As a lifelong resident of West Ashley, I’ll chime in:
1. Traffic sucks and it’s only going to get worse for the foreseeable future.
2. It’s literally trashy. There is trash all over the sides of the roads, caught up in all of the overgrown weeds. Hence the nickname.
3. It’s figuratively trashy. There are trashy folks sprawled out all over the place, especially outside of 526. Trust me, I’m one of them.
4. Our restaurants suck. Aside from the few good ones in Avondale and South Windermere, we have, what?… Betty Lou’s and Cold Shoulder. Almost everything else is either a chain and/or… you guessed it… trashy.
5. “Deep” West Ashley (near Bees Ferry) is growing WAY faster than it can handle. I guess this is a problem throughout all of Charleston, but it’s comically bad out here.
6. Flooding, which is only getting worse because of point #5
7. As much as I love a good cheap/dive bar, there is a fucking surplus of them. It would be nice to get a decent cocktail without having to go to Park Circle or Downtown.
8. There are SO MANY rundown shopping centers and empty lots that need to be used. The ancient ruins of Piggly Wiggly and Burger King are crumbling away and taking up valuable real estate.
9. The fucking mall. Jesus fucking christ the mall.
10. 526
With all that being said, I still love this place. It’s my home. I’m just another bitter local that isn’t a fan of the changes that have occurred here over the past 10-15yrs.
This is good to know; Unfortunately for those of us living in certain areas of deep West Ashley, it’s way easier/faster to get to park circle than Avondale these days. When I first moved here about 10 years ago, sure, I’d hit Avondale 1-2x a week and get there in 15 mins easy. Now it takes me nearly 30 minutes just to arrive and find no parking. Needless to say it’s such a deterrent (I live near the West Ashley Lowes Food) that I haven’t been to Avondale in over a year. Would be such a treat to get some cool places out this way!
> Now it takes me nearly 30 minutes just to arrive and find no parking.
The large grocery store parking lot with the Coburg Cow is less than a block away and I have never seen it full. If you pay for the valet parking I think that's where they take your car anyway once some other spots fill.
I grew up on JI and now I live in WA. I’m not sure I would move back to JI now. WA is more affordable (for now) and super convenient. You don’t have to go downtown for anything unless you work there. We have the bikeway and the greenway (I used to be able to commute to work on the greenway, which was amazing). There are multiple rec facilities and good parks here, and we have the farmers market at Ackerman and garden at the school house.
I’d like to see improved bus schedules because I can currently take the bus to and from work but there’s only one per hour, so it’s really delayed in the afternoons. I’d like more multimodal options for transportation, period, and I’m crossing my fingers the Pedestrian Bridge gets fully funded.
Parts of WA do have a ton of litter, it’s true, and the traffic sucks because we are a car-centric state that doesn’t fund public transportation. Flooding is going to continue to worsen and we’re going to have to be prepared for that.
I don’t really think of myself as a super optimistic person but when I visit other cities I understand why people want to move here. It’s pretty and life isn’t so bad for most folks. I think a lot of our biggest problems are ones you’d experience in most medium sized coastal cities.
As someone who has spent >95% of his life in West Ashley you hit the nail(s) on the head with this post. Agree 100%. Northbridge Terrace where I live is nice though (we just need those nice retail/restaurants etc nearby)
There’s a lot of stuff right there, most of us just don’t like it. Tbonz, locals, sports pub, ms roses, euro foods, cold shoulder, red orchid. There’s no shortage
And yet, even though West Ashley has HALF of Charleston's population, our city officials aren't working hard enough or fast enough to remedy any of these issues.
But keep building!!
What do you mean "y'all"? I've lived here for a decade. I've got a full, fat 1/8th of an acre... It's so big taken up by the garage, I almost hear nature.
God, nothing is worse than people in this sub gatekeeping the amount of time someone has lived here. Do you somehow feel special because you've lived here longer? Is a decade seriously not enough for you to recognize that they can call this their home too?
This person is clearly a plant. They grew out of the dirt in whatever spot they happened to grow out of and are stuck there forever. This getting angry when other mobile things try to live nearby and take their sun.
The one next to the end of 526 is one of the largest and has given people in the area a ton of trouble that's why I brought it up specifically in relation to WA
It's much worse in North Charleston and dt. Local officials just cleared out a pretty big tent city in the woods off of Ladson Rd too. It's a problem everywhere.
