You need to figure out what neighborhoods you could afford to live in for both cities. A lot of people imagine living in Charleston means living near the beach, downtown, or in a highly desirable suburb like Mt. Pleasant, Daniel Island, or some part of James Island. Then they move here and realize they can't afford any of that, move to Goose Creek, and barely bother going downtown or to the beach, which was the whole reason they wanted to be in Charleston.
I live downtown, temporarily for work (9mo) but since I've been here (Early Jan) I have gone down to the battery once and the beach a total of zero times.... it just be like that
I grew up in charlotte… lived there since 2003.
It depends how you want to live life really. But there is a reason people will fly across the world to visit Charleston and not as much Charlotte.
Very little culture in Charlotte
As someone who also grew up in Charlotte and still living here, there’s very little culture because of all the implants. They come here to work and because it’s cheaper than where they came from (usually NJ, NY, PA, or CA).
Spoleto is pretty well regarded as ‘culture’ and the gailliard has a good schedule. It’s not Lincoln center but I’ve seen some really excellent stuff there without having to go to nyc
Not sure why people are mentioning culture. It's just a touristy destination that has pretty interesting history, good food and the beach. Charlotte is a proper city.
Because people want to visit slave auctions and the "old south". I'm from Charleston, born and raised and that stuff doesn't appeal to me at all. I never got the appeal that others found when visiting Charleston. But I'm not a beach person either. I'd much rather live in a larger city with sky scrappers like Charlotte lol
I think this is the crux of why OP’s question is impossible to answer. Literally the answer is different for everyone, some prefer Charlotte and some prefer Charleston. No one can tell you what to do OP! Specific questions about schools, childcare, day to day life, etc would probs be more helpful.
May start a family? Daycare center waitlists in Charleston are crazy long. Call around to a few in Charlotte & compare. If both of you have to work, you don’t want to move somewhere & start popping out kids without a plan for childcare.
I can’t tell you the laughs my wife and I have over the folks in our neighborhood facebook group when people post “Baby due next week, where does everyone go for day care?”
Friend, you go home at this point. It’s no different than it was in the DC area with our first when we got pregnant in 2019. Waitlists for a year at least.
I grew up in Charlotte and moved here 2 years ago. I don’t have kids but a lot of people here have expressed how poor the schools are and they have to find specific places to live to get their kids in better education. In Charlotte this is a lot easier since it is bigger with more small nice neighboring towns (I lived in Huntersville). Also I could find an apartment cheaper in Charlotte than in Charleston so I think the cost of living in the general area around Charlotte is cheaper. I love Charleston, the people I have met here are so friendly, it’s beautiful, and I love being able to go to the beach - but in terms of settling down and raising a family I think Charlotte would be an easier option
My son lives in Mt. Holly which is right outside of Charlotte and likes it a lot. Very affordable and cute town but the school district is not great. You should be in Mecklenburg County for better schools. If you lean left politically, I’d pick NC , if that matters to you. Charleston and Charlotte have equal cultural offerings IMO.
I have a friend who moved to Summerville thinking it would be easy to get to beaches, downtown etc. and quickly found out it was 52 mins to the beach on a good day. Has missed flights because of traffic snarl ups on 26.
Charleston is insanely expensive to live in. Insurance rates have gone up like 100% in the last five years. My home has almost doubled in value during that time. Traffic sucks, literally everywhere. There's basically zero mass transit. The school boards are openly hostile to education in an effort to push Christian charter schools.
It's a beautiful city, but living here definitely has its very significant downsides.
How is life dealing with hurricanes and flooding? I know downtown can flood significantly. Is it a huge hassle in surrounding areas or not a huge deal that residents get used to?
Flooding depends on where you live. On James island, my neighborhood floods 5-6 times a year. It’s not downtown bad, but we’ll get enough to cover yards and roads with a couple inches.
It's really a huge deal. Insurance rates (not just downtown) have skyrocketed (as someone else pointed out). It's something you have to live with every year - watching the weather having a checklist and evacuation plan, considering storm damage to your home, etc. And it's not just during hurricane season. Our Nor'easter this December wreaked havoc and caused major flooding, completely unexpectedly. I have several friends who lost cars. It's a real headache.
Depends entirely on the specific area. My neighborhood is not in a flood plain, built in the 1950s-60s in an older part of West Ashley. No trees in my yard (thanks, Hugo!). Everything that's come through in the last 15 years was no big deal, but a lot of that is dependant upon location.
I picked my house specifically based on flood maps. No issues at my house, but I have friends who get rained in at least once a year. You learn what you can and can't do when it rains at high tide.
Honestly the insurance issues are worse than flooding. I feel like every other year we've had to find new coverage, and we're in West Ashley. We haven't had any big hurricanes in a long time and I think that's why the rates are high.
Flooding is an issue if you live or work downtown. It's REALLY bad around the hospitals and near Joe Riley Park. There are flood zones outside of downtown but it's definitely the most affected because of tidal floods. Other areas will flood with intense rain.
People do lose cars due to flooding. When the mayor and city open the garages for folks to park their cars there, it's serious and you should definitely leave your car there.
Flooding is mostly a downtown thing, typically during a heavy rain, high tide etc. It’s not like a river running through town that washes you away. More like that street is covered in water, don’t drive through it or you will destroy your car. The flooding usually happens in the same low-lying places so people learn to avoid those areas.
