Decisions decisions.

[Harvey Paul]

After spending next winter here I will be moving south next summer.
I am considering either the Raleigh NC area or the Charleston SC area.
Both states have none of the "assault weapon" restrictions and no licensing issues.
North Carolina allows open carry, South Carolina does not. North Carolina's weather is not as hot as South Carolina's weather.
North Carolina is a purple state and it looks like it's turning blue. South Carolina is a red state.
I'm leaning toward the Charleston area mainly for the ocean.
Anyone here have experience with either state? I'm going to check them both out this summer.

 

[FalArAk]

I think NC has a LOT more crime than SC.

 

[Hoover]

SC went red since '10. Control the gov, legislature, both senators and a good majority of the congressional seats. The Dems controlled the legilature since 1860 and gerrymandered the heck out of the congessional districts. Both have passed pro2a stuff in the last few years.

 

[Zappa]

If you move to SC, I hope you like humidity.
I went to Myrtle Beach and Darlington for Labor Day weekend in 2003, I never sweat so much in my life.
It made Daytona in July seem pleasant.

 

[mark056]

I can only say this: I lived on the GA/SC border. Don't be lulled by "gun owners" paradise. There are other are social dynamics and cultural subtleties that make living in the South different. Are you more conservative or libertarian? If you are conservative you will fit in fine. Libertarian small l or capital L perhaps less so. Are you religious? Various Protestant denominations especially of the Southern Baptist and Evangelical denominations make up a big part aof the population there and a big part of a lot of people's social life.

Overall I think the Northeast has more respect for MYOB. You will find the pace of living slower, and maybe too southern hospitality a little superficial. Once the novelty wears off that you can go into any gun store and buy pretty much anything you want, you start to realize, hey this isn't New England, now what am I gonna do with the rest of my life? Then there are the summers ! Hope you like the heat and humidity.

Praise Jesus ! Gotta go to the Waffle House and git me some cheese grits !

 

[tk421991]

After spending next winter here I will be moving south next summer.
I am considering either the Raleigh NC area or the Charleston SC area.
Both states have none of the "assault weapon" restrictions and no licensing issues.
North Carolina allows open carry, South Carolina does not. North Carolina's weather is not as hot as South Carolina's weather.
North Carolina is a purple state and it looks like it's turning blue. South Carolina is a red state.
I'm leaning toward the Charleston area mainly for the ocean.
Anyone here have experience with either state? I'm going to check them both out this summer.

Thought about moving to both before I decided on NH. I've been through both states, never stayed too long.

The Charleston area is the most Dem of SC and has had the same Dem mayor since 1975. SC also allows the state police (I think they issue permits) 90 days to process your permit app.

NC has a lot of restrictions in regards to where you can and can't carry, like for instance you can't carry in banks. Edit - see link #3 for more info re: restrictions.

If I were going to move to the coastal South, it'd either be northern Georgia or western Virginia from the Shenandoah valley down to TN.

http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/southcarolina.pdf

http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/northcarolina.pdf

http://www.usacarry.com/north_carolina_concealed_carry_permit_information.html

 

[calsdad]

After spending next winter here I will be moving south next summer.
I am considering either the Raleigh NC area or the Charleston SC area.
Both states have none of the "assault weapon" restrictions and no licensing issues.
North Carolina allows open carry, South Carolina does not. North Carolina's weather is not as hot as South Carolina's weather.
North Carolina is a purple state and it looks like it's turning blue. South Carolina is a red state.
I'm leaning toward the Charleston area mainly for the ocean.
Anyone here have experience with either state? I'm going to check them both out this summer.

The only time I've spent in North Carolina have been a few trips down the Outer Banks on vacation. So that's probably not a good barometer of the entire state. I like it down there - but like I said: it was a vacation. If I lived outside of New England and went to the Cape on vacation - I'd probably like MA too.

I have a brother in law who lives in Summerville SC - which is just outside of Charleston. We've gone down there a few times for both vacations (Seabrook Island), and for family stuff. The area is nice. Charleston is very nice and seems like a cool city. The Summerville area is nice and the people we have met seem very friendly, etc. As far as the gun thing goes - they're not much into it (the in-laws) - so I don't bring it up. But he is an ex-Navy guy - and a few years back when Obama was making one of his big pushes on gun control the wife and him were talking about that stuff and he made the following comment (which should tell you something about the attitude down there):

" if they try to go around and start taking people's guns down here - they're just going to get shot - that crap won't fly down here"

I like the Outer Banks - but if it was me I would give the Charleston area a serious look-over. I don't know what the job market is like down there though. Go down and spend a week and see how you like it. Savannah Georgia is pretty close to that area too - and that is another city worth visiting if you're in the area. One of the things I noticed about the area around Charleston is that you can buy a decent plot of land outside the city - and have a farm or ranch type setup - but still be within a relatively short drive to the city. It's not like it is here where you go far enough out to get cheap land - and you just earned yourself a 2 hour commute to get into Boston.

