Advice on Best Places to Raise a Family on the Southeast Coast...

Updated on August 04, 2014
V.P. asks from Louisville, KY
11 answers

We want to relocate from Louisville Ky to the Southeast coast and looking for some insight. Louisville is an OK city but we hate living in the Ohio river valley. The air quality is awful and we would love to live near a large body of water and the polluted Ohio river doesn't cut it. We used to live in Santa Barbara CA which we loved but we cant afford to buy a house there and being in the southeast we would still be within driving distance to our family. We are considering places like Wilmington, Charleston, and Savannah, any advice?

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D.K.

answers from Pittsburgh on

We have vacationed in Charleston and Savannah. Liked them both, but I am not a hot weather person, so I can't see living in either place. Otherwise, I think there is more to do in Charleston, but both are great to visit.

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O.O.

answers from Los Angeles on

Charlotte, Savannah....
But I would think it would be culture shock being from CA and living in the South....are you ready for that?

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K.D.

answers from Jacksonville on

Charleston is supposed to be great - I have family there and they love it. Also check out St. Johns County in Northeast Florida- #1 school district in the state and home to the Oldest City in the U.S.!

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V.B.

answers from Jacksonville on

Hm.. we live on the southeast coast. Not sure where I would recommend. It's hard to say without knowing your lifestyle/kids/kids' ages/ employment/finances, etc.

We are very close to the FL/GA state line. As the crow flies, we are under 9 miles from the beaches on the barrier islands. That's what all of the southeast coast is: barrier islands. If you want to "drive along the coast" here, you drive inland over bridges and marshy/swampy areas that are miles away from the actual beaches. The islands are not connected. You can't drive from one to the next. They all have causeways from the mainland out onto the islands. Cumberland Island is a National Park. Jekyll Island is a State Park. St. Simons is a beautiful island that has a self-contained community (lots of commuters to work both directions on and off the island though)... groceries, small retail shops, movie theater, tons of restaurants, airport, etc. But it can be expensive to buy property.
And the schools... you have to come off the island for public high school. Otherwise, it is private school, which isn't cheap.

If we could afford to live in a house we'd like, and husband didn't have a commute longer than he currently has, and we could afford to put the kids in private school... we'd live there. St. Simons Island.

It's small. Quiet. Southern. Covered in Live Oaks. There are also pretty much no waves at the beach. So if you want to surf, you have to go at least as far south as Amelia Island (Fernandina Beach, FL). By the way... Amelia is where the barrier islands stop and the stretches of sandy beach go on forever south. Just north of Mayport Naval Station. South of there... it's pretty much one long beach.

Jacksonville, FL... lived there for 13 years. It's an ok town, but it is a town. A very LARGE one, but a town... I wouldn't call it a city really. And it's a good 30-60 minute drive to the beach if you don't live to the east of the intracoastal waterway. Different areas of the town have very different personalities. AT the beach... lots of beachy types. Southside/Mandarin is more older yuppie (is that still a word?). North side close into downtown is older and less vibrant. Lots of run down areas. West Side can be very "redneck". Orange Park is split between redneck and yuppie--or at least used to be.
So... depending on what part of town you go, you get a very different experience. The whole county (Duval) is incorporated into "Jacksonville". And the entire city is split by the St. John's River. 5 major bridges cross it to join the city and keep traffic moving. The one connecting Mandarin to Orange Park/Westside is 3 miles long. The north side of town is connected via interstate 95's Fuller Warren Bridge. The Southside can be reached by looping off the interstate and driving over the huge suspension/cable bridge (Dames Point Bridge). There are a couple of other bridges connecting various parts of downtown to the shore on the opposite side. It's not a river you'd swim in...

So.. really, without knowing more what you actually are looking to find, it's hard to give any real suggestions.

But do know, that yes, the humidity can be extremely uncomfortable even for those of us who've lived in it for decades. For those unaccustomed to it, it can just be too much.
I agree with the suggestion that if you travel to visit an area... seek out the local lifestyle. Go grocery shop where you'd be living, not vacationing. Go drive (during morning commute times) a route you might encounter getting to a job, or taking your kids to school.
Visit the Walmart or Costco on a Saturday.

