Question 1: Holy Heat Is There A Mosquito Problem?
MORE IMPORTANTLY WILL I SURVIVE SUMMER??
No matter what state you live in, the general idea is SOUTHERN SUMMERS ARE HOT!! I tend to picture Lousiana swamps, alligators, and sweet ice tea on tap when I think of Southern heat.
As someone who lived in a cold PNW climate her whole life, I was kinda afraid of this idea… ‘will I even be able to step outside during the summer??’😫😫
Well let me tell you SPRING and SUMMER are both hot. The average temperature in Upstate SC for May is 81, June is 88, and July is 91. To compare, the average temp in July for Seattle WA is 72 degrees. That’s a 19 degree difference.
HOWEVER – FALL and WINTER are magical seasons with wonderful temperatures!! This to me makes up for the melting heat.
In the summer I plan our outings to happen in the morning (in the car by 9am). We go to parks with alot of shade, and splashpads are a big bonus. Around noon we go home and keep busy with indoor activites (in the comfort of AC). Then around 7-8pm we go outside again.
NOTE ABOUT MOSQUITOS: I HATE THEM.
They are everywhere, in swarms they attack.. especially as the sun begins to go down. Mosquitos don’t really like direct sun but they love shady cool areas. My advice is keep moving! Run, jog with the stroller, go for bike rides. It is harder for them to hit a moving target.
Read More About My Battle With SC Mosquitoes.
Question 2: Are There Tornadoes?
TORNADOES? YES. EGG SIZE HAIL? YES. CRAZY COLD WINTERS? YES.
Before we moved, SC tornadoes were NOT on my radar. They happen in Oaklahoma, Arkansa, Tornado Alley, far away right??
Well in FEB 2020 an EF1 tornado touched down 20 min away from our home (Spartanburg). It went through downtown!
[My joke about it is when the tornado visited the unimpressive local mall he stopped in his tracks and evaporated because there was nothing worth destroying LOL]
Read More About SC Upstate Weather and the Need for a Weather App Alert
Question 3: Is The Economy Very Different?
BE PREPARED FOR THE SHOCK OF IT ALL
The houses, the customer service, the grocery stores..
Compared to WA, OR, and CA.. the of state of South Carolina is on the low end of income per gdp. People make less here and while yes houses are cheaper, the quality of these new construction homes is almost laughable. The building codes are so behind the West Coast.
So if you do plan to buy a new construction home make sure you read into their 1 year home warranty, and take advantage as needed. One family we know recently bought a new Ryan Builder home and wow let me tell you there were so many issues with that new house 😞.. in less than 1 year their walls had cracks, some walls were very visibly crooked, the sliding door didn’t slide properly, and the heating system duct work was a joke.
I’ve also noticed a difference in customer service down here. In WA customer service is king. Here I have experienced countless times where serving the customer quickly and efficiently was not a high priority.. People work slower, offices close early, some places are impossible to reach on Fridays. There is no rush. I’ve even heard from friends how frustrating it was that their local real estate agent was always away vacationing in Florida. I know this is not the case for everybody I am just speaking about my personal experiences.
Life is more relaxed here and that’s not bad. We wanted to move away from the hustle and bustle of the crazy Seattle area. It will take some time to get used to a different pace, especially after living in the Northwest for 22+ years like I did. Of course the closer you live to Greenville it is more ‘city-like’. Traffic on Woodruff Road in Greenville to reach Whole foods and Trader Joes can be torture!
There are no Safeways or Fred Meyers here! Instead there are stores like Ingles, Publix, and German chain stores Aldi and Lidl. It might take some time getting used to the different products and pricing. One question I hear alot from people is ‘food is cheaper in SC right?’ .. well that’s not completely true. Sure gas is MUCH CHEAPER. But I’ve noticed groceries cost the same and if not more $$ on some items compared to WA. They even sell Rainer Cherries and Eastern WA Apples here. So when you move don’t expect to save on food (unless you grow your own food, butcher your own cow)
Question 4: Im New to SC and I’m Lonely
HOW CAN I STOP FEELING ISOLATED?
The KEY for a successful move to South Carolina… I would say there are three factors: Economic, Attitude, and Community. I will talk about community in this post..
In order to thrive as a ‘transplant’ it is important to get ‘rooted’ in a community. Since moving from WA to SC I have met families who moved back, some in as little as 6 months!
One difference between families that stay and families that don’t, is that families who stay make friends and get plugged into a community whereas the others don’t.
Read More About Successfully Moving
Question 5: We Just Moved, Why Do We Keep Getting Sick?
I’ve noticed families with kids who move from the West Coast go through a ‘just moved sick period’. This might be because of geological viral variation and or a new climate. For two years after moving to SC, allergies would affect me in the early summer via a sore throat. I’ve never had allergies before. However after those two initial years my allergies went away. I think it was just my body getting used to all the new pollen.
Families with kids who go to school especially get hit hard. Of course illnesses can’t be avoided but the best thing you can do is prepare yourself. Just like before flying I start taking a bunch of vitamin C days before. You can strengthen your kids immunity through vitamins and by fortifying the gut biodome with probiotics. There are many different immune strengthening protocols and I recommend researching for your own unique family.
After you move its best to find a pediatrician quickly. You might have to cycle through a few doctors before you find one you like and trust. TIP: Did you know hospitals have websites where you can read pediatrician qualifications and biographies, also you can view some of their patient reviews. This can also help you make a decision who to start with.
Its important to get a doctor and become registered in the clinic because pediatrician clinics (most) have same day urgent care visits. I prefer to take my kids to the pediatrician urgent care vs the regular adult urgent care, just because the pediatrician’s have more experience and knowledge dealing with children. Of course if your child is very sick even adult urgent care will do. Don’t save finding a doctor until after your child gets sick.
Thanks for checking out my tips for Moving to Upstate SC.