Uptown Charleston

THE LOWDOWN

So if you’re not ready to move the ‘burbs, still want to live downtown life, but want to be in a more locals only, less touristy & commercial area, then Uptown is the place for you.

It’s still on the peninsula downtown, but it’s north of the Crosstown, which is the road that cuts across the peninsula and connects the bridges to both West Ashley & Mt Pleasant.

I’m calling it uptown, you might hear it being called Wagener Terrace, NOMO, Hampton Park. No one has settled on one firm name for the area, but they are all in the same general 2 square mile area. The key point is that it is above the crosstown.

It’s more affordable, with really nice residential areas that aren’t filled with short term rentals or rarely used vacation homes for the rich folk, like some of the areas south of the crosstown can be.

It’s locals only, zero tourists, very community oriented and lots of new interesting businesses being developed in the areas, like software start ups, breweries and creative restaurants. It’s got the nicest park in the area, Hampton Park. The Citadel is based up here.

There are lots of 1950s & 60s houses but there has been a lot of more modern infill projects in the area over the last few years, so if you have modern tastes, there’s plenty of new/newer builds in the area.

There are two higher end waterfront communities where I think everyone is either an MUSC doctor or attorney. Longborough & Lowndes Point

Prices have shot up here over the last five years, anything run down that has come up for sale, has been snapped up by the flippers. I was a little ahead of the game (as usual…) and was flipping here during the downturn in 2010 and did very well out of it.

I lived in this area for a few years and really loved it, everyone knows each other, it’s got probably the most (in)famous neighborhood FB page, which won the “most passive aggressive neighborhood FB page award with the local city paper.

The F&B scene is fantastic. Moe’s Crosstown Tavern has been a local of mine for 20 years, its slogan used to be “Having a good time on the bad side of town”. It’s no longer the bad side of town, so they’ve dropped that, but it’s still a great neighborhood spot. The Workshop is more SF than CHS, but it’s a welcome change to the scene. Every time I go online, I hear about another brewery opening in the area, there are at least five within a mile now. The hipsters hang out at The Harbinger and if you like live music, the Royal American is a great spot.

Uptown Charleston - Note : This page is about uptown Charleston above the Crosstown on the downtown peninsula. I have another page for the more historic/tourist downtown Charleston area, so be sure to read that too.

PRICE RANGE

Single Family Homes : $600,000+

Condos & Townhomes : $400,000

PROS

  • Peninsula Charleston living without the tourists

  • It’s all about community here.

  • Not cheap, but not priced out of reach just yet.

CONS

  • I’m struggling to think of many cons. I really like it here. Some of the houses are older and that can mean maintenance and higher energy bills

  • Some streets can flood during heavy rain, check with me about which ones do.

AREA FAVORITES

  • Hampton Park is so nice to walk around, running/cycling track around its perimeter that is shut off to cars twice a week, pond with ducks in the middle. Events on throughout the year.

  • The annual community oyster roast at Lowndes Plantation is lots of fun and you get to meet more of your neighbors

  • Walk along the bridge to nowhere

  • Brewery tour….uber from brewery to brewery on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

COMMUTE TIMES

Airport/Boeing : 15 minutes

Closest Beach : 20 minutes to either Sullivan’s Island or Folly Beach

SHOPPING

Not many shops up here, just lots of restaurants and bars.

BEACHES

Folly or Sullivan’s are both 20 minutes away.

STATS