Relocating from oregon...charleston? Pros and cons?

Hi there,

My husband and I are seriously thinking about relocating to either NC or SC..and from what we have seen probably thinking about either Charleston or Greenville. We live in the Portland OR metro area now, and grew up in a small town in southern OR. I am looking for a bigger city, at least 50,000. We want to get away from the terrible economy of oregon, and see a bit more of the country before we decide to raise kids.

We are looking for a bit of the southern hospitality that we hear so much about...Portland, and Oregon in general is pretty stiff and cold. I dont want a faceless big city.. Interesting and historic architecture are very important to us, and I dont think it will be a problem finding that. :) I also was curious to the landscaping of the two cities..parks and nice greenspaces are a consideration, I love tree-lined streets and such.

We are 21 %26amp; 24 years old, no children yet. We do have 2 dogs that are basically our kids. And I should mention that they are a pit bull and a german shepherd, (very freindly) but Breed bans and restrictions are definitley a consideration, and I know nothing about the carolinas in that sense.

We are planning to purchase a house, in about the 200k range. We prefer suburbs, with access to the country roads for driving, but also close enough to city activities. We want a house with a yard for the dogs. We want a freindly city...but one that is preferrably a bit more conservative than Portland, which is why we essentially ruled out Asheville, NC.

We dont have established careers yet...I am currently working in veterinary medicine, but I could do any office/clerical job if I had to. I would love to stay in the animal field, but I doubt that will be a career path. My husband is a new graphic designer, fresh out of school.

How do you feel about these two cities compared to each other? About how far is Greenville to Charleston?

Thank you SO much for any info...all the magazine and websites of course are gorgeous and sound amazing..but nothing beats local opinion

Relocating from oregon...charleston? Pros and cons?

From a local%26#39;s perspective, it seems like Charleston%26#39;s just what you%26#39;re looking for. Greenville is nice and the Mountains/Trees are beautiful, but since I%26#39;m from Charleston, I get a little bored there! It takes a little under 4 hours to get from Greenville to Charleston.

A couple years ago, the population around the Charleston area was around 100,000 and I KNOW its grown since then. As Charleston grows, it still manages to keep its historic feel in its architecture and traditions. Visiting downtown Charleston and the nearby plantations are like taking a step back in time.

You%26#39;ll find plenty of green spaces as well. There are several parks and forests in the surrounding areas that are beautiful. Beaches are also right around the corner. As far as weather goes, the winters are mild and the summers can a littlehot and humid for a couple of months.

I have seen both of your types of dogs around Charleston, so I don%26#39;t think there is a ban, but you could check the Chas. County Police to make sure. Charleston is such a dog-lover%26#39;s city that I could not imagine such a thing around here.

That price range would give you a nice house in any of the surburban areas around Charleston. Since you need a yard with some space, I would check out places like Summerville, Goose Creek, or John%26#39;s Island. Maybe West Ashley.

You can check out jobs on Charleston%26#39;s Chamber of Commerce website of the local paper%26#39;s website (www.postandcourier.com)

As you can probably tell, I love Charleston and hope you get a chance to come on down and take a look-you%26#39;ll love it too!

Relocating from oregon...charleston? Pros and cons?

Charleston to Greenville is about 4 hours. Charleston you are going to have beaches . . . Greenville will have lakes.

I haved lived in Charleston all my life, so I can not speak on the pros and cons of Greenville. Charleston has many choices as far as ';suburbs'; . . . James Island, Johns Island, West Ashley, Mount Pleasant. The list goes on. All of these locations are within 15 minutes (driving) of the peninsula of Charleston (downtown).

Charleston is filled with great architecture and history!

I do not believe Chas. has any breed bans. Some of the beaches do only allow dogs off leashes at certain times of the day though.

I actually ran accross your post while looking for a restaurant review. You can%26#39;t beat the food in Charleston! You can get southern down-home cooking to five star service!

Hope this has helped.

I agree with the previous postings.

Some rental agencies will not rent to you with certain breeds of dogs due to liability issues. I actually had someone ';inspect'; my dog annually when I was renting to sure that my dog was not on the prohibited list of breeds (nor did she change from year to year-except she grew elderly and LOST her teeth!). Some homeowners insurance companies will exclude liability coverage for certain breeds of dogs, but that is all over the US not just here.

SC has a ';No Free First Bit'; law for dog bite cases.

Your careers should offer many opportunities in either place. Enjoy your life and live in a beautiful place. Best of luck to both of you.