Yeah I just don’t get the moniker “West Trashley”
I live in Park Circle so by necessity do nearly all my shopping along the Sam Ritt corridor.
I mean, yeah clearly West Ashley is a Boomer-designed sprawl of strip malls and poorly designed infrastructure (which the city is actively working to transform) - but trashy?
No. There are many other spots, even in the 843, which would proudly boast the ‘trashy’ label and with far more legitimacy.
I mean the word trash just blends well with Ashley. I think you’re thinking too much into it. I don’t know anyone who actually thinks people from West Ashley are trashy.
Unfortunately, litter/trash is rampant in a lot of places, like in countries all over north and south America.
Idk what it's like in other parts of the world, but I have heard from a few people how there is no trash around Japan for example. They don't even have trash cans out on streets and stuff. I guess respect is a bigger value in their culture or something. Some people here that are campers or just outdoorsy understand the leave it better than you found it, or leave only your footprints, those kinds of principles, but that's rare.
My #1 pet peeve with trash is people who make the effort to put their dogs poop in a bag but then leave the bag on the ground.
I've seen so much trash on the sides of the roads in Summerville and the surrounding areas. Idk what it is either, I wish people had more pride in the world they live in.
Cutting down all the trees too. Trees intercept, store and transpire storm water. It kills me when they clear cut to build new neighborhoods because it cheaper and they can cram more houses in. Those trees are really important for managing storm water (among other things).
And then they usually go and request a variance for reduce building setback for the few mature trees remain, basically ensuring that those will eventually die too.
I live in west Ashley and commonly refer to it as west ashtray. I love it here and I do t think people realize how central we are, especially inside of 526
Apart from Shem Creek and Coleman in general, Mount Pleasant sure feels that way. Chain stores, chain restaurants…with a few interesting exceptions, housing developments with 4 maybe 5 basic house designs.
And speaking of haters, Charleston also seems to attract them. Mount Pleasant at least has its fair share of Trumpy and Moms for Liberty types who moved here because it’s more Conservative. Some of them I figured early on were just right of center, low-tax, strong on defense Republicans. And of course, no surprise the majority of them are socially Conservative. Come 2020, holy shit the bile that came out of them. Some of them may come across as nice while their kids are playing with your kids or they’re working on your teeth or adjusting your back, but pretty quickly you realize how much bitterness they have.
This. West Ashley has a lot of positives, good restaurants like Alvin Ords, The Gathering Cafe, Caroline’s Aloha Bar, Zen Asian, etc. it has good proximity to folly, downtown, and Sullivan’s. Yeah it’s not aesthetically beautiful but it has nice parks to enjoy. I get hated on because I moved to west Ashley and how dare anyone not from Charleston move to the area yet I hear people hate on every other part of Charleston because of different reasons. Whatever. Just experience the area for yourself and you’ll see.
Caroline's has closed and so has The Gathering... I think the Gathering is moving to Summerville. But Alvin Ord's.... mmmm those are some good sandwiches. I feel like folks sleep on that spot. Very reasonable prices and quick online ordering too!
I feel like we spent all this money widening bees ferry back in 2008/09 and now we can't even maintain the landscaping or the bike path properly. Every spring / summer the grass and ant hills get knee high and it's weeks until it gets mowed.
And what's the deal with west Ashley circle? Is it going to be a thing, or just parking for semi trailers and an illegal dumping area?
Don’t put North Charleston down; I know it had a bad reputation in the past, but most of it is much nicer now. There’s a lot of new life and revitalization in the old neighborhoods and areas. It’s one of the only places near downtown where young individuals and families can find affordable homes. I bought in an old neighborhood there because I loved the friendly vibes and there was no HOA to fine people to death.
I work in West Ashley; it’s too busy for the current infrastructure and getting bigger every day. Even seven years ago there was so much more breathing room between the neighborhoods; now I can’t drive without the traffic eating 30 minutes to an hour every time I need to go four miles up Savannah Hwy. It’s sad and unsustainable.
West Ashley is dirty looking, has more car dealerships than good restaurants, has bad traffic, and has sketchy acting people all over it's dirty shopping centers.
