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I had read the same website .. www.greatschools.net and was confused as well. We had planned to move to Carolina Forest area (from NY) and are now leaning towards Fort Mill, SC. (charlotte area) I thought the schools (in Carolina Forest) were new and according to great schools - they are rated very highly. Upon speaking to a friend, who is a teacher in NY, he informed me that the facilities in Myrtle Beach schools are "top notch" however the education is not. He says that because of the pay, most teacher stay a few years and then move on. It is unfortunate as the teachers are the ones that teach and mold our most precious ones ! The teachers in NY are paid very well.
Just a hint .. I have been looking at the part where they tell you how many childern per class there are and also how much $$ are they spending on each child. The average in South Carolina is about $3500. The average in NY (not new york city) where I send my child is $9500.
So ... we plan on moving by next June and we are torn ... Murrells Inlet/Myrtle Beach (which has a lot of things to do there, great beaches, lots of restaurants and housing and taxes are reasonable, many many golf courses, great sports facilities but education is a bit lacking, high insurance rates) VS. Charlotte area (Fort Mill) (houses are a little nicer and less expensive than Myrtle Beach, no high insurance costs, less hurricanes, better schools, alot of cultural things to do as well as sports and recreational options for the kids, But NO BEACH)
My kids will be 7 and 10 next year so wherever I move - I will be there for at least 10 years .. so I want it to be a place that I love.
They are both into sports, we all golf, I love the beach but everyone else is ok with the pool, and WEATHER is a big concern. Being from NY we don't want any snow !! I hear Charlotte gets a dusting every year but it is still sunny out.
Where should I go ??????????????? We are going to both areas in a few weeks to look at more houses.
Just curious, but why would you believe the schools are better in Fort Mill than in Myrtle Beach? They're both in SC, thus both driven by the "minimally adequate" doctrine of education. The average spending you quoted is for SC as a whole, not for parts of it. Based on your comments, you're not going to be happy in SC if you're hung up on comparing public schools to NY. You quoted the $$$ yourself. If your concern is your kid's education, you'll stay in NY.
Don't think you can go wrong with either Fort Mill schools or Horry County (Carolina Forest, St. James) schools as both are adquately funded and staffed. My son spent all 4 years at St. James and graduated last evening. We loved SJHS. The big difference in your choice is lifestyle.
I believe you will find the Grand Strand to be the more rural of the two areas. You say that your kids love sports. If that love is fed by professional sports, the Fort Mill area (Charlotte metro) has Panthers football, Bobcats basketball, and Lowes Motor Speedway for NASCAR action. Spectator sports on the Grand Strand are limited to MB Pelicans Minor League baseball, Coastal Carolina U. sports, and high school sports. Yet, the Grand Strand is very active with all kinds of sports to play for kids of all ages. Several high schools here go to statewide high school athletic championships each year. And the Grand Strand has all the ocean related sports- fishing, boating, swimming, surfing, etc.
Fort Mill is in a more hilly, less tropical, but very pretty area of SC. It does lend itself to a bit more winter weather, biggest problen being that an occasional inch or two of snow paralizes the area cause they just don't handle the snow. On the Grand Strand I've seen flurries twice in 4 years, and it melts before it hits the ground.
One other difference to consider is that the population of the Grand Strand is primarily older because of the retirement attraction here, and more diverse for the same reason. You're just as likely to bump into some one from New York or Ohio when you go to the store, as to meet a native.
I would think in Fort Mill the area would be more populated with folks who lived there all their lives. No doubt the job availability would be greater in Fort Mill.
In either case, I wish you well with you decision. One thing's for sure- I haven't heard of anyone retiring and moving up North. Good luck!
I moved from NJ to the Carolina Forest area in Myrtle Beach. My son goes to Ocean Bay Elementary and is going into 4th. grade. The school is about 3 years old. We do have some portable classrooms because of the amount of kids. My son's 3rd. grade class had 20 kids in it.
Yes, school is different then NJ - I do feel that he would be getting a more rounded education in NJ then here. I do miss the school in NJ and that is my one regret about moving.
I love the area we are in - in regards to sports for kids there are tons of different things going on. We are 10 minutes to the beach, we have the Pelicans baseball, Nascar, waterparks, golf.
I do like living here, but I do miss some things about NJ - most of my neighbors are from NJ, NY
My post is 100% true. What I said was that greatschools.net rated Carolina Forest HS at a 9 out of 10 & St James HS at 8, St. James Elem. school is a 7. Check for yourself before you go calling someone a liar. I saw 30+ houses in MB & MI 2 months ago. Theres no comparison, MI is not cheaper unless you did happen to get yourself a trailer...
and... I wasnt bashing MI or St James schools. I said it would be the "ideal" place were it not higher priced than MB & theres not as much available.
The same priced home is 1/2 the size in MI.
I have not ruled it out though, still looking...
Last edited by glynis442; 06-12-2009 at 08:01 AM..
Hi Christine,
thanks for the feedback... the beach is a necessity for me, if not, we would go to Raleigh, NC area. If & when we make the big move, I need ocean. But have the same concerns with schools & everything. The school system my kids are in now in NY is not great. Nothings perfect, I suppose you just have to take soem bad with the good & hope it balances somewhere. Good Luck with your new adventure!
Myrtle Beach has always been one of my favorite places. A friend of mine moved there 4 years ago and she loves it! She was in the hospitality industry and I think she recently lost her job. I almost bought a condo there about 4 years ago but I was turned off by the high POA fees. By the way there are a lot of ex-New Yorkers in MB. I hear the area does have a bad unemployment problem like all of Carolina at the moment.
My husband and I are also planning a relocation to the carolinas from upstate, NY. We have an opportunity for a house exchange in the MB area.
I am nervous about the job market. We lived in TN for nine years and LOVE the south. Just curious if anyone has had experience living in Nashville and SC who is originally from NY; if you could give us their opinion of likes/dislikes. We really LOVED Wilmington, NC but the house swap idea seems so much easier in this market which puts us in SC.
We currently live in Albany, NY and if it is God's plan would hope to be down in MB by March 1st or some place south by this time next year at the latest. The couple with the home down in MB interested in swapping is already here in Albany and have a renter in the home until the end of February.
Last edited by oconnor317; 11-16-2009 at 09:49 PM..
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