Boston to Charleston - Feedback Appreciated (Mount Pleasant, Sullivan's Island: apartments, insurance, condos)
Charleston areaCharleston - North Charleston - Mt. Pleasant - Summerville - Goose Creek
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I lived in Charleston for a few years after college and now in late 30s - my husband and I are seriously considering a move with our two toddlers to the area. We visit every year, so I'm pretty familiar with the area and almost certain we'd choose Mount Pleasant - also hear great things about Daniel Island though. My questions would be:
-Budget is $700K and under. Are there new subdivisions in Mt P that have any land at all? Most look very crunched, which we are hoping to stay away from. Would like to have at least 1/4 acre with enough room for a pool. Do most HOAs prohibit pools if there is a community pool?
-What areas of Mt P are most desirable or have best resale value? Don't know much about area further out past 41?
-What are the best schools in Mount Pleasant or are they all comparable?
-How does Mt Pleasant compare with Daniel Island?
Would love any feedback from locals or reviews from those who have recently relocated with young families as well - thank you !!
The Riverside section of Carolina Park is in your budget, is still being built and has lots from 1/4 acre to 1/2 acres. https://carolinapark.com
Darrel Creek has larger lots from 1/2/ to 1 acre.
If you don’t mind going with a slightly older neighborhood, you can usually find larger lots.
Home values aren’t a problem anywhere in Mount Pleasant. Even after the market crash it was one of the fastest places to rebound.
Schools are equally good all over Mount Pleasant. Carolina Park just built a new elementary school in the neighborhood and a new library is about to start to be built soon. The only high school so far is in Carolina Park. A new high school will be built where the old one on Mathews Ferry was.
Past 41 is a whole other world from South of 41. It caters mostly to families. Dunes West, Park West, Carolina Park, and Darrel Creek are all connected together on roads that run parallel to 17. Most of the new development is headed on that end of town. They’re building another Lowe’s and Costco is headed there as well.
There’s plenty written on Daniel Island, but the differences are it’s a subdivision of 10k people while Mount Pleasant is an actual town of 80k people. It’s a nice place but it might be tricky to get a new home in your budget and have a 1/4 acre. Daniel Island is part of the city of Charleston but is in Berkeley County.
Both areas are popular with young families.
You can usually have a pool anywhere provided it’s not visible from the street.
I hope that helps!
We relocated about 3 years ago from the Boston area. No kids though. We have lived on Daniel Island and now live in Carolina Park, Mount Pleasant so perhaps I can give you some insight.
Ziggy is right about Carolina Park and Riverside. We live in CP and love it. Riverside is beautiful. CP was just voted best new community in the Charleston area. It's a Master Planned community so has (or will) a lot of conveniences, and you have the Shops at Park West (with a grocery store, vet, UPS store, handful of restaurants, etc.) a 5 min drive away. If you want a newer home in MP, generally you'll want to be north of 41. Most lots in the new subdivisions are very small, but as with Riverside, there are exceptions.
It is not true that Daniel Island is just a subdivision. Although technically part of Charleston, it is an actual self-sufficient town with all the amenities and conveniences that entails. It's won numerous national awards for planning and livability.
DI has a walkable downtown with shops, restaurants, grocery store, liquor store, pharmacy, frame shop, natural pet store, several banks, professional offices (lawyers, accountants, etc.), doctors, dentists, vet, UPS-type store (2), eye doctor, dry cleaner, computer repair store, gym, etc. It also has a fire station, police, EMS (ambulance), library, travel agent, nursing home, assisted living facility, 3 highly regarded schools, dog park, public tennis courts, open air tennis stadium (which holds the Volvo Open Pro Women's Tennis Tournament every year and other numerous events and concerts during the summer - with local Hootie and the Blowfish being a favorite), a pro soccer stadium (which also holds other events and concerts), an office park with several large employers like Blackbaud and Benefit Focus and a hotel.
Downtown is the type of place you either walk or bike to, or drive your car, park, and then you can walk to everything you need since it is so compact.
Smythe Park on DI is a 24-acre park with an 11 acre lake ringed with walking trails and picnic areas. Lots of events are held here (overnight camping nights, outdoor movies, concerts, etc.), and the Waterfront is accessed via Children's Park (which has lots of events during the year), and several of the other parks. There's a really nice country club on the DI Park side of the island (DI Park is very pricey but stunningly beautiful - worth a drive through) if that's your thing.
We lived on DI for almost 2 years, and never needed to leave DI for "day-to-day" living needs. About once a month we would go to MP to CVS (since that's the only pharmacy our insurance lets us use), Lowes, Marshalls, Whole Foods, and Office Max. And occasionally to the 24-hr vet, specialist doctor appts and the hospital. Everything else we needed was a 5 min drive or a bike ride/walk away right on DI.
DI is in the process of adding to the downtown area with a new Town Center across from the existing downtown, which will include a new performance center, more businesses, offices, shops, restaurants and condos. Talks are in the works also for a new Rec Center.
Miles of paved trails interconnect every neighborhood, so it is a walker's and biker's dream. Each neighborhood has it's own park with pool. There are several parks (Governor's Park, etc.) on the island where sports are held for kids. You will easily be able to find a home there in your budget, it might not be new though. And you certainly can get 1/4 acre of land. The lots on DI are larger (in most cases) than the lots in the North MP subdivisions. And because it was built 20 years ago, it has beautiful, mature trees and landscapes.