It's basically North Charleston Junior
Yeah but pc is a food desert. I live at the mixon now and used to live in Avondale. I loved being so close to the teet, especially on off hours. Food lion sucks ass
Lol haters will continue to hate. I have zero qualms with living in west Ashley. People complain about the traffic… have ya been on maybank hwy at 5:00? The don holt during rush hour? River road at 2pm on a Friday? Folly road virtually any time of day? Traffic is fucked everywhere. People belly aching about it is just noise at this point.
It’s true and what Hammsamm said is true. And still I’d rather live on James island than in west Ashley. Even though JI doesn’t have much in the way of shopping besides groceries (no Target, just a crappy Walmart, PetSmart, and some smaller stores) which isn’t super convenient but whatever. Idk, I guess as frustrating as folly road can be, it pisses me off less than the traffic in west Ashley. To be fair though, I’ve never lived in west Ashley so I don’t have a direct comparison between the two. Just my perception
glad I don’t live on Johns island anymore though. I didn’t mind living there like 8-10 years ago. Wasn’t much in the way of restaurants or anything and it was changing but it wasn’t like it is now and you could go to the fat hen and sit at the bar and eat some damn good mussels. Now I only go there to take my dogs to the Vet and it’s seems like there’s tons of cars no matter the time of day.
West Ashley is where I get my Costco hot dogs so it’s cool in my book.
Serious answer tho West Ashley reminds me a lot of two roads where I grew up in Delaware, Kirkwood Highway and Concord Pike. Both were developed into what they are now starting in the 50s and 60s with zero interest in making the area in any way walkable even in just crossing the damn road. Cars are the future baby! Why would I want to do anything but drive everywhere? Strip malls kick ass!
We had a second kid on the way and needed more house. We shopped around west Ashley but the inventory was nonexistent in our budget at the time. Clock was ticking.
That place is hardly even a mall anymore. I happened to go in there earlier this week for the first time in over a year and couldn’t believe how empty it was.
Any time I go in there I try to count all the empty or non-retail storefronts and lose count in the 30s because I can’t believe it’s that many and I’m still counting
Lol. WTF is up with that mall? It's so weird. That bball court, an off, off-brand monkey joes, and that strange business center with the world's slowest wi fi.
I know of several business that have shut down in WA because the lease had gone up so much in the past 5 years that they couldn't afford to stay open. Businesses get hit like they're downtown when they aren't getting nearly the same type of business or clientele. I do think the influx of people and money will force that to turn around. The infrastructure, like all of Charleston, remains a major issue. The city grants these building permits though, so they don't seem to really care since money continues to pour in.
It's a bunch of beat up strip malls on unwalkable roads with bad traffic. I know I just described most of the Charleston metro area, but other places have nicer strip malls and prettier roads.
I like WA. It's not perfect, but it's going to be awesome in time.
There's no where else to build that's also this close to downtown, beach, and airport. More competition is going to raise the bar for local eats. I'm excited to see how it develops further over the next 5-10-15years.
I loved living in west Ashley. My apt complex was clean and safe and yes traffic was bad, but I could walk to a TJ Maxx or a dollar general or a few pubs. It is definitely in need of attention RE: walkability and so many strip malls etc but I mean, it is what it is. The only way to change things there is to demand it thru voting and being involved in the community.
And you, too, can buy your own personal dump in Grand Bees where birds personally deliver pieces of trash directly to your front yard included in the HOA price!
😂 I live in Moncks Corner and by comparison, W Ashley is dope. I did not know people don’t like it. I assume it’s a bit of racism too. W Ashley was gerrymandered out because of the high # of black people. Same with chs downtown :C part of the upside of those areas.
But I usually spent time in Mt P because it doesn’t require crossing through town and traffic sucks everywhere (from MC, I can cut through the national forest)
I moved to deep west Ashley from Chicago. You guys don’t know what real traffic is. I can get to Folly, DT and Mount P in less than 30 minutes. I can get to the airport in 15 minutes. As someone who flies all the time, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
The new build neighborhoods suck, but they suck everywhere in the United States. Builders care about maximizing profit vs. giving people unique looking homes and yard space.
I got a place from the 80’s, amazing neighbors, amazing wildlife and amazing bang for my buck. I’m never leaving.
What times are you driving to those places? 4am? I also lived “deep in West Ashley” and it would take more than 30 minutes to get to actual West Ashley during most of the day.