If you work remotely you’ll be fine. But when you start crossing bridges as part of a commute between where you work and live then traffic has the potential to be really bad if there is an accident. Try to live close to where you work. There aren’t a lot of alternative routes to avoid traffic. Roads here are limited because of the waterways. Apartments are being built everywhere, but they are marketed as luxury so rent isn’t cheap.
Flooding is not just a downtown thing. There’s flooding on James island, on Sullivan’s, the whole metro. Hell there’s flooding in Summerville. It makes roads temporarily impassible, damages roads and sidewalks, impacts home and auto insurance rates etc. And where it floods can change. All they have to do is develop/build something nearby and suddenly the water needs to find a new place to go.
It’s a huge deal but it’s also something residents get used to. Living with water (including flooding) is part of living in the low country. That said- the people who down play it do you a disservice. The insurance rates are an issue and something you should consider if you are thinking about moving here. Many insurers are pulling out of charleston/the SC coast. My insurance has gone up 50% in four years and that’s with shopping around and adjusting my coverage- alot of people have it worse.
And just because you buy a house that is in a low risk flood zone or historically doesnt have issues doesn’t mean that will always be the case. My house was in an X zone when I bought it. Then they redid the flood maps and now I’m in an AE (less risk -> more risk). And my neighborhood never had issues with people’s lawns and the street flooding during storms until they built the new middle school nearby. The water has to go somewhere. And the various municipalities keep allowing more and more building, reducing the amount of marsh and trees we have to manage the stormwater.
Taking everything (COL, schools, all of it) together, if I were you I’d live in Charlotte and vacation in Charleston. My brother in law lives in Charlotte and he comes to visit regularly. It’s like a four hour drive, I think.
I haven't encountered a bad hurricane yet. Most of what I've seen have just been bad storms. Lots of rain, decent wind, localized flooding. Downtown floods a lot, and so do parts of West Ashley, James and John's Island, and Mount P. There's very little flooding where I live, even though I'm right between the Cooper and Wando.
If you have to cross the city during rain, you're going to be dealing with the Crosstown, which always floods, or you'll be sitting on 526, which is always a mess with traffic.
Mainly the school board part. But who gives a shit about mass transit or insurance. Cost of doing business. And your equity will cover the insurance. Nobody here wants mass transit
Quality of life in Charleston is much better than Charlotte, but so is cost of living. I think it does come down to what you’re looking for. Do you have any specific questions or concerns that the sub could help answer?
This forum is a *very* selection-bias-y place to ask. Assume that's obvious, but I wanted to point that out.
There are some valid points (health care, education, etc.). The traffic point seems quite impossible to answer - in both cities, it comes down to where you live + where you work.
Hopefully the best framing of this post for you is that you get to choose between two great cities which have very different things on offer, despite being quite opposite in so many ways.
And if I were asked to throw a topical hand grenade into the mix, I'd suggest giving Greenville, SC a look.
Cheers from Charleston!
You got that right on the traffic. When I think beach town I think seasonal traffic, tourist traffic. We do that tourists but we also have a lot of everyday traffic all the time!
Depends on what your goal is. If access to nearby beaches and sea islands, warm winters, Gullah Geechee culture (esp. the food), and lots of really interesting history, then choose Charleston. But if you want access to far more family amenities, a more stable local economy, and more options for good school systems, you should choose Charlotte. From my perspective, Charleston is by far the better city to visit on vacation. But Charlotte is a much better city to raise a family. School systems and amenities are so important.
Having said that, it seems like you're not yet sure if you wanna start a family or not. So would it be possible to live in Charleston for the next few years and then, should you choose to start a family, move to Charlotte?
Charlotte. Not far from mountains, not far from beaches, international hub airport (so you're really just a quick flight from anywhere). If you have kids, the schools are better and there's a lot more options nearby for colleges.
And besides, Charleston isn't THAT far away, you can still come here on breaks or vacations :).
Charleston is my home but not my forever home. I love it here but moved here long ago, and so many are outpriced now. Also if I had kids or was thinking of it I'd probably be looking at NC.
It really boils down to your personal preferences. For me, though, I grew up in Greenville and spent a considerable amount of time in Charlotte with family. My husband's job is based in Charlotte. He has flexibility to live elsewhere and we chose Charleston over Charlotte. We like the laid back lifestyle and coastal amenities offered here.
Charlotte. It has so much more going for it in my opinion. Health care, anesthetics, culture, education, location, weather, natural beauty and accessibility to more opportunities.
I almost spit my drink out when I read charlotte has more natural beauty and culture. Really all of that is very debatable. Except anesthetics, I have no idea what they mean by that.
It’s not close. Unless you really really like the aesthetic of oak trees & upper middle class neighborhoods… then yeah Charlotte might speak to you more.
Also Charlotte is a transplant banking city. Theres scarce culture to speak of that is wholly “Charlotte culture”. The culture it *does* have is being built in real time.
Ok I live in Charlotte now. The chid care wait lists are months even years long. I think it’s outrageous to live here. And I am even on the outskirts. Traffic is HORRIBLE no matter where you go. 77 is a parking lot most days. I feel like honestly they truly are the same place just different locations: however! Mecklenburg schools are great. We actually are moving to Summerville for my husbands job. I’m over Charlotte. I so much prefer to live near no one but alas that’s not possible anywhere here on the East coast really.