Since we have lived in both places, and are also from the Boston area, perhaps this will be helpful to you. Daniel Island is like the Newburyport historic area. Everything is walkable, there is always something going on, and there's a strong sense of community. It's even more walkable than Newburyport, and since it was built new every part of it is nice - and safe. We went to the library on DI yesterday and saw all the kids get out of school and hop on their bikes or walk with their friends to head home. Reminded of me when I was growing up. Parents don't worry about their kids there.
Mount Pleasant reminds me of Danvers or Peabody - except that MP has no downtown - and MP is obviously much larger (81K pop) and has more sprawl and strip malls. It's car-centric and not walkable. The highway (Rte 17) runs through the center of MP with strip mall plazas lining the highway and subdivisions split off from it. It's got great amenities, a beautiful Waterfront Park and pier, the Old Village, hospitals, most all the retail you could want along with Whole Foods and Trader Joes, a great 24-hr vet, plenty of restaurants, and good schools.
For the places we frequent, we found DI a more convenient location, perhaps because we found 526 an easier road to travel than Rte 17 due to all the stoplights and accidents on 17. From DI we were @ 15 min to downtown Charleston, 15 min to the airport, 15 min to Sullivan's Island, 15 min to the nearest hospital, and 15 min to Mt Pleasant for more shopping. It takes us @20-30 min now to get to the same places from Carolina Park. It's really a toss up depending on your location in MP.
DI and MP are two really nice, but definitely very different, towns, "feels" - and lifestyles. On DI you will live in a small, vibrant but laid-back, walkable town with a great sense of community, and in MP your community will be your subdivision and you will do more driving. DI is generally more expensive than MP, because people will pay for the lifestyle it provides. It's unique to the area. Visit both and you'll quickly know which you prefer. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.
This us such amazing information - thank you so much for all of it. Funny enough - I grew up about 5 minutes from Newburyport and I now live about 5 minutes from Peabody, so the comparisons are very helpful. I have also heard great things about DI, but I guess we were thinking MP because of the accessibility to Sullivans and IOP beaches which we love. In the grand scheme, I suppose DI is not that much farther, especially if you are way north in MP. Thank you so much again and may take you up on more info once we make some decisions! Greatly appreciate it
This us such amazing information - thank you so much for all of it. Funny enough - I grew up about 5 minutes from Newburyport and I now live about 5 minutes from Peabody, so the comparisons are very helpful. I have also heard great things about DI, but I guess we were thinking MP because of the accessibility to Sullivans and IOP beaches which we love. In the grand scheme, I suppose DI is not that much farther, especially if you are way north in MP. Thank you so much again and may take you up on more info once we make some decisions! Greatly appreciate it
What a coincidence! I miss Newburyport a lot, just not the weather!
Daniel Island is closer to Sullivan's (my favorite) than Carolina Park (North MP) and a really easy drive. IOP from Carolina Park is the exact same distance as it is from Daniel Island. You are correct that it would depend where you are in MP, but even with somewhere like I'on which has a superb location in South MP, Sullivan's is the same distance as it is from DI. But IOP would be closer by @ 5 min.
Someone reminded me today that DI is getting a new brewery, which will be cool. Some good things happening there.
Best of luck and feel free to ask away as you research and explore more. Happy to help.
What DI needs is a grocery store. That tiny Publix has was out grown 10 years ago before all the condos and apartments.
I don’t see how people with kids would enjoy Sullivan’s Island. Are there some showers and bathrooms on the beach somewhere I don’t know about?
The DI Publix isn't tiny. Is it smaller than MP grocery stores? Yes. Does it have everything someone needs? Yes. Unless you are looking for obscure things or highly specialized items.
We shopped there for 2 years and found if more than sufficient. They carry plenty of "specialty" items like Ezekiel sprouted bread that stores back home don't carry.
We actually prefer the DI Publix to the Publix at Park West Shoppes. It's more personal and easier to find things! And they actually carry your groceries out to the car and load them in your car for you. Great service there.
The DI Publix isn't tiny. Is it smaller than MP grocery stores? Yes. Does it have everything someone needs? Yes. Unless you are looking for obscure things or highly specialized items.
We shopped there for 2 years and found if more than sufficient. They carry plenty of "specialty" items like Ezekiel sprouted bread that stores back home don't carry.
We actually prefer the DI Publix to the Publix at Park West Shoppes. It's more personal and easier to find things! And they actually carry your groceries out to the car and load them in your car for you. Great service there.
You must have went to a different Publix. When I went there it was a mess. Nobody took your groceries to the car because the bagging guys were slammed. Isles were narrow, it looks old, and the entire island must shop there at the same time. Maybe if you go on off hours its a different experience.
The best Publix I've ever been to in the entire planet is actually the Cane Bay Publix. Publix in Park West is fine, but starting to get crowded, but I wouldn't mind a Harris Teeter in CP.
On another note....you mentioned you can get easily get a house under $700K in DI and the lots are big, but I'm looking right now and it looks like there's only like 5 with a quarter acre lot in that budget and they're all 20 years old.
If 20 year old homes are in play, than that opens up a lot more opportunities that are much closer to the action.
I hate to rain on the parade. But the upper 41 area of Mount Pleasant has some issues which may or may not become troublesome. The area is in the watershed of what was once some very unfriendly chemicals. Technically all of Charleston is, but when you look at the satellite images you’ll see how that are in particular could pool and stagnant more.
Maybe it’s just a coincidence but until DHEC releases the finds of the survey samples - I might shy away from that area
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