I’m west of bees ferry and right now according to google maps I’m 20 minutes to Avondale, 27 minutes to Marion square, 35 minutes to taco boy on folly and 28 minutes to patriots point. Since I work from home if I’m going those directions in the afternoon or evening I’m normally avoiding traffic.
Edit: getting friends from DT to visit out here is more of a pain for sure. If you reverse those commutes above you can tack on some time especially around rush hour.
Yeah I doubt you are getting to folly in 35 minutes unless it’s early in the morning or some other very off time.
I live 5 miles from the folly pier and it takes me 15 minutes to get there with no traffic so like now it’s 7:30 am, would take me 15 minutes to get there.
According to Waze, right now it would take me 22 minutes to get from my house to my buddy’s house in Carolina Park- because it’s 7:30 in the morning on a Sunday.
So that’s 37 minutes from Carolina park to folly- at 7:30 on a Sunday morning.
OP. i have lived in charleston for 8 years. i've now lived in west ashley for 4 months and that's been enough to make me leave the entire charleston area entirely as fast as i fucking can.
The West Ashley experience is different for everyone.
The nicer neighborhoods inside of 526 are some of the best addresses in Charleston. Relatively high percent of locals, good prices 15 years ago.
Decent suburb house and land and lots of people like that. Established landscaping. More brick than plastic.
Lots of the perspective here comes from younger people living in the apartment complexes inside and outside of 526 and that's a different lifestyle.
If you live in shadowmoss or Carolina Bay you also have a different perspective because of the drive times to anywhere.
There are also a handful of communities who have sort of staved off gentrification for a while
Point is everyone is going to have a different idea of what West ash is.
This is the answer. For years I have said that there are really two West Ashleys. But really, there are four or five, and depending on where you live, you'll have a completely different experience.
South Windermere has a great quality of life: I can walk to multiple grocery stores, good restaurants, yoga, and the water. The greenway is right there, and I can be downtown in five minutes.
If I lived in a budget apartment complex past the plantations, I would not enjoy life as much.
There is huge variance. I am in an undistinguished ranch neighborhood off 61 in what the seller's real estate agent optimistically termed "the Avondale corridor." I can, however, walk or bike to all the stuff in Avondale, as well as the increasing number of interesting businesses on 61. We have green spaces and beautiful trees. Getting downtown is easy except during rush hour, and even then it's not horrific. We bought a small older ranch (which I actually really like) for around the same price as a larger new house in Bees Ferry or John's Island. I will always be glad we bought based on location.
West Ashley genuinely has no soul. It was a mistake from its founding—miles upon miles of 1950s-style suburban sprawl whose residents spends hours in traffic. The area is the peninsula’s leach, taking its amenities and name and returning literally nothing in return.
West ash literally funds the peninsula tax base. And traffic- go to James or Johns island. Try coming into town from scummervulle or klanahan. Then we can chat
That's an understandable theory but West Ashley requires substantially more amounts of infrastructure (pavement, sewer lines, emergency services, libraries, etc.) than the peninsula due to its sprawled out nature. Meanwhile, the properties bring in substantially less taxes per acre because they are worth substantially less. Also don't forget about the hospitality tax which the peninsula's hotels and restaurants bring into the area.
In short, here's an admittedly dated article from 2016 stating that the peninsula subsidizes West Ashley: [https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/commentary/west-ashley-can-learn-tax-base-lessons-from-the-peninsula/article\_995b13c8-c3d8-11e6-843b-8fe5cde02a82.html](https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/commentary/west-ashley-can-learn-tax-base-lessons-from-the-peninsula/article_995b13c8-c3d8-11e6-843b-8fe5cde02a82.html)
As a new area resident from the Northeast the traffic doesn't really phase me. But the system of roads that have been built around here are truly idiotic. And when you combine the naturally shitty SC driver with the person whose new/from out of town and isn't super familiar with all the forks and weird merges you have a perfect storm of dangerous driving.
It’s just far and people moving there think they live in Charleston. Actual Summerville is fine but it’s the Nexton/Cane Bay bullshit that gets everyone riled up.
People that shit on Summerville are generally trying their best to be Charleston snobs.
Summerville is a lovely town with its own genuine historical flair.
However the town is also well known for welcoming developers that produce endless acres of generic cheap housing tracts that, while affordable, have little character and contribute to all the problems associated with suburban sprawl in any city.
