in Surfside Beach (just south of Myrtle Beach) and I feel very safe.
The schools are a mixed bag. I have heard very good things about the schools in the Surfside area but I don't have first hand experience because my son goes to a charter school. Education in South Carolina as a state is underfunded but they are still better than the schools in Cecil county MD. I don't know if the schools in Harford County were the same as Cecil, but if they were you won't find the schools here lesser. As for special education, I can't answer that question but I am certain someone will come along that can do that.
There is no inspection or emissions in SC and registration is very easy. You have to pay a small tax on your vehicle prior to registration. It is easy and in most cases less expensive than MD. Also, electric is cheaper here. I think we pay 7 or 8 cents per KWH.
The cost to rent a house is much cheaper here. I rent a SFH that is about 2000 sq for only $1000. Prior to this house, I had a 4 bedroom condo a block from the beach for $800. As good as these prices probably sound to you, it is even cheaper in Myrtle Beach. For $1000 in Cecil County you could live in a 900 sq foot home on High Street in Elkton with drug dealers on every corner and gun shots a common sound.
Now to the bad news. I don't know anything about the transferring of your husbands license so I will let someone else address that, but I can tell you that the economic outlook for the area is not that good and jobs are very hard to come by. You would definitely want to make sure that you have a job securely and firmly in place before even considering a move to this area.
Good luck to you and your family. If you have any other question for comparison to MD just let me know and I will see if I can answer them.
Thank you for your reply. It's nice to know I won't be the only Marylander living down there next year. I love the idea of being so close to the beach and the housing prices really caught my eye. Surfside is one of the areas i was considering as well as North Myrtle.
As far as the schools go, Maryland schools are better than Pennsylvania's, far less political, so i suppose i can know what to expect. From talking to one of my kids teachers who used to teach in Cecil schools, Harford and Cecil are about the same.
Is there alot for kids to do there in Myrtle Beach? I mean besides the tourist stuff.
Is there alot for kids to do there in Myrtle Beach? I mean besides the tourist stuff.
I guess that would depend on their interests. I have never found a lack of things to do here. You have the beach and plenty of water all around for outdoor water activities. If your kids like baseball Myrtle Beach is the home of the Pelicans (Class A affiliate of the Texas Rangers). They also have the Myrtle Beach Speedway (Nascar short track) if you they are Nascar or racing enthusiast. Of course there is always the mall and Broadway at the Beach along with plenty of golf and miniature golf. I could go on and on but if I was making a comparison to MD I would say there is more to do than Havre de Grace but maybe less to do than Baltimore (but maybe not, it all depends on their interests).
Thanks for the links! Looks great to me! My kids rarely run out of things to do here in Havre de Grace and when they go to Baltimore it's usually the aquarium, science center and zoo they want to visit most. We do have a 6 Flags down in Lanham but it is so over crowded and filthy. Last time i visited was 3 years ago when someone told me that they cleaned up the park and all this and that, so i went and wow it was worse than the last time i was there. So we happily drive up to either Hershey and Dorney Park. I heard they put in a Hard Rock Park?? down there? Supposed to be Hard Rock's version of an amusement park? Haven't found out much else though.
My one son is very outdoorsy and loves animals. Is there any groups or anything down there that he could get involved with?
My kids love baseball. My husband often takes them to Ripkin Stadium to watch the Iron Birds so having a stadium close by is great for them.
I think just having the beach and the other things you mentioned so close by we would be able to find plenty to keep us busy.
Thanks you so much for all your input.
Once you're a "local" there are discounts available from a number of places. You can buy an annual pass to Ripley's Aquarium (has a walkthrough - ride through on the standing conveyor belt) tunnel where sharks swim over your heads! You can also buy an annual pass to the IMAX theater and to the state parks (there are two in the immediate area). I see from time to time that there are sporting events and other organized activities for kids who live there.
I wish you the best in your move. Please keep us posted as you go through this so we can "go along" with you.
I too am from Md, Kent Island.
I've been here a month and scour the websites and newspapers everyday, beware, there are NO jobs here unless you are a nurse or in the health field. Only jobs here are food service, cleaning in the hotels or sales clerk in retail stores.
On the other hand, there is every store and restraurant you could possible ever want except no Macy's.
Also, the county that Myrtle Beach is in is "Horry", it was annouced this week in the newspaper that it is the worst county in the US for wages and jobs. They pay about $8.00 an hour and only part time so they don't have to give benefits.
Yes, the housing prices here are good, and so are the real estate taxes. But what good if you can't find a job?
There are jobs in MD, go near Annapolis, its centrally located. Jobs everywhere. But, high real estate.
Sorry, guess you can tell I have made a BIG mistake coming here.
That is one thing i was wondering. Really, the economy is bad everywhere but some places are harder hit than others. Other places haven't seen the hit as bad as most. So i guess my question is if the area's economy has been in a down turn for a while now or did it recently start going down? Is there ANY signs of recovery for the local economy or do you think it's gonna be like this for a while?
The Hard Rock Park went bankrupt after the first season & was purchased by other investors. It was renamed Freestyle Park, but they went under, too. Bad timing & bad market research in my opinion. I really enjoyed the Hard Rock theme, but there weren't enough rides or attractions to justify the price. Anyway, it is sitting there collecting sea dust until someone with some big bucks come along.
You asked if there are a lot of things for teens to do here...my kids find that unless you like the beach or walking the boardwalk all the time, there really isn't much that isn't touristy. Coming from MD, you are most likely very used to going to the plethora of free museums at your disposal. While we have some really cute small museums, they do not compare in any shape or form to the ones in Wash DC, obviously.
When I was working in the MB city area, the people I worked with strongly advised that I not raise my kids there (they were ALL born and raised in Horry County) because there wasn't enough for the kids to do (idle minds, etc). Unfortunately, it was too late. Of course, at the time, I didn't notice it because I was working so many hours.
If your kids are into sports, JR. ROTC, or even the agriculture groups, they should do just fine since they have the opportunity to keep really busy without even noticing there isn't much to do that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
