I moved to South Carolina in 2010. It is one of the best decisions I ever made. Actually, the decision was made for me. I was working in New York City at the time, running The Daily Dirtnap out of an office on 3rd Avenue in Hedge Fund Alley, and my wife was teaching at Princeton. She wasn’t tenured, though. She was on a 5-year post-doc, so at the end of that 5-year term, she had to go someplace else. The job market wasn’t great at the time, and the best option she had was Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina.
Great piece Jared, having lived in Manhattan and in the south, I laughed through most of it. Am in agreement on the Joris Voorn track too, keeps my brain humming even at 128bpm. Keep it up!
I grew up in Houston and Austin Texas, so I know the southern happiness, civility and more neighborly attitude about things. AND the humidity is very real, but it's like a comforting blanket after you get used to it. Sounds like I need to visit SC and check it out (I do not have a Bloomberg terminal, so no competition there :)
I love this. I moved to Charleston in 2009 from Chicago and the traffic patterns drove me insane. I just accepted I was an asshole and if I merged late I pointed to my license plate and shrugged my shoulders. The heat got to me. My wife is from Jersey shore area and we moved back last year. I tell people it's because I love to pay taxes. But overall I think the weather is better here (though winters suck major vein). It certainly helps to live in a shore town because I can't handle the city. It is so true that people are fake nice in the south...I much prefer to argue it out and then get the beer. But I'm mixed...so much good in the south like you point out. I had no clue when I moved there and it grew on me. From a child raising standpoint, Jersey shore is gonna be better (schools, kids riding bikes to surf, etc). That was the nail in the coffin for me. enjoy dirty myrtle! and go see Robert Lange Studio next time you're in charleston (off of Queen). It's the only art gallery worth seeing.
I was lucky enough to move to HHI from the mid-west when I was 12 yrs old. It was exactly as you described it with the driver on a 2 lane road. Fast food joints were really slow and if you pressed a situation it got you nowhere fast. I now live in Mt Plastic and have been for the past 10 years and just love the Charleston area and all that it has to offer. The only problem is that the world found this place a while ago and it's been growing year-on-year like mad. Sure it makes for diverse economy with tourism, port, manufacturing, universities and services... but it's getting crowded peeps! Wetlands limit infrastructure expansion while the likes of DRH clear-cut and build cookie-cutter neighborhoods and big apartment/condo complexes continue to sprout all over the county. It has lost it's original charm, but it's better than most places as most visitors don't want to leave.
Lastly, on politics, with the the exodus from blue states to here, politics will continue to get more contentious in SC. Today's local election results should shed some light as to what to expect for this coming November mid-term election.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, thoughts and views.
I'm a Southerner
Great piece Jared, having lived in Manhattan and in the south, I laughed through most of it. Am in agreement on the Joris Voorn track too, keeps my brain humming even at 128bpm. Keep it up!
awesome article Jared !
I grew up in Houston and Austin Texas, so I know the southern happiness, civility and more neighborly attitude about things. AND the humidity is very real, but it's like a comforting blanket after you get used to it. Sounds like I need to visit SC and check it out (I do not have a Bloomberg terminal, so no competition there :)
I love this. I moved to Charleston in 2009 from Chicago and the traffic patterns drove me insane. I just accepted I was an asshole and if I merged late I pointed to my license plate and shrugged my shoulders. The heat got to me. My wife is from Jersey shore area and we moved back last year. I tell people it's because I love to pay taxes. But overall I think the weather is better here (though winters suck major vein). It certainly helps to live in a shore town because I can't handle the city. It is so true that people are fake nice in the south...I much prefer to argue it out and then get the beer. But I'm mixed...so much good in the south like you point out. I had no clue when I moved there and it grew on me. From a child raising standpoint, Jersey shore is gonna be better (schools, kids riding bikes to surf, etc). That was the nail in the coffin for me. enjoy dirty myrtle! and go see Robert Lange Studio next time you're in charleston (off of Queen). It's the only art gallery worth seeing.
We moved to Atlanta from NJ in 2016 and I relate so much to this. It’s all true.
I was lucky enough to move to HHI from the mid-west when I was 12 yrs old. It was exactly as you described it with the driver on a 2 lane road. Fast food joints were really slow and if you pressed a situation it got you nowhere fast. I now live in Mt Plastic and have been for the past 10 years and just love the Charleston area and all that it has to offer. The only problem is that the world found this place a while ago and it's been growing year-on-year like mad. Sure it makes for diverse economy with tourism, port, manufacturing, universities and services... but it's getting crowded peeps! Wetlands limit infrastructure expansion while the likes of DRH clear-cut and build cookie-cutter neighborhoods and big apartment/condo complexes continue to sprout all over the county. It has lost it's original charm, but it's better than most places as most visitors don't want to leave.
Lastly, on politics, with the the exodus from blue states to here, politics will continue to get more contentious in SC. Today's local election results should shed some light as to what to expect for this coming November mid-term election.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, thoughts and views.
G.S.