I may be moving to Charleston. Can you tell me about it?

[skipos]

What are the people like? Political climate? Weather? Humidity? Are there lots of interesting small businesses, or has it been Walmartized? What are good areas to live? For whatever it is worth, I have always prefered to live in downtown areas where I can walk around a lot. Don't have kids yet. Don't need the big yard/ suburban thing. Any information is appreciated. Thanks!

[China_cat]

1. 11 Walmarts within a 15 mile radius

8 of them superstores, 2 new ones in the works. Humidity? 100% or better in the summer...2 seasons; hot and wet and cold and wet. Downtown is expensive but for a single a good place. Most people would steer you to the islands but it's real easy to get stuck there.

Charlestonians are a lot like the Chinese...they eat a lot of rice and worship their ancestors.

[PegDAC]

2. Charleston is OK./

There are still some interesting little shops on King Street and in Summerville. The humidity in the summer is deadly, plus the threat of hurricanes - ask a native about Hugo. Downtown is good for walking around when weather permits. Lots of history and culture, but it's hard to get close to the locals if your family hasn't been here for five generations or so. The place to be on Friday nights during the summer is the Maritime Center, for food, drink, and good local bands. BTW, there is a local chapter of Drinking Liberally, for some sane political conversation.

[allisonthegreat]

3. Gee is that what we do

Being a ninth generation woman from a Sullivan Island's family..I would not think of actually living on the island itself. The beaches are public and tourista's go through your yard or park in front of your house to get there. Mount Pleasant is very popular, and pricey. You are going to pay big bucks for rent so you may think about buying a home. I don't know what your situation is but buying is definitely the way to go.

Charleston is very big on the Arts. We have Spoleto here every May. Spoleto is a very large and varied Art/Concert/Dance/ Etc cultural event. Not to be missed. There is something in everyone's price range.

I take issue with people coming to Charleston and complain about the locals. We are proud to be Charlestonians. It took a long time for Charleston to become the overpopulated,congested area that it is today. So keep on enjoying Charleston chances are the next person you meet here won't be a local...

[hiaasenrocks]

4. Well said.

And I always have to laugh when people "warn" about moving to Charleston because of Hurricane Hugo. Yep, that was a big one. And we haven't had anything even remotely approaching the likes of Hugo in, oh, seventeen years.

To avoid this area because of hurricanes is really kind of ridiculous. We'll get another one, sure. But we seem to be very well prepared. I hope people who live in fire-prone areas are as prepared. Same for the people who live in earthquake areas, flood areas, tornado...well, you get the point. :)

[Aiptasia]

5. Heh

Funny that Steven Colbert (your avatar) is from Mt. Pleasant (north of Charleston). It's true that Charleston has both the old guard (multi-generational Charlstonians) but it has quite a bit of new guard due to Chucktown's rapid growth over the last two decades. There's quite a bit of sprawling suburbia down there in towns like Mt. Pleasant, Summerville, etc.

It's warm in the summers. There's always high humidity. You'll never see snow of any serious accumulation ever again if you move there. There's some traffic during the rush hours but by in large it's not bad at all.

It does have some colonial and civil war era history down near the Battery and Fort Sumpter (the parts of the city Sherman didn't burn) so there are old money sections with a Savannah/New Orleans feel to them.

Politically the area is more of a mix than the rest of the state, but most of South Carolina votes along conservative lines. It's a very NASCAR/REDNECK state.

[junkiebrewster]

6. A few errors...

Fort Sumter, not Sumpter.

Also, Sherman burned Columbia, not Charleston, though Charleston was pretty much destroyed in the course of the war.

Sorry, I'm a history major. I'm not trying to make you look stupid; I just have a compulsion to correct things.

[Left_Winger]

7. Another history major here

but graduated in 2000. I understand the compulsion.

[Aiptasia]

8. Spelling mistakes

I don't mind being corrected over gramatical errors. I blame my first rate public education and the fact I was taught to spell phonetically.

[lgrdsl]

9. charleston

You say 'some colonial and civil war era history' ? ? The civil war STARTED in Charleston. The first shots were fired at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor there..... it seems your description is condescending. Also a little off on a few other things. I would guess you didn't grow up in Charleston

[SCantiGOP]

10. Linda Ketner

An openly gay woman, who campaigned with her partner of 9 years, came within about 3% of upsetting the sitting US Congressman in that district. And, she carried Charleston County. That says a lot about the difference in Charleston (home of Spoleto) and the Upstate (home of Bob Jones U). I live in Columbia, but Charleston is the saving grace of SC.

[SCantiGOP]

12. this election

An open seat in the district containing Charleston was won in 2010 by an African American - he happens to be a teaparty Republican, but I still think the Charleston area is the only place in SC that would elect a black person in a majority white district.

[Name removed]

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[FranklinCurry]

13. Charleston

Parts of downtown Charleston have a big city crime problem, but overall I have always felt safe here. I don't know anyone who has regretted moving here, although the summers are suffocating. Culturally, Charleston is strange and unique. There's a large conservative religious presence, but Jews and atheists can feel at home, too. Of course, there's Walmart-like commercialization, but there is enough of the opposite of that to make living here worthwhile. But those summers can be brutal...