Moving to Summerville, SC

Apr 29

Moving to Summerville, South Carolina…. Here’s the Basics

In the last 10 years, Summerville, South Carolina has experienced major population growth. Based on census data, from 2010 to 2020 the population of The Sweet Tea Capital of the World has grown by a staggering 24.19%. Current data estimates that nearly 54,000 people call Summerville home. It is no surprise that many people have chosen Summerville as their home because it’s a great city in a great area. The purpose of this blog is to give outsiders who may be looking to move to the area a very simple start on getting to know the Summerville area. More detailed information about Summerville and the Charleston area can be found in our other blog posts.

Relocating to Summerville SC: Part 1

Relocating to Summerville SC: Part 2

Moving to Charleston, SC

Home Grown Real Estate gets calls from families interested in moving to the Charleston area and specifically Summerville at least weekly. Summerville is convenient and close to all Charleston has to offer and still has kept the reputation of being a smaller quaint southern town. If you are looking for that hometown feeling in your new city, Summerville is as close to that as you will find in the Charleston area. Summerville is known for moderately priced homes, fun community activities, a variety of recreation areas and activities, good schools, and ample shopping and entertainment. You’ll get all this plus the convenience of being within 30 minutes of the one of the most desirable vacation cities in the world and within 60 minutes from 3 beautiful beaches. What more could one want?

When exploring the area, most relocators are surprised when they see how vast Summerville is. According to Wikipedia, Summerville is nearly 20 square miles and while this does not seem too large on paper, driving from one end of Summerville to the other end will easily take you 30-45 minutes depending on the time of day. When we first moved here 8 years ago, I was confused because people would refer to different parts of Summerville by different names. For instance, they would say “the Publix in Knightsville”. Knightsville????? I thought it was in Summerville. It took me a while to understand that there are smaller areas of Summerville that each have their own name almost like a little city in a bigger city. So, when you hear Knightsville, Oakbrook, Nexton, Cane Bay, just know that these areas are all part of Summerville and not different cities.

Let’s now go back to Civics class 101. Remember our government hierarchy? There’s the federal government, our state government, then the county government and finally the city government. There are three counties that make up the Charleston area: Dorchester County, Berkely County and Charleston County. We locals call this whole area the “tri-county” area…get it? Because of Summerville’s location and vast land area, there are parts of Summerville in each of the three Charleston area counties. This can make understanding school districts, local taxes, and utilities a little difficult for those not familiar with the area. Each county has their own school district, sets their own local taxes, and have their own utility providers. The majority of Summerville is in Dorchester and Berkley Counties with a small area that borders North Charleston in Charleston County. It’s helpful to know about the different counties especially when considering school districts. If you have your heart set on a particular district or even school, always double check with your real estate agent because just because a house has a Summerville address, does not mean it will be in your school district of choice.

Hopefully, this explanation of the Summerville area is helpful for those who are unfamiliar with the area and looking to learn more about it. Here at Home Grown Real Estate, we would love to answer questions you may have about the area and even show you around town if given the opportunity! We specialize in helping families relocate to Summerville from all over the country by providing virtual tours of listed homes, so you feel comfortable making offers on houses even if you haven’t physically toured them. In the current seller’s market, this is a must to be a competitive out-of-the-area buyer. We also have assembled a team of professionals including lenders, home inspectors, contractors and real estate attorneys who all have experience with working with out of state buyers. Whether in Summerville or any Charleston area city, Home Grown Real Estate and its team would be honored to assist in finding you a new hometown!