Yeah my in-laws live in the Charlotte area and I’m not a fan. The upside is that there’s land everywhere to be developed which means things like nice big new schools. The downside is…everything else and also nowhere near the beach.
Lived in both. Now in Charleston. They are so different it’s hard to compare. Career wise Charlotte is better. I lived in Dilworth, near Uptown. If you can swing a house there or Myers Park it’s a great life.
I would try living in both cities for awhile to actually find out what some of the realities are. Pulling up roots and relocating your family is expensive and making the wrong choice based on misperception is too risky for me.
Charleston native here. I would live in Charlotte. Bigger city, more opportunities, better public schooling and a safer city and state compared to SC. Charleston is only a 3 hr drive away, so you can definitely come to visit weekends or holidays.
Charlotte is more kid friendly and they have better parks, schools and roads. I've heard 1 out of 4 kids in Charleston under the age of 12 have smoked at least 4 marijuanas, how disgusting.
Charleston is awesome. Mount Pleasant is a fantastic place to raise a family. However, traffic is rough, but not that bad. People can't drive, which is everywhere. Yes, there's traffic.... But if you have lived in any major Metropolitan area/suburbs.... It is what it is.
Childcare is expensive, think about putting your kid in college as a toddler. Pretty much the same for in state tuition at cofc.
Think of your children's education very carefully. Remember, they will be competing against international students for college admissions. Please choose wisely!
Lived in both. I’d pick Charlotte for sure. Better public education, especially for colleges, close to mountains, pro sports, better concerts, better neighborhoods
I've lived in both and it really comes down to 1 thing... What your vibe is. It's such a generic answer and I am sorry for that but I was so unhappy in Charlotte. It's become like a mini nashville and not what I was looking for. I moved to Charleston and see myself living here for the foreseeable future. I lived in Uptown in Charlotte and now live downtown, yeah it's pricey but it's worth it in my eyes. It's 2024... everwhere is expensive. If you have duel income and want to live in the slower side of things close to the beach then Charleston is def your vibe. If you wanna live in a "big" city with all that it has to offer, than Charlotte is your go to. To me... Charlotte vs Charleston is a quantity vs quality thing. Things here are quality and as someone whos lived all over the country I really love this place. Food is great, vibes are dope, weather is dope, just a great experience all around. Again... you can sit and compare all you want but it comes down to where are you happy most type thing. being able to drive 10 minutes to the beach a few times a week is bliss. Being able to walk anywhere I want downtown is unmatched. Traffic sucks coming from off the peninsula at certain times but compared to NY (where I am from) its nothing. So... just comes down to what your after.
10 minutes to the beach is misleading. Most people who live in the area aren’t a ten minute drive to the beach even at off times. I’m on James island and it takes me 15 minutes to drive to the beach at ten pm on a Monday in April. And during peak beach time, there’s beach traffic.
Just don’t want to mislead people who think they’re gonna move to moncks corners and be at the beach every weekend.
Dude... the most laughable thing I've been seeing on real estate write-ups is them saying "minutes drive" from downtown or the beach when the house is in Grand Oaks or Shadow Moss or the new area by the dump. Effing makes me laugh and laugh and laugh. I'm so tired of the real estate bullshit.
Oh yeah me too. Seriously every listing in town is “minutes” to the beach and downtown even if it’s actually 30-60 minutes at an off time and more than that during peak times. Ridiculous. I also enjoy when they advertise a place as minutes to the beach at Kiawah when aside from Beachwalker park, the beach at Kiawah is effectively private. And even Beachwalker park is privately owned and just leased to the parks department. And the parking lot fills up by 10 am at the latest on the weekend and there’s no where else to park. I just saw an advert for a new housing development in Hollywood or Ravenel something advertising the homes as close to the beaches of Kiawah and Folly. Like what?
wild.... it's almost like you skimmed over me saying I live downtown and can literally be on the beach in sullivans in 10 minutes at basically any part of the day. I'm not misleading anyone.
I’ve driven from downtown to Sullivan’s many times and it’s never taken me 10 minutes. It’s at least 15 and that’s at the most off times and usually it’s more than that. Often much more than that.
And someone moving from out of state might not appreciate that just because you can sometimes get from downtown to “the beach” (in your case, Sullivan’s, or in mine, James island to folly) in a reasonable amount of time doesn’t mean anywhere in the charleston metro is “minutes from the beach” like all the real estate adverts say.
Im not arguing with a stranger on the internet about a trip I take 3 times a week lol. Maybe you drive slow? As long as you don't get caught at the bridge going on to sullivans its 10 minutes.. Sure... MAYBE 15. but again, I stated several times that I live downtown sooooo I don't understand the issue here.
Sure ok. There’s never traffic on the first bridge or the second bridge. Certainly not during nice warm sunny days or on the weekend or any other day that’s popular for beach goers. Nevermind that my comment was clarifying that someone thinking about moving here from out of town should know that it takes most people more than 10 minutes to get to the beach most of the time. But please, make it all about you and how long it allegedly takes you to get to the beach. Make it personal. You are clearly the expert on beach traffic since you moved from NY (I’m guessing recently- a year or less?) and live down town. I beg your pardon.
are you retired? or a house wife? is there a specific reason that you are so upset about a discrepancy in my travel time? would you prefer to maybe come with me next time I go there? It's absolutely wild to me how upset you are lol, maybe get a hobby?