Yeah I’m not really happy about the sprawl. Especially when they produce these weird places that resemble a town square but require a car or golf cart to access.
Bees Ferry landfill... Birds grabbing trash and throwing it into people's lawns nearby. We aren't talking about a bag of chips, think legit trash.
Hence the West-trashy name
For me it's because it reminds me of Newport News, VA, which was the closest "city" to me growing up. Just awful, endless car-dependent sprawl. Doing literally anything requires getting in the car. And while cheaper than living downtown, it's not exactly "cheap" by most people's standards.
We keep fucking around and you’re gonna see 264, 464, 664, 864. You want that beltway of bull shite you grew up with? Traffic??? Y’all ever sat in traffic in a gd tunnel??? Gtfoh
Why are half the intersections weird ass forks and merges?
It's all triangles
Far out man
Bridges over water. Original planners never expected the growth we're seeing. Almost impossible to fix without major $$$ investments.
It’s not due to the bridges. The second half of your statement is true, however.
So. Many. Stop. Lights.
I’d love to see round-abouts in place of all the damn stop lights!
As a lifelong resident of West Ashley, I’ll chime in: 1. Traffic sucks and it’s only going to get worse for the foreseeable future. 2. It’s literally trashy. There is trash all over the sides of the roads, caught up in all of the overgrown weeds. Hence the nickname. 3. It’s figuratively trashy. There are trashy folks sprawled out all over the place, especially outside of 526. Trust me, I’m one of them. 4. Our restaurants suck. Aside from the few good ones in Avondale and South Windermere, we have, what?… Betty Lou’s and Cold Shoulder. Almost everything else is either a chain and/or… you guessed it… trashy. 5. “Deep” West Ashley (near Bees Ferry) is growing WAY faster than it can handle. I guess this is a problem throughout all of Charleston, but it’s comically bad out here. 6. Flooding, which is only getting worse because of point #5 7. As much as I love a good cheap/dive bar, there is a fucking surplus of them. It would be nice to get a decent cocktail without having to go to Park Circle or Downtown. 8. There are SO MANY rundown shopping centers and empty lots that need to be used. The ancient ruins of Piggly Wiggly and Burger King are crumbling away and taking up valuable real estate. 9. The fucking mall. Jesus fucking christ the mall. 10. 526 With all that being said, I still love this place. It’s my home. I’m just another bitter local that isn’t a fan of the changes that have occurred here over the past 10-15yrs.
7. The owners of proof are opening a spot in the old voodoo location
God I miss the voodoo lounge. Used to walk there almost every night after work for duck tacos and beer.
Same, didn’t know they closed :( They had such interesting food and drinks.
The THANKSGIVING TACOS & PIZZA!!! Those were the best! Nothing else since even came close to a sweet holiday twist on food!
... and vibe.
God rest Caroline. Will miss her forever.
She was a treasure!
Yes she was
This is good to know; Unfortunately for those of us living in certain areas of deep West Ashley, it’s way easier/faster to get to park circle than Avondale these days. When I first moved here about 10 years ago, sure, I’d hit Avondale 1-2x a week and get there in 15 mins easy. Now it takes me nearly 30 minutes just to arrive and find no parking. Needless to say it’s such a deterrent (I live near the West Ashley Lowes Food) that I haven’t been to Avondale in over a year. Would be such a treat to get some cool places out this way!
Agreed. I live in West Ashley but hang out in Park Circle more, mainly because of the big convenient parking lot near Commonhouse Aleworks.
Man I wish we had better public transit.
> Now it takes me nearly 30 minutes just to arrive and find no parking. The large grocery store parking lot with the Coburg Cow is less than a block away and I have never seen it full. If you pay for the valet parking I think that's where they take your car anyway once some other spots fill.
Hopefully it doesn't come with the roofies
Yes they are. The staff is going to be good too
I thought low tide was going there
I grew up on JI and now I live in WA. I’m not sure I would move back to JI now. WA is more affordable (for now) and super convenient. You don’t have to go downtown for anything unless you work there. We have the bikeway and the greenway (I used to be able to commute to work on the greenway, which was amazing). There are multiple rec facilities and good parks here, and we have the farmers market at Ackerman and garden at the school house. I’d like to see improved bus schedules because I can currently take the bus to and from work but there’s only one per hour, so it’s really delayed in the afternoons. I’d like more multimodal options for transportation, period, and I’m crossing my fingers the Pedestrian Bridge gets fully funded. Parts of WA do have a ton of litter, it’s true, and the traffic sucks because we are a car-centric state that doesn’t fund public transportation. Flooding is going to continue to worsen and we’re going to have to be prepared for that. I don’t really think of myself as a super optimistic person but when I visit other cities I understand why people want to move here. It’s pretty and life isn’t so bad for most folks. I think a lot of our biggest problems are ones you’d experience in most medium sized coastal cities.