 

[Picton]

I can only say this: I lived on the GA/SC border. Don't be lulled by "gun owners" paradise. There are other are social dynamics and cultural subtleties that make living in the South different. Are you more conservative or libertarian? If you are conservative you will fit in fine. Libertarian small l or capital L perhaps less so. Are you religious? Various Protestant denominations especially of the Southern Baptist and Evangelical denominations make up a big part aof the population there and a big part of a lot of people's social life.

Overall I think the Northeast has more respect for MYOB. You will find the pace of living slower, and maybe too southern hospitality a little superficial. Once the novelty wears off that you can go into any gun store and buy pretty much anything you want, you start to realize, hey this isn't New England, now what am I gonna do with the rest of my life? Then there are the summers ! Hope you like the heat and humidity.

Praise Jesus ! Gotta go to the Waffle House and git me some cheese grits !

All this x100. I lived in NC for four years and these were my observations exactly. I never, ever got used to the slow pace of life down there, and peoples' inability to MYOB got old, fast.

 

[92G]

Triangle NC area and charleston SC are totally different. Raleigh is very suburban (all of wake county is nowadays). I lived in triangle area for 8 years and loved it. Summers absolutely blow however.

SC very different feel. Now youre actually in the South. Summers also blow. Slower paced but still nice. I agree w Mark056 the southern hospitality thing is superficial.....sort of like the asswipe mentality of new england which I have found to be true but also superficial.

as a libertarian, I actually considered myself a moderate when i lived in NC. I didnt really identify as a republican until I moved up here to moonbatland. i agree w mark dont expect the southerners to be libertarian minded, they are as fanatic right and our neighbors here are fanatic-left.

 

[calsdad]

All this x100. I lived in NC for four years and these were my observations exactly. I never, ever got used to the slow pace of life down there, and peoples' inability to MYOB got old, fast.

People up here don't MYOB either. They just screw with you by passing more laws and getting the government to do the dirty work.

 

[mark056]

People up here don't MYOB either. They just screw with you by passing more laws and getting the government to do the dirty work.

This is based on your experience living outside of New England or some book you read?You so totally don't get the context of my post. You have never lived anywhere but New England have you so how could you possibly know what we are talking about in context?

 

[Picton]

Yeah, I figured Mark meant the interpersonal type of MYOB. Down there, folks say hello on the sidewalk and then expect a conversation about how your kids are doing. I've got no time for all that.

As for intrusive government, NC in the '90s made it hard to buy handguns also. You needed a separate purchasing permit for each handgun, at $5 each from your local CoP. You could only buy 5 at a time, if I remember right.

And yes, the summers blow.

 

[tk421991]

The MYOB person-to-person thing depends on where you are and who you're dealing with. When I lived in Tuscaloosa, AL, people left me alone and I walked everywhere since I didn't have a vehicle. Tuscaloosa is a college town, by the way. Mostly people my age.

If you go to a small town where everyone knows each other, then be prepared to talk to everyone. But people do the same thing up here - I've had strangers waive to me in Pittsburg and other small towns in NH.

The thing I didn't like about the south is how slow the pace of life is and that it's almost impossible to conduct any business with anyone on a Sunday.

I loved the 110 degree, 100% humidity in Tuscaloosa but I hate living in the AC. It's probably a 50 degree increase when you go out of a 72 degree room into the 110 heat.

 

[RoterTeufel]

My sister lives in Raleigh & my mom lives in Carolina Beach (both NC), and about 2.5 hours away from each other.

This winter, Carolina beach was pretty cold & it snowed a couple times.
Last time I was in Raleigh during the spring it was in the 70's-low 80's; a buddy & I drove down to see my sister, once we crossed over, thru & under the Chesapeake Bay bridge tunnel system into Virginia Beach the weather was noticeably warmer & more humid - it felt good.

 

[M1911]

I spent a year in South Carolina, building a dam at the Savannah River Plant during '84 and '85. I lived in North Augusta, SC, or in Augusta, GA during that time. I drove about 45 minutes each way to the job site.

That part of GA/SC is pretty for about 3 weeks each year when the azaleas are in bloom - which is right now, during the Masters. The rest of the time? No thank you.

Summers are hot and humid. Seriously hot and humid. It can get cold in the winter. I was inspecting on a drill rig when it was 30 degrees and raining. But the cold usually doesn't last that long down there.

The coast is prettier, but also even more humid and you have to worry about hurricanes and storm surge. I would not live on one of the barrier islands like Hilton Head. Or, at least, it wouldn't be my primary home and I would consider it to be sacrificial in the event of a hurricane.