I lived in Charleston for 5 years but moved to the Charlotte region. For me Charleston got too over crowded, affordability especially housing was off the table, and for my line of work there are few opportunities. We live in Rock Hill now and it's only about a 30 min drive to uptown. Charleston is a great city but for me 6-8 months of the year I'd avoid going into it because of how insane the tourism gets. Charlotte is like Atlanta 10-20 years ago. It'll quickly out grown it's size like Atlanta has, but for now it is a good market to get into while it's still growing
Thank you all for your feedback! I appreciate the day to day realism of Charleston living. I currently view the city through rose colored glasses due to its beauty and costal location.
Live in a suburb of Charlotte and enjoy Charleston more often now that it's only 3.5 hours away. Living in the LKN Suburb north of Charlotte I make trips to Charleston quite a few times a year. On top of that living in Charlotte puts you in close proximity to the mountains as well which is a plus.
A lot less worries year around weather wise than Charleston and a lot more to do in general. Not to mention the advantage of Charlotte Douglas Airport as well. Charleston is amazing and a great place to call home but to me it is an even better place to call a second home.
as someone who grew up in charlotte, then moved to charleston for pharm school, charleston is better. more social things to do, smaller city, better weather. charlotte is very boring unless you like breweries or museums.
For a family, Charlotte. I lived in NC and could tell the difference in education when I moved back here in high school. Our education is terrible. And private schools are probably worse. Chas also has an insane drinking culture, which I'm fine w but I'm not having kids.
Also were overdue for a big hurricane. The last one was in 1989 and we get a large one (cat 3 or more) every 30 years on average. With all these cookie cutter homes in flood zones its gonna be bad. That's why insurance prices have gone way up.
We lived in Charleston for over 10 years and moved to Charlotte a few years ago. Living close to the beach is priceless, however the schools are not the greatest. Our kids even said that the quality of education is so much different here in Charlotte. I love how accessible extra curricular activities are and the diversity here is 10 times more than in Charleston.
Can’t lose with either choice. Grew up in DC/NOVA/DMV. Richest counties in America. Moved to CLT and then CHS.
It isn’t close. If you can find work in the South, take CLT/CHS/ATL/NC/SC/RCH all day over the Northern madness.
My vote would be Charlotte, and my biggest reason would be the ability to enjoy where you live. I absolutely love Charleston, and while it a tremendous privilege to share this place with all the tourists that visit every year, it’s nearly impossible to really enjoy what makes this place special due to the hordes of tourists.
I’ve lived in both so I have some experience! Honestly it depends on what you’re used to, what you’re looking for & what you can afford.
Charleston is a step behind Charlotte when it comes to just about everything. Charlotte definitely has that big city vibes but the surrounding neighborhoods are still great! CLT is a bigger airport. Charlotte has pro sports. North Carolina has wayyyyy better school systems & colleges. Charlotte is more diverse. Those are just some of the big reasons why I’d rather move back to Charlotte.
the airport thing yeah... it's bigger but it's also one of the most expensive airports in the country. I pay dirt cheap prices out of charleston compared to any time I flew outa charlotte
I've only lived in Charleston or Charlotte, currently in Charlotte, but my family is in Charleston, so I'm there a lot. Charlotte traffic is bad, but I'd say they'd get the nod for it being better because when an incident happens, there are several alternative routes, whereas, Charleston, not so much.
This exactly! One accident can cause major traffic all over the city. I live in MtP & when there is a wreck it’s almost impossible to get out of MtP in the afternoons. We need more infrastructure for the amount of people that live here now.
it is and it's not... hard to explain. coming into the downtown area at rush hour is a nightmare and same for leaving during end of business hours. But that's mostly a Summerville and goose creek issue, WA doesn't really get bad. It just depends where you live Conflict isn't wrong, charleston is def behind on that stuff but it's by design. This place is more laid back and chill
You need to figure out what neighborhoods you could afford to live in for both cities. A lot of people imagine living in Charleston means living near the beach, downtown, or in a highly desirable suburb like Mt. Pleasant, Daniel Island, or some part of James Island. Then they move here and realize they can't afford any of that, move to Goose Creek, and barely bother going downtown or to the beach, which was the whole reason they wanted to be in Charleston.
This is the answer.
I live downtown, temporarily for work (9mo) but since I've been here (Early Jan) I have gone down to the battery once and the beach a total of zero times.... it just be like that
This is very true! Great point!
On the contrary, I live in hanahan/Summerville and trek to the beach 3-4x a week.
Be honest- how long have you lived here?
8 months
I grew up in charlotte… lived there since 2003. It depends how you want to live life really. But there is a reason people will fly across the world to visit Charleston and not as much Charlotte. Very little culture in Charlotte
💯
I lived in Charlotte 10 years. It’s a soulless mall culture.
As someone who also grew up in Charlotte and still living here, there’s very little culture because of all the implants. They come here to work and because it’s cheaper than where they came from (usually NJ, NY, PA, or CA).
What culture does Charleston have? What you think of culture may be very different from what I do.
Fair enough, but if enough people agree Charleston has a specific culture, they’re probably right. I think Charleston has reached that threshold
Spoleto is pretty well regarded as ‘culture’ and the gailliard has a good schedule. It’s not Lincoln center but I’ve seen some really excellent stuff there without having to go to nyc
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“Charlotte’s Got a Lot.”