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J.A.

answers from Indianapolis on

We're moving to Rome, Georgia. Just a days' drive from Savannah. So I vote Savannah. :)

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L.R.

answers from Washington DC on

Charleston and Savannah are great to visit but as others note, you need to make schools your priority if you have kids....so start with that.

I would note that both Charleston and Savannah are very, very humid and very hot in summer; they're swampy, in fact. I'm sure Louisville gets hot and humid too but I've been in Charleston in summer and it was beyond mere humidity. Lovely cities but if you have issues with humidity from about May into September, think about that. I would not let it stop me (I live near DC which is also humid) but if you want ocean breezes -- that isn't necessarily how things are in some of the Southeast.

Also, it is essential to visit and spend some real time in any place you might consider as a home. One huge mistake people make, as I learned from some research of our own and the experiences of several friends, is the mistake of picking a place but not doing anything more than a short trip or two there. If you can make a substantially long visit, stay in a residential area instead of a hotel near the tourist spots, visit schools, go around with real estate agents, shop in the grocery stores to see the real prices, etc., it will help. I know one family who moved to Florida after a couple of fun vacations there and discovered that living there, working there, commuting, schooling, etc. were nothing like the dream they had of easy beach living, because their whole experience had been on "vacation mode" and not on "everyday living" mode. They ended up moving back to New York.

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C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

My cousin lives in Jacksonville, FL and loves it.

My sister in law lives in Atlanta, GA as well as three other friends. NOT on the coast. They love Atlanta.

I do NOT know anyone personally on the South Eastern Coast. I've NEVER been to Savannah - although I'd like to! one of my friends has a sister who lives in North Carolina (maybe she'll answer the question!!)

I LOVE Santa Barbara! Oh my word! Like Monterrey - BEAUTIFUL!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE it...way too freaking expensive.

I hope you get great answers!!! Good luck on the move!

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C.B.

answers from Boston on

I moved from the Netherlands to Atlanta Ga and it was a HUGE culture shock. At first I could not even understand the dialect even though it claimed to be English. I learned British in school. The climate is another big shock: we got off the plane at 10 at night and it was 90 degrees F and it seemed like 90% humidity. In the years I lived there you basically go from air condition house to air conditioned car to air conditioned mall. I HATED it. I moved to the Northeast which has 4 seasons. Although the winters can be super cold and snowy and summers also can get hot I like it much better.
Don't just let house prices drive your decision.

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S.S.

answers from Atlanta on

I live North East of Atlanta. We moved here from Dana Point (Orange County) CA. HUGE difference!

We've not been to S. (I should since I was named after it!) but haven't been yet. We'll most likely take a week at the end of August of go.

Charleston is really beautiful. Since you are in Kentucky, you might not experience the heat and humidity we get here in the summer.

I would check for school listings. We went to greatschools.net when we moved. Although this is the area my husband is from. His parents live south west of us, well, his mom does now since his dad died a few months ago unexpectedly.

Check with the Chamber of Commerce. They might be able to guide you to areas that will work for your family. A great realtor is good too. Call one in each place. Does your husband have a job opportunity in any of these locations?

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S.B.

answers from Houston on

I have been to several places you mentioned. Also, Myrtle Beach. Lovely part of the country. However, there are some things you need to consider especially coming from California and Louisville.

Hot and humid. Most people go from home, car, destination. I live in Houston and the summer sucks big time!! I was raised mostly up north and I have been here 9 years. Still struggle with the hot and humid.

Hurricanes. You need to think about that as well. Insurance for housing close to the coast can be very costly.

Education. Check and see how the education system is in each city you are interested in. Generally speaking, if their private education is very strong, that will tell you that the public education system is weak. We almost moved to Charleston and decided not to. I couldn't afford private schools.

The south is different than Louisville. While Louisville is in Kentucky, I always felt it was more Midwest. I thought Cincinnati was more "southern" than Louisville.

I lived in Bowling Green KY for 15 years. That was a great place to raise our kids. But Bowling Green is decidedly more southern than Louisville. I prefer the South but that is my preference.

Housing in those places could be more because they are "destination vacation" spots. So, I would look at Trulia and Zillow.

Good luck! Those are wonderful areas and you and your family will love the South. Welcome y'all!

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J.C.

answers from New York on

What about checking out Cary, NC. Might be a little bit more like you are used to. Great place to raise a family in and around Cary.

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