Community Chat

[gmkb]

Del Webb has a lovely 55+ community in that area.  We seriously considered it when we were relocating.  We have friends there who are very happy with this community.  Just know that you are more susceptible to hurricanes.  The community is 45 miles from Savannah, but in SC.

[Shelbelle]

My friend, also a widow, about your age lives in Bluffton, SC, she loves it and is kept very busy and social. Calabash, NC is where my cousins go , but just for the summer months, dont know about living there all year long.

[Burnsite]

I have spent time in Columbia SC, which is in the SC interior, so my post is more just about the climate there. Extremely hot and humid in the summer--lots of 100+ degree days the two summers I was there. Stifling.  It's beautiful, on the other hand, during spring and fall.  Mild winters.

The cost of living is very reasonable, but the crime rate is high. The television programming is much more fundamentalist-religious than where I live (which could be a plus for you--I found it interesting but a little scary sometimes---lots of science denial).

I recommend two websites:  City Data and AreaVibes.  To me, AreaVibes has the simplest comparison of cost-of-living, putting your current area in direct comparison with the area you are considering and breaking it down beyond COL to groceries, medical, transportation, crime, and amenities.  

City Data has forums for every state (and for specific regions in the states themselves).  Try the South Carolina forum and see if there is a special coastal sub-forum.

I am thinking about relocating to the New England area, and checking out the Mass, Vermont, and Maine forums on CityData has really been a good reality check about conditions in NE right now.

CityData also has a very informative and lively Retirement forum in which social life for single retirees often is discussed.  I check out the Retirement forum often, as I find financial management very puzzling and there are a lot of financially savvy people who bring up matters I would never have considered. 

The CityData moderators are quite strict, so trolling just doesn't seem to happen there.