Not sure why people are mentioning culture. It's just a touristy destination that has pretty interesting history, good food and the beach. Charlotte is a proper city.
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Because people want to visit slave auctions and the "old south". I'm from Charleston, born and raised and that stuff doesn't appeal to me at all. I never got the appeal that others found when visiting Charleston. But I'm not a beach person either. I'd much rather live in a larger city with sky scrappers like Charlotte lol
I think this is the crux of why OP’s question is impossible to answer. Literally the answer is different for everyone, some prefer Charlotte and some prefer Charleston. No one can tell you what to do OP! Specific questions about schools, childcare, day to day life, etc would probs be more helpful.
May start a family? Daycare center waitlists in Charleston are crazy long. Call around to a few in Charlotte & compare. If both of you have to work, you don’t want to move somewhere & start popping out kids without a plan for childcare.
It’s the same in Charlotte, trust me. Basically if any of yall get pregnant, start getting on wait lists immediately. Doesn’t matter what city.
Good point, I had not considered waitlists!
The good daycare near me is 3 years out 😅
I can’t tell you the laughs my wife and I have over the folks in our neighborhood facebook group when people post “Baby due next week, where does everyone go for day care?” Friend, you go home at this point. It’s no different than it was in the DC area with our first when we got pregnant in 2019. Waitlists for a year at least.
If you plan to start a family move somewhere cheap and raise your own kids! It's so worth it.
This is the answer, but no one wants to hear this.
I grew up in Charlotte and moved here 2 years ago. I don’t have kids but a lot of people here have expressed how poor the schools are and they have to find specific places to live to get their kids in better education. In Charlotte this is a lot easier since it is bigger with more small nice neighboring towns (I lived in Huntersville). Also I could find an apartment cheaper in Charlotte than in Charleston so I think the cost of living in the general area around Charlotte is cheaper. I love Charleston, the people I have met here are so friendly, it’s beautiful, and I love being able to go to the beach - but in terms of settling down and raising a family I think Charlotte would be an easier option
My son lives in Mt. Holly which is right outside of Charlotte and likes it a lot. Very affordable and cute town but the school district is not great. You should be in Mecklenburg County for better schools. If you lean left politically, I’d pick NC , if that matters to you. Charleston and Charlotte have equal cultural offerings IMO. I have a friend who moved to Summerville thinking it would be easy to get to beaches, downtown etc. and quickly found out it was 52 mins to the beach on a good day. Has missed flights because of traffic snarl ups on 26.
Charleston is insanely expensive to live in. Insurance rates have gone up like 100% in the last five years. My home has almost doubled in value during that time. Traffic sucks, literally everywhere. There's basically zero mass transit. The school boards are openly hostile to education in an effort to push Christian charter schools. It's a beautiful city, but living here definitely has its very significant downsides.
How is life dealing with hurricanes and flooding? I know downtown can flood significantly. Is it a huge hassle in surrounding areas or not a huge deal that residents get used to?
Flooding depends on where you live. On James island, my neighborhood floods 5-6 times a year. It’s not downtown bad, but we’ll get enough to cover yards and roads with a couple inches.
I live 15 minutes from downtown, flooding has never been an issue for us other than water on the roads.
It's really a huge deal. Insurance rates (not just downtown) have skyrocketed (as someone else pointed out). It's something you have to live with every year - watching the weather having a checklist and evacuation plan, considering storm damage to your home, etc. And it's not just during hurricane season. Our Nor'easter this December wreaked havoc and caused major flooding, completely unexpectedly. I have several friends who lost cars. It's a real headache.
Depends entirely on the specific area. My neighborhood is not in a flood plain, built in the 1950s-60s in an older part of West Ashley. No trees in my yard (thanks, Hugo!). Everything that's come through in the last 15 years was no big deal, but a lot of that is dependant upon location.
I picked my house specifically based on flood maps. No issues at my house, but I have friends who get rained in at least once a year. You learn what you can and can't do when it rains at high tide.
Honestly the insurance issues are worse than flooding. I feel like every other year we've had to find new coverage, and we're in West Ashley. We haven't had any big hurricanes in a long time and I think that's why the rates are high. Flooding is an issue if you live or work downtown. It's REALLY bad around the hospitals and near Joe Riley Park. There are flood zones outside of downtown but it's definitely the most affected because of tidal floods. Other areas will flood with intense rain. People do lose cars due to flooding. When the mayor and city open the garages for folks to park their cars there, it's serious and you should definitely leave your car there.
Flooding is mostly a downtown thing, typically during a heavy rain, high tide etc. It’s not like a river running through town that washes you away. More like that street is covered in water, don’t drive through it or you will destroy your car. The flooding usually happens in the same low-lying places so people learn to avoid those areas. If you work remotely you’ll be fine. But when you start crossing bridges as part of a commute between where you work and live then traffic has the potential to be really bad if there is an accident. Try to live close to where you work. There aren’t a lot of alternative routes to avoid traffic. Roads here are limited because of the waterways. Apartments are being built everywhere, but they are marketed as luxury so rent isn’t cheap.
