James Island
THE LOWDOWN
According to the real locals (who’ve been here for generations), James Island is one of the areas that still maintains a feel of how Charleston used to be before all of us newcomers ruined it. It’s not as planned and manicured as some others areas of town, but you’ll drive down the road and have Spanish moss hanging over your car as you drive. There’s a very local feel here and there are plenty of old timer James Island folks who wouldn’t live anywhere else.
James Island has a great location, you can be downtown quickly, in ten minutes and you can be on Folly Beach in a few minutes too.
Other areas that are similarly close to downtown like older Mt Pleasant, Hampton Park downtown & Avondale in West Ashley all became very hip and saw their prices increase a few years ago, but James Island never saw that bump and prices stayed lower here than they should have, so I jumped on a great investment there two years ago and it really paid off.
Now there is a lot more development and some really nice neighborhoods being built. I’m a big fan of James Island. I’d suggest sticking to the areas around Harborview Road and Fort Johnson Road. I like that area and think it’s an easier commute since Folly Road can get backed up at busy times.
It has plenty of older neighborhoods, so if you like the feel of a brick ranch, there’s plenty of those around.
PRICE RANGE
Single Family Homes : Median Price $365,000
Condos & Townhomes : Median Price $219,000
PROS
The drive from James Island to Downtown is my favorite drive in Charleston, the views of the city and the harbor as you come up to the highest point of the connector are beautiful. If that’s your morning commute, you’ll be happy getting to work.
Folly Beach is close by and the most eclectic of the area beaches, it has its own feel and vibe.
It has some of the best views in the area and waterfront homes are a lot less expensive than Mt Pleasant/Daniel Island/Downtown.
The Terrace Theater is our only independent movie theater and shows some movies the multiplexes don’t. The Mexican restaurant Zia Taqueria next door to it is my favorite Mexican place in town.
CONS
Traffic can be heavy on Folly Road at rush house and Summer weekends with beach traffic. The town just did an upgrade of the Camp Road intersection so that may help.
James Island is a more vintage part of Charleston, so you might have to pass some older not as well maintained homes on the way to your nice house. This doesn’t necessarily make it a con, but not everyone likes that.
AREA FAVORITES
Sunrise Park - I’m here most days walking my dog. It has gorgeous scenery of Charleston harbor from its pier. There’s a small beach there too if you don’t want to deal with the bigger beaches.
James Island County Park - Another one for the dog lovers with a dedicated dog park and swimming area for them. Plenty more to see in the county park with a water park, camp sites, trails and the holiday lights are great too.
Charleston Municipal Golf Course : Where else can you play a round of golf for $17 ! It’s a nice course too, with some holes on the marsh.
COMMUTE TIMES
Airport/Boeing : 25 minutes
Downtown Charleston/MUSC : 5-15 minutes
Closest Beach : 5-15 minutes to Folly beach
SHOPPING
James Island doesn’t have any big shopping centers, it has all the supermarkets you’d want, a Lowes & Walmart, but you have to leave the island for some of the bigger stores. Plenty of nice funky local stores though
BEACHES
Folly Beach : This is your local beach, as little as five minutes away from James Island but watch out for traffic on Folly Road during the Summer. Go early or late to avoid the worst of it. During the rest of the year or midweek the traffic moves.
Kiawah Beachwalker Park : If you want a change of scenery from Folly, Kiawah Beachwalker is 35 minutes away, so a longer drive but traffic should be smoother and it’s a nice drive out there through Johns Island and Wadmalaw.