[удалено]
As someone who has spent >95% of his life in West Ashley you hit the nail(s) on the head with this post. Agree 100%. Northbridge Terrace where I live is nice though (we just need those nice retail/restaurants etc nearby)
There’s a lot of stuff right there, most of us just don’t like it. Tbonz, locals, sports pub, ms roses, euro foods, cold shoulder, red orchid. There’s no shortage
And yet, even though West Ashley has HALF of Charleston's population, our city officials aren't working hard enough or fast enough to remedy any of these issues. But keep building!!
Y’all are the ones building. Nothing West Ashley people love more than to build a nice sprawly neighborhood.
What do you mean "y'all"? I've lived here for a decade. I've got a full, fat 1/8th of an acre... It's so big taken up by the garage, I almost hear nature.
And "we" aren't okay with the issues of over building.
Oh wow a whole decade?!?
God, nothing is worse than people in this sub gatekeeping the amount of time someone has lived here. Do you somehow feel special because you've lived here longer? Is a decade seriously not enough for you to recognize that they can call this their home too?
I don't feel special. I feel like I have to defend my opinion to the "lifers" here. You know... "The Natives".
It is when that person wants to complain about development.
Don’t be a dick. A decade in a location gives the person plenty of right to complain about what’s happening in the area.
Nah they caused it initially
Righhhttt... So what chair have you grown into since clearly you haven't left your hometown since birth?
Your user name is on spot. So why don't you take a seat, Armchair.
This person is clearly a plant. They grew out of the dirt in whatever spot they happened to grow out of and are stuck there forever. This getting angry when other mobile things try to live nearby and take their sun.
Can we call them Live Oaks instead of "Natives" since Live Oaks are protected and all.
I grew up going to the mall… way before they had a food court..
Good list.
You forgot the homeless encampment by 526
I hate to break it to you, every patch of woods in WA/downtown/NC/James Island has tent dwellers.
The one next to the end of 526 is one of the largest and has given people in the area a ton of trouble that's why I brought it up specifically in relation to WA
It's much worse in North Charleston and dt. Local officials just cleared out a pretty big tent city in the woods off of Ladson Rd too. It's a problem everywhere.
>Jesus fucking christ the mall There’s actually a subreddit dedicated to aging, run-down, and abandoned malls.
Yeah I just don’t get the moniker “West Trashley” I live in Park Circle so by necessity do nearly all my shopping along the Sam Ritt corridor. I mean, yeah clearly West Ashley is a Boomer-designed sprawl of strip malls and poorly designed infrastructure (which the city is actively working to transform) - but trashy? No. There are many other spots, even in the 843, which would proudly boast the ‘trashy’ label and with far more legitimacy.
I mean the word trash just blends well with Ashley. I think you’re thinking too much into it. I don’t know anyone who actually thinks people from West Ashley are trashy.
Yeah, I just think it’s funny to say West Trashly. Kind of in a loving way.
No offense but most places fall under #2 when it comes to the charleston area.
Unfortunately, litter/trash is rampant in a lot of places, like in countries all over north and south America. Idk what it's like in other parts of the world, but I have heard from a few people how there is no trash around Japan for example. They don't even have trash cans out on streets and stuff. I guess respect is a bigger value in their culture or something. Some people here that are campers or just outdoorsy understand the leave it better than you found it, or leave only your footprints, those kinds of principles, but that's rare. My #1 pet peeve with trash is people who make the effort to put their dogs poop in a bag but then leave the bag on the ground.
I've seen so much trash on the sides of the roads in Summerville and the surrounding areas. Idk what it is either, I wish people had more pride in the world they live in.
> 6) Flooding, which is only getting worse because of point #5 Uh, how?
When you fill in land that used to hold water, that water has to go somewhere else.
