North/South Carolina

ffuunnnnyy__ggiirrll

I have been seriously contemplating making a move from New England to North/South Carolina. I don't know the area at all, so I am going to turn to you to give me some ideas where to start looking.

My criteria.....it has to be on the ocean! I am looking for a small town ( <30,000 population) with very good schools and where there are lots of things to do in the community.

Any information you can give me would be very much appreciated!

Thanks!

Qarol

I don't know much about the shore. I hear Wilmington is nice. It's more expensive near the shore. You could try Charleston or one of the suburbs, like Mt Pleasant. Myrtle Beach is meh.

SpitfireStacey

I hear Wilmington is nice, Moorhead City/Emerald Isle are nice. We just moved near there and so far I love it. Small town, lots of outdoor stuff to do, not so great for kids though. I'm 30mins from the ocean, not sure if that counts as close enough for you but of the 6states I have lived in since coming here in 2004, I'm liking NC best so far.

k2quiere

Wilmington is a lovely college town on the beach. Not sure about the schools, though. Might be bigger than your population requirement, but there are many other smaller towns in the area or within an hour drive that also line the beach.

I hope others chime in, as I'm a transplant and can't talk from personal experience, but statistically, most of the towns in our beach areas tend to be some of the poorest school districts. As beautiful as the places are to visit, in NC, our poorest districts are at the beach and in the mountains.

One word of caution, don't make comparisons between schools in different states. Different curriculums completely, at least for now.

Qarol

One word of caution, don't make comparisons between schools in different states. Different curriculums completely, at least for now.

And they vary QUITE differently between NC and SC. Not to be smug, but SC tend to be better in some areas. A lot better. Not to say there aren't good areas in NC, but overall...if schools are your higher priority, you might want to look at SC first.

*ahem* York County is excellent.
but it's not near the shore. *sad face*

k2quiere

*ahem* York County is excellent.
but it's not near the shore. *sad face*

LOL...she could move somewhere between the two of us...although neither are at the shore. Wouldn't that be a party, though??

jillybeanruns

I moved from Massachusetts to Mt. Pleasant (Charleston area) over the summer. I regret it every day. And am working to get the hell out of here.

And SC has better school systems than NC? Damn, that's saying a lot because I am shocked at what I've heard about the schools here.

New England schools are bound to be better than schools in the South overall. Actually, statistically they are, every year a list of schools come out and the Southern states are always at the bottom...no exception.

Miss_Chievous_wechange

I live in upstate SC. I would suggest the Charleston area.

ffuunnnnyy__ggiirrll

Wilmington is a lovely college town on the beach. Not sure about the schools, though. Might be bigger than your population requirement, but there are many other smaller towns in the area or within an hour drive that also line the beach.

I hope others chime in, as I'm a transplant and can't talk from personal experience, but statistically, most of the towns in our beach areas tend to be some of the poorest school districts. As beautiful as the places are to visit, in NC, our poorest districts are at the beach and in the mountains.

One word of caution, don't make comparisons between schools in different states. Different curriculums completely, at least for now.

I can imagine, the curriculum here is different in the next town! I may be wrong in assuming that all schools have a yearly Strategic School profile like we do in my State. I was planning on using that to get some information. Looking for a lot of different things like graduation rate, enrollment, per capita income, attendance, State assessments, class size, diversity, and Post High School Planning.

ffuunnnnyy__ggiirrll

*ahem* York County is excellent.
but it's not near the shore. *sad face*

LOL...she could move somewhere between the two of us...although neither are at the shore. Wouldn't that be a party, though??

Haha! I need to be no less than 10 minutes from the beach at all times! Being in the same state or at least the same region means get togethers for sure!

jillybeanruns

Trying to find the list that comes out every year, but in the interm I found this...not a shock to me that so many of these schools are in South Carolina (and in Charleston area).

http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/neighborhoods/school-district/ratings/worst100/

Qarol

I moved from Massachusetts to Mt. Pleasant (Charleston area) over the summer. I regret it every day. And am working to get the hell out of here.