Perhaps the higher elevations of northwest SC are prettier than the area near Augusta, but I didn't get a chance to visit. I didn't much care for Augusta.

Another issue to consider is that the crime rate in NC and SC is much higher than New England.

 

[knfmn]

NC is a great state. My best friend when is was 18-19 was from the Charlott-Hickory area. I spent some time there and liked it a lot. North Carolina does require a permit to buy a pistol from a dealer, but that goes away if you have a CCW license, which also exempts you from the NICS check.

The south is different (in a good way, IMO). What people have classified as an inability to MYOB is called "being polite" south of the Mason Dixon line. It's a weird concept, but actually refreshing. Folks there actually care about their neighbors and have an interest in what's going on with them. Try it, you might actually like it.

I will be the first to admit that there are a bunch of religious fruitloops down there and hypocrites, which usually goes hand in hand. Being an atheist in the south was.....challenging. There are folks down there for whom religion isn't the sole topic of conversation, though. One of the side effects of a religious society is that people actually help each other, just because it makes them feel good. Nice benefit there.

The summers can definitely be rough. I honestly have no clue how someone makes it through a South Carolina summer. They're brutal. North Carolina, especially over toward the mountains isn't so bad. Their summers are usually milder than Tennessee, meaning you can actually go outside without suffering heat stroke!

Go down and check the states out. You'll like it.

 

[calsdad]

This is based on your experience living outside of New England or some book you read?You so totally don't get the context of my post. You have never lived anywhere but New England have you so how could you possibly know what we are talking about in context?

I think I do get the context of your post. Like Picton said: down there people are more friendly - but they're also more "up in your shit" on a personal basis. So on a person to person basis - they're not MYOB.

Up here - people are less friendly and personable. I can see the distinct difference every time I go down south.

My point was - they don't MYOB up here either. They just go about screwing with you a different way. Up here - they won't get right in your face and tell you that you're doing something they don't like or agree with - they'll run to their legislator and try to get a law passed.

 

[Wicked1911]

One of my brothers lives in SC and my sister lives in NC. I have been to both many times and both are nice, but if I had to live in one or the other it would be SC for sure.

 

[Spanz]

make SURE you move to a county that is not DRY!!!!

 

[rep308]

Check the Tax situation and if you live in South Carolina I hope you like religious radio, jeez they have a lot of those stations.

 

[OCB]

As for intrusive government, NC in the '90s made it hard to buy handguns also. You needed a separate purchasing permit for each handgun, at $5 each from your local CoP. You could only buy 5 at a time, if I remember right.

And yes, the summers blow.

You don't need purchase permits if you get your CCW license.

I moved to western NC before starting high school, and went to UNC (about 30 min west of Raleigh) for undergrad. My wife's family just moved away from Raleigh recently, so I spent a good amount of time there as well. I really liked living in NC and hope to return soon. The pace of life definitely is slower (less so in cities like Raleigh and Charlotte), and the cost of living is better. The job market in Raleigh seems to have improved over the past few years, judging by the job postings I see on sites like Monster, Career builder, etc.
I've only visited Charleston a couple of times, so I can't really comment about it.

 

[Picton]

Do non-concealed holders still need the purchase permit? And how hard is it to get a concealed permit? I was in the Army when I lived there, so edc wasn't in the cards for me.

 

[M1911]

Do non-concealed holders still need the purchase permit? And how hard is it to get a concealed permit? I was in the Army when I lived there, so edc wasn't in the cards for me.

From what I've read:

1) Yes.

2) Easy. It is shall-issue.

 

[Riverside]

I moved from Boston, MA to Summerville, SC last October 2014. I love it here. Summerville is located about 24 miles NW of Charleston, SC. During my visits here last Summer, it was hot and humid but a constant breeze kept it tolerable. I hated the cold winters, they were physically painful so I won't likely complain about a SC summer. I moved into a +55 community and I enjoy my surroundings. The Post & Courier Newspaper reminds me of the Globe. On the ballot last November, it was the complete opposite of a MA ballot. Hardly a D to be found. The Berkeley County Sheriff was arrested for DUI last December. He resigned in February. SC requires a 90 day wait from the time you become a resident until you are eligible to apply for your CWP. One is required to take the NRA course and complete a course of fire proving competency. 80 shots taken at various distances to the target, within a specified time frame. There are some exceptions to this rule and those exceptions are posted on the SLED website. I received my CWP within 6 weeks of my application. Income Tax rates treat the retired quite generously. So do real estate taxes. There are lots of County and state taxes and many other special taxes to figure in but do your research before you move. I have found everyone to be friendly, polite and welcoming. My advice is to come down and visit the area. Summerville, SC is growing by leaps and bounds with no end in sight as are many other areas.

Best regards.