Matt

Hey there - I am from Southern California too (Orange County), and I moved to the Southeast about 18 years ago. My wife and two young children and I live in Summerville, and it is WONDERFUL! We are about 30 minutes from the beach and 20 minutes from historic Charleston, but Summerville still has the kind of small-town feel and charm without the big city hassles. The schools in Summerville consistently rank among the very best in the state, and there is also a wonderful private school (K-12) in Summerville called Pinewood Preparatory School. The summers here are a lot more humid than in Southern California, but that is why they invented air conditioning! There is SO much to do here - I think your family will love it! My wife is from the northern part of South Carolina (Greenville/Spartanburg), and that is a wonderful area too. But those areas have more of a rural feel and fewer activities for the family without taking a 1-3 hour drive to a larger area. Charleston/Summerville offers all of the good things (shopping, restaurants, minor league sports teams, et cetera) that one gets in a metropolitan area without all of the drawbacks of a metropolis. I wish you the best of success in your search! - Wed May 21 2008, 18:38