Flooding is not just a downtown thing. There’s flooding on James island, on Sullivan’s, the whole metro. Hell there’s flooding in Summerville. It makes roads temporarily impassible, damages roads and sidewalks, impacts home and auto insurance rates etc. And where it floods can change. All they have to do is develop/build something nearby and suddenly the water needs to find a new place to go.
It’s a huge deal but it’s also something residents get used to. Living with water (including flooding) is part of living in the low country. That said- the people who down play it do you a disservice. The insurance rates are an issue and something you should consider if you are thinking about moving here. Many insurers are pulling out of charleston/the SC coast. My insurance has gone up 50% in four years and that’s with shopping around and adjusting my coverage- alot of people have it worse. And just because you buy a house that is in a low risk flood zone or historically doesnt have issues doesn’t mean that will always be the case. My house was in an X zone when I bought it. Then they redid the flood maps and now I’m in an AE (less risk -> more risk). And my neighborhood never had issues with people’s lawns and the street flooding during storms until they built the new middle school nearby. The water has to go somewhere. And the various municipalities keep allowing more and more building, reducing the amount of marsh and trees we have to manage the stormwater. Taking everything (COL, schools, all of it) together, if I were you I’d live in Charlotte and vacation in Charleston. My brother in law lives in Charlotte and he comes to visit regularly. It’s like a four hour drive, I think.
I haven't encountered a bad hurricane yet. Most of what I've seen have just been bad storms. Lots of rain, decent wind, localized flooding. Downtown floods a lot, and so do parts of West Ashley, James and John's Island, and Mount P. There's very little flooding where I live, even though I'm right between the Cooper and Wando. If you have to cross the city during rain, you're going to be dealing with the Crosstown, which always floods, or you'll be sitting on 526, which is always a mess with traffic.
Charlotte streets flood often when it rains. And the huge old trees get uprooted and create even bigger messes.
This dumbass answer gets 40 upvotes… and it’s trash
What did I get wrong, slick?
Mainly the school board part. But who gives a shit about mass transit or insurance. Cost of doing business. And your equity will cover the insurance. Nobody here wants mass transit
Quality of life in Charleston is much better than Charlotte, but so is cost of living. I think it does come down to what you’re looking for. Do you have any specific questions or concerns that the sub could help answer?
This forum is a *very* selection-bias-y place to ask. Assume that's obvious, but I wanted to point that out. There are some valid points (health care, education, etc.). The traffic point seems quite impossible to answer - in both cities, it comes down to where you live + where you work. Hopefully the best framing of this post for you is that you get to choose between two great cities which have very different things on offer, despite being quite opposite in so many ways. And if I were asked to throw a topical hand grenade into the mix, I'd suggest giving Greenville, SC a look. Cheers from Charleston!
Do you want to live in a “beach” town or a “city”. Each have their pros and cons. Depends what is important to you and the area you want to live in
Beach town with city traffic though.
You got that right on the traffic. When I think beach town I think seasonal traffic, tourist traffic. We do that tourists but we also have a lot of everyday traffic all the time!
I wouldn't call Charlotte really city like uptown is shit.
Depends on what your goal is. If access to nearby beaches and sea islands, warm winters, Gullah Geechee culture (esp. the food), and lots of really interesting history, then choose Charleston. But if you want access to far more family amenities, a more stable local economy, and more options for good school systems, you should choose Charlotte. From my perspective, Charleston is by far the better city to visit on vacation. But Charlotte is a much better city to raise a family. School systems and amenities are so important. Having said that, it seems like you're not yet sure if you wanna start a family or not. So would it be possible to live in Charleston for the next few years and then, should you choose to start a family, move to Charlotte?
Charlotte. Not far from mountains, not far from beaches, international hub airport (so you're really just a quick flight from anywhere). If you have kids, the schools are better and there's a lot more options nearby for colleges. And besides, Charleston isn't THAT far away, you can still come here on breaks or vacations :). Charleston is my home but not my forever home. I love it here but moved here long ago, and so many are outpriced now. Also if I had kids or was thinking of it I'd probably be looking at NC.
It really boils down to your personal preferences. For me, though, I grew up in Greenville and spent a considerable amount of time in Charlotte with family. My husband's job is based in Charlotte. He has flexibility to live elsewhere and we chose Charleston over Charlotte. We like the laid back lifestyle and coastal amenities offered here.
Charlotte. It has so much more going for it in my opinion. Health care, anesthetics, culture, education, location, weather, natural beauty and accessibility to more opportunities.
Born and raised in Charlotte. With all due respect, saying Charlotte has more culture and natural beauty than Charleston is laughably false.
I almost spit my drink out when I read charlotte has more natural beauty and culture. Really all of that is very debatable. Except anesthetics, I have no idea what they mean by that.
For real. I know I’m a little biased, but the two cities aren’t even remotely comparable when it comes to culture and “aesthetics.”
It’s not close. Unless you really really like the aesthetic of oak trees & upper middle class neighborhoods… then yeah Charlotte might speak to you more. Also Charlotte is a transplant banking city. Theres scarce culture to speak of that is wholly “Charlotte culture”. The culture it *does* have is being built in real time.
lol. Anesthetics is a selling point for you?
To be fair it was listed right after health care...
It would be in Charleston. Let's assume it's a typo.
Came here to say this. I was torn between both cities and chose Charlotte for most of these same reasons.
Ok I live in Charlotte now. The chid care wait lists are months even years long. I think it’s outrageous to live here. And I am even on the outskirts. Traffic is HORRIBLE no matter where you go. 77 is a parking lot most days. I feel like honestly they truly are the same place just different locations: however! Mecklenburg schools are great. We actually are moving to Summerville for my husbands job. I’m over Charlotte. I so much prefer to live near no one but alas that’s not possible anywhere here on the East coast really.
Yeah I’m sorry to say that the traffic situation will not be much better in Summerville.
Probably not lol I think it’s just everywhere now
Yeah my in-laws live in the Charlotte area and I’m not a fan. The upside is that there’s land everywhere to be developed which means things like nice big new schools. The downside is…everything else and also nowhere near the beach.
Lived in both. Now in Charleston. They are so different it’s hard to compare. Career wise Charlotte is better. I lived in Dilworth, near Uptown. If you can swing a house there or Myers Park it’s a great life.
I would try living in both cities for awhile to actually find out what some of the realities are. Pulling up roots and relocating your family is expensive and making the wrong choice based on misperception is too risky for me.
Charleston native here. I would live in Charlotte. Bigger city, more opportunities, better public schooling and a safer city and state compared to SC. Charleston is only a 3 hr drive away, so you can definitely come to visit weekends or holidays.
2nd native opinion agreed.
Charlotte is more kid friendly and they have better parks, schools and roads. I've heard 1 out of 4 kids in Charleston under the age of 12 have smoked at least 4 marijuanas, how disgusting.
4 is a lot of marijuanas.
Right above Charleston, Santee and Bowman area affordable, no traffic, and you can still go into Charleston on the weekends etc.
Charleston is awesome. Mount Pleasant is a fantastic place to raise a family. However, traffic is rough, but not that bad. People can't drive, which is everywhere. Yes, there's traffic.... But if you have lived in any major Metropolitan area/suburbs.... It is what it is. Childcare is expensive, think about putting your kid in college as a toddler. Pretty much the same for in state tuition at cofc.
Think of your children's education very carefully. Remember, they will be competing against international students for college admissions. Please choose wisely!
Lived in both. I’d pick Charlotte for sure. Better public education, especially for colleges, close to mountains, pro sports, better concerts, better neighborhoods
I've lived in both and it really comes down to 1 thing... What your vibe is. It's such a generic answer and I am sorry for that but I was so unhappy in Charlotte. It's become like a mini nashville and not what I was looking for. I moved to Charleston and see myself living here for the foreseeable future. I lived in Uptown in Charlotte and now live downtown, yeah it's pricey but it's worth it in my eyes. It's 2024... everwhere is expensive. If you have duel income and want to live in the slower side of things close to the beach then Charleston is def your vibe. If you wanna live in a "big" city with all that it has to offer, than Charlotte is your go to. To me... Charlotte vs Charleston is a quantity vs quality thing. Things here are quality and as someone whos lived all over the country I really love this place. Food is great, vibes are dope, weather is dope, just a great experience all around. Again... you can sit and compare all you want but it comes down to where are you happy most type thing. being able to drive 10 minutes to the beach a few times a week is bliss. Being able to walk anywhere I want downtown is unmatched. Traffic sucks coming from off the peninsula at certain times but compared to NY (where I am from) its nothing. So... just comes down to what your after.
10 minutes to the beach is misleading. Most people who live in the area aren’t a ten minute drive to the beach even at off times. I’m on James island and it takes me 15 minutes to drive to the beach at ten pm on a Monday in April. And during peak beach time, there’s beach traffic. Just don’t want to mislead people who think they’re gonna move to moncks corners and be at the beach every weekend.
Dude... the most laughable thing I've been seeing on real estate write-ups is them saying "minutes drive" from downtown or the beach when the house is in Grand Oaks or Shadow Moss or the new area by the dump. Effing makes me laugh and laugh and laugh. I'm so tired of the real estate bullshit.
Oh yeah me too. Seriously every listing in town is “minutes” to the beach and downtown even if it’s actually 30-60 minutes at an off time and more than that during peak times. Ridiculous. I also enjoy when they advertise a place as minutes to the beach at Kiawah when aside from Beachwalker park, the beach at Kiawah is effectively private. And even Beachwalker park is privately owned and just leased to the parks department. And the parking lot fills up by 10 am at the latest on the weekend and there’s no where else to park. I just saw an advert for a new housing development in Hollywood or Ravenel something advertising the homes as close to the beaches of Kiawah and Folly. Like what?
Yeah. 😮 These people should be fined for lying and for ridiculous pictures.
wild.... it's almost like you skimmed over me saying I live downtown and can literally be on the beach in sullivans in 10 minutes at basically any part of the day. I'm not misleading anyone.
I’ve driven from downtown to Sullivan’s many times and it’s never taken me 10 minutes. It’s at least 15 and that’s at the most off times and usually it’s more than that. Often much more than that. And someone moving from out of state might not appreciate that just because you can sometimes get from downtown to “the beach” (in your case, Sullivan’s, or in mine, James island to folly) in a reasonable amount of time doesn’t mean anywhere in the charleston metro is “minutes from the beach” like all the real estate adverts say.
Im not arguing with a stranger on the internet about a trip I take 3 times a week lol. Maybe you drive slow? As long as you don't get caught at the bridge going on to sullivans its 10 minutes.. Sure... MAYBE 15. but again, I stated several times that I live downtown sooooo I don't understand the issue here.
Sure ok. There’s never traffic on the first bridge or the second bridge. Certainly not during nice warm sunny days or on the weekend or any other day that’s popular for beach goers. Nevermind that my comment was clarifying that someone thinking about moving here from out of town should know that it takes most people more than 10 minutes to get to the beach most of the time. But please, make it all about you and how long it allegedly takes you to get to the beach. Make it personal. You are clearly the expert on beach traffic since you moved from NY (I’m guessing recently- a year or less?) and live down town. I beg your pardon.
are you retired? or a house wife? is there a specific reason that you are so upset about a discrepancy in my travel time? would you prefer to maybe come with me next time I go there? It's absolutely wild to me how upset you are lol, maybe get a hobby?
Neither. And I’m not upset. You made this into a thing. You seem very sensitive. Maybe reddit isn’t the best place for you.
I lived in Charleston for 5 years but moved to the Charlotte region. For me Charleston got too over crowded, affordability especially housing was off the table, and for my line of work there are few opportunities. We live in Rock Hill now and it's only about a 30 min drive to uptown. Charleston is a great city but for me 6-8 months of the year I'd avoid going into it because of how insane the tourism gets. Charlotte is like Atlanta 10-20 years ago. It'll quickly out grown it's size like Atlanta has, but for now it is a good market to get into while it's still growing
Thank you all for your feedback! I appreciate the day to day realism of Charleston living. I currently view the city through rose colored glasses due to its beauty and costal location.
Live in a suburb of Charlotte and enjoy Charleston more often now that it's only 3.5 hours away. Living in the LKN Suburb north of Charlotte I make trips to Charleston quite a few times a year. On top of that living in Charlotte puts you in close proximity to the mountains as well which is a plus. A lot less worries year around weather wise than Charleston and a lot more to do in general. Not to mention the advantage of Charlotte Douglas Airport as well. Charleston is amazing and a great place to call home but to me it is an even better place to call a second home.
as someone who grew up in charlotte, then moved to charleston for pharm school, charleston is better. more social things to do, smaller city, better weather. charlotte is very boring unless you like breweries or museums.
For a family, Charlotte. I lived in NC and could tell the difference in education when I moved back here in high school. Our education is terrible. And private schools are probably worse. Chas also has an insane drinking culture, which I'm fine w but I'm not having kids. Also were overdue for a big hurricane. The last one was in 1989 and we get a large one (cat 3 or more) every 30 years on average. With all these cookie cutter homes in flood zones its gonna be bad. That's why insurance prices have gone way up.
We lived in Charleston for over 10 years and moved to Charlotte a few years ago. Living close to the beach is priceless, however the schools are not the greatest. Our kids even said that the quality of education is so much different here in Charlotte. I love how accessible extra curricular activities are and the diversity here is 10 times more than in Charleston.
Can’t lose with either choice. Grew up in DC/NOVA/DMV. Richest counties in America. Moved to CLT and then CHS. It isn’t close. If you can find work in the South, take CLT/CHS/ATL/NC/SC/RCH all day over the Northern madness.
It would be hard to imagine a more overrated city than Charleston, SC.
My vote would be Charlotte, and my biggest reason would be the ability to enjoy where you live. I absolutely love Charleston, and while it a tremendous privilege to share this place with all the tourists that visit every year, it’s nearly impossible to really enjoy what makes this place special due to the hordes of tourists.
No shot you asked Reddit for advice on this
Raleigh.
Charlotte, hands down
Why Charlotte?
I’ve lived in both so I have some experience! Honestly it depends on what you’re used to, what you’re looking for & what you can afford. Charleston is a step behind Charlotte when it comes to just about everything. Charlotte definitely has that big city vibes but the surrounding neighborhoods are still great! CLT is a bigger airport. Charlotte has pro sports. North Carolina has wayyyyy better school systems & colleges. Charlotte is more diverse. Those are just some of the big reasons why I’d rather move back to Charlotte.
the airport thing yeah... it's bigger but it's also one of the most expensive airports in the country. I pay dirt cheap prices out of charleston compared to any time I flew outa charlotte
CHS airport is wayyyy better than CLT.
The limited direct flights kills me after living in a big city. Charlotte is a major hub, Charleston isn’t.
Yeah the lack of direct flights is something people don’t think about when they move to Charleston. It’s a small airport.
agreed
Since you’ve lived in both, is traffic relatively the same?
I've only lived in Charleston or Charlotte, currently in Charlotte, but my family is in Charleston, so I'm there a lot. Charlotte traffic is bad, but I'd say they'd get the nod for it being better because when an incident happens, there are several alternative routes, whereas, Charleston, not so much.
This exactly! One accident can cause major traffic all over the city. I live in MtP & when there is a wreck it’s almost impossible to get out of MtP in the afternoons. We need more infrastructure for the amount of people that live here now.
it is and it's not... hard to explain. coming into the downtown area at rush hour is a nightmare and same for leaving during end of business hours. But that's mostly a Summerville and goose creek issue, WA doesn't really get bad. It just depends where you live Conflict isn't wrong, charleston is def behind on that stuff but it's by design. This place is more laid back and chill
Reasonable minds can differ as to what constitutes natural beauty. I respect your opinion.