I hope you get what you want. :flowerforyou:

ffuunnnnyy__ggiirrll

Trying to find the list that comes out every year, but in the interm I found this...not a shock to me that so many of these schools are in South Carolina (and in Charleston area).

http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/neighborhoods/school-district/ratings/worst100/

Oh my! It's kinda scary how many schools from SC are on that list! Yikes!

I am coming from one of the best systems in my State, so it really is my number one priority, even over being near the beach!

jillybeanruns

I moved from Massachusetts to Mt. Pleasant (Charleston area) over the summer. I regret it every day. And am working to get the hell out of here.

I hope you get what you want. :flowerforyou:

Thanks! I did it for a job for a company I had worked for in the past - I had gut feelings that I shouldn't do it, but I was sick of being unemployed (for about 5ish months). Live and learn, right?

MB_Positif

I have some friends who live in Summerville SC which is near Charleston. From what I understand, the schools are good and the area is affordable! Good luck! I lived in Northwestern SC when I was in collge...I LOVED it there!

k2quiere

Wilmington is a lovely college town on the beach. Not sure about the schools, though. Might be bigger than your population requirement, but there are many other smaller towns in the area or within an hour drive that also line the beach.

I hope others chime in, as I'm a transplant and can't talk from personal experience, but statistically, most of the towns in our beach areas tend to be some of the poorest school districts. As beautiful as the places are to visit, in NC, our poorest districts are at the beach and in the mountains.

One word of caution, don't make comparisons between schools in different states. Different curriculums completely, at least for now.

I can imagine, the curriculum here is different in the next town! I may be wrong in assuming that all schools have a yearly Strategic School profile like we do in my State. I was planning on using that to get some information. Looking for a lot of different things like graduation rate, enrollment, per capita income, attendance, State assessments, class size, diversity, and Post High School Planning.

We do have what's called "School Report Cards" that come out each year. They are primarily based on the current state assessments, which suck, but everything is changing next year, so I'm not necessarily sure they'll be that good of a guide. We're adopting an entirely new curriculum in ALL areas next year, with new tests. There are good an bad schools in all states, NC & SC being no different, but having come from NJ, I can tell you that I wouldn't compare schools up north to schools down here.

yoshi91610

I'm originally from Beaufort South Carolina! It is a nice town, and I have nothing bad to say about it, my husband and I would love to retire there when he gets out of the military, also it is only 30 mins from a national park with a very nice beach (also since Beaufort is an island there are so many easily accessible and available places to check out the ocean some are free)

jillybeanruns

Trying to find the list that comes out every year, but in the interm I found this...not a shock to me that so many of these schools are in South Carolina (and in Charleston area).

http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/neighborhoods/school-district/ratings/worst100/

Oh my! It's kinda scary how many schools from SC are on that list! Yikes!

I am coming from one of the best systems in my State, so it really is my number one priority, even over being near the beach!

I understand! I came from one of the best public school systems in the country, not just the state so seeing other school systems (and I am not a teacher and do not have children) is a major shock to me.

I've also learned how much I prefer to snow over the 116 heat index days. I am a runner, so I suffer through whatever I have to for the love of running, but is is not fun on 99 degree days with 90% humidity.

jcstanton

I live in upstate SC. I would suggest the Charleston area.

Where in the Upstate? Duncan, SC here.

k2quiere

I'm originally from Beaufort South Carolina! It is a nice town, and I have nothing bad to say about it, my husband and I would love to retire there when he gets out of the military, also it is only 30 mins from a national park with a very nice beach (also since Beaufort is an island there are so many easily accessible and available places to check out the ocean some are free)

Beaufort is beautiful too, although on my visit it seemed more like a sleepy retirement environment than a great place for kids.

the_journeyman

I'm in the NC mountains, just a bit west of Asheville. I love living here and it's very much worth a look. You can have anything from a city experience to a cabin in the woods all in a 20 minute drive. Asheville is Beer City USA and home to some great micro-brews. Shoot me a PM or post up specific questions if you want more info on the Western NC area.

JM