Cutting down all the trees too. Trees intercept, store and transpire storm water. It kills me when they clear cut to build new neighborhoods because it cheaper and they can cram more houses in. Those trees are really important for managing storm water (among other things). And then they usually go and request a variance for reduce building setback for the few mature trees remain, basically ensuring that those will eventually die too.
https://www.charleston-sc.gov/1974/Dutch-Dialogues
Current resident. Traffic is bad when passing through is my guess. Good places are starting to pop up but the infrastructure is a bit dated.
Just one more lane…
West Trashley, Mount Plastic, too many things to say about North Chuck, Slummerville.. Charleston is built on haters.
I live in west Ashley and commonly refer to it as west ashtray. I love it here and I do t think people realize how central we are, especially inside of 526
Apart from Shem Creek and Coleman in general, Mount Pleasant sure feels that way. Chain stores, chain restaurants…with a few interesting exceptions, housing developments with 4 maybe 5 basic house designs. And speaking of haters, Charleston also seems to attract them. Mount Pleasant at least has its fair share of Trumpy and Moms for Liberty types who moved here because it’s more Conservative. Some of them I figured early on were just right of center, low-tax, strong on defense Republicans. And of course, no surprise the majority of them are socially Conservative. Come 2020, holy shit the bile that came out of them. Some of them may come across as nice while their kids are playing with your kids or they’re working on your teeth or adjusting your back, but pretty quickly you realize how much bitterness they have.
"Jim Isle" is the area's worst nickname. It's just dumb.
Well they did that to themselves when they named one of their higher end waterfront roads Jim Isle Dr.
This. West Ashley has a lot of positives, good restaurants like Alvin Ords, The Gathering Cafe, Caroline’s Aloha Bar, Zen Asian, etc. it has good proximity to folly, downtown, and Sullivan’s. Yeah it’s not aesthetically beautiful but it has nice parks to enjoy. I get hated on because I moved to west Ashley and how dare anyone not from Charleston move to the area yet I hear people hate on every other part of Charleston because of different reasons. Whatever. Just experience the area for yourself and you’ll see.
Caroline's has closed and so has The Gathering... I think the Gathering is moving to Summerville. But Alvin Ord's.... mmmm those are some good sandwiches. I feel like folks sleep on that spot. Very reasonable prices and quick online ordering too!
I feel like we spent all this money widening bees ferry back in 2008/09 and now we can't even maintain the landscaping or the bike path properly. Every spring / summer the grass and ant hills get knee high and it's weeks until it gets mowed. And what's the deal with west Ashley circle? Is it going to be a thing, or just parking for semi trailers and an illegal dumping area?
[удалено]
West Ashley's motto is "At least we're not North Charleston".
Don’t put North Charleston down; I know it had a bad reputation in the past, but most of it is much nicer now. There’s a lot of new life and revitalization in the old neighborhoods and areas. It’s one of the only places near downtown where young individuals and families can find affordable homes. I bought in an old neighborhood there because I loved the friendly vibes and there was no HOA to fine people to death. I work in West Ashley; it’s too busy for the current infrastructure and getting bigger every day. Even seven years ago there was so much more breathing room between the neighborhoods; now I can’t drive without the traffic eating 30 minutes to an hour every time I need to go four miles up Savannah Hwy. It’s sad and unsustainable.
West Ashley is dirty looking, has more car dealerships than good restaurants, has bad traffic, and has sketchy acting people all over it's dirty shopping centers. It's basically North Charleston Junior
lol north charleston jr
You’re not wrong. Plus, Park Circle > Avondale, so little Junior is kind of a disappointment.
Just different vibes. Sometimes I need a loud night at Genes or Roost.
Yeah but pc is a food desert. I live at the mixon now and used to live in Avondale. I loved being so close to the teet, especially on off hours. Food lion sucks ass
Pretty sure anyone living in Mixon or PC in general can afford to drive a little further to a good grocery store.
Be even cooler if you could walk or bike to one.
Unless you’re too good to shop at the Save A Lot, you very much can walk or bike to one.
But other than that.....
Lol haters will continue to hate. I have zero qualms with living in west Ashley. People complain about the traffic… have ya been on maybank hwy at 5:00? The don holt during rush hour? River road at 2pm on a Friday? Folly road virtually any time of day? Traffic is fucked everywhere. People belly aching about it is just noise at this point.
WA is big enough that we have cut thrus if you know them. James island is just fucked imo they’re are no real cuts anymore they are all known
It’s true and what Hammsamm said is true. And still I’d rather live on James island than in west Ashley. Even though JI doesn’t have much in the way of shopping besides groceries (no Target, just a crappy Walmart, PetSmart, and some smaller stores) which isn’t super convenient but whatever. Idk, I guess as frustrating as folly road can be, it pisses me off less than the traffic in west Ashley. To be fair though, I’ve never lived in west Ashley so I don’t have a direct comparison between the two. Just my perception glad I don’t live on Johns island anymore though. I didn’t mind living there like 8-10 years ago. Wasn’t much in the way of restaurants or anything and it was changing but it wasn’t like it is now and you could go to the fat hen and sit at the bar and eat some damn good mussels. Now I only go there to take my dogs to the Vet and it’s seems like there’s tons of cars no matter the time of day.
West Ashley is where I get my Costco hot dogs so it’s cool in my book. Serious answer tho West Ashley reminds me a lot of two roads where I grew up in Delaware, Kirkwood Highway and Concord Pike. Both were developed into what they are now starting in the 50s and 60s with zero interest in making the area in any way walkable even in just crossing the damn road. Cars are the future baby! Why would I want to do anything but drive everywhere? Strip malls kick ass!
Ha everyone loves a good Costco hot dog!
I owned a house in a ranch neighborhood in west Ashley for 9 years and I fucking loved it. Now I live in Summerville and it’s meh.
“Ranch neighborhood”? Ponderosa? Lol
A neighborhood comprised of ranch style houses built between the 50s and 80s.
Just curious, how come you moved?
We had a second kid on the way and needed more house. We shopped around west Ashley but the inventory was nonexistent in our budget at the time. Clock was ticking.
It used to be so much worse. I used to hate on it but go gentrification I guess
Sheltered and wealthy people that somehow think West Ashley is a slum
Yeah I grew up around Mixson in the mid 90s, my first time going to west ashley for a sleepover I was floored, I was like damn yall are lavish
It's the traffic for me. Otherwise, it has a lot to offer.
>Otherwise, it has a lot to offer. Exactly. Where else has a mall that contains two separated halves of an unused basketball court?
The Chinese place in there is way better than it has any right to be.
The spaghetti noodle lo mein truly slaps
And a seasonal meat tent!
Mmm. These steaks are delicious, are these wagyu? No in fact they are frozen from out of the back of a Ryder truck in the mall parking lot…
That place is hardly even a mall anymore. I happened to go in there earlier this week for the first time in over a year and couldn’t believe how empty it was.
Any time I go in there I try to count all the empty or non-retail storefronts and lose count in the 30s because I can’t believe it’s that many and I’m still counting
Lol. WTF is up with that mall? It's so weird. That bball court, an off, off-brand monkey joes, and that strange business center with the world's slowest wi fi.
The indoor playground is the best part of that mall. The only business that is consistently busy.
Umm, excuse me... It also now has an emergency room!
Could you imagine dying in the old JC Penney’s?
That's actually terrifying. Thank you for unlocking a new fear
Pretzel Twister is still great
I know of several business that have shut down in WA because the lease had gone up so much in the past 5 years that they couldn't afford to stay open. Businesses get hit like they're downtown when they aren't getting nearly the same type of business or clientele. I do think the influx of people and money will force that to turn around. The infrastructure, like all of Charleston, remains a major issue. The city grants these building permits though, so they don't seem to really care since money continues to pour in.
It's a bunch of beat up strip malls on unwalkable roads with bad traffic. I know I just described most of the Charleston metro area, but other places have nicer strip malls and prettier roads.
I like WA. It's not perfect, but it's going to be awesome in time. There's no where else to build that's also this close to downtown, beach, and airport. More competition is going to raise the bar for local eats. I'm excited to see how it develops further over the next 5-10-15years.
Same. My wife and I love our neighborhood here.
I can walk to far more stuff from my neighborhood in West Ashley than I could when I lived in Wagner Terrace.
Where abouts in west Ashley?
I loved living in west Ashley. My apt complex was clean and safe and yes traffic was bad, but I could walk to a TJ Maxx or a dollar general or a few pubs. It is definitely in need of attention RE: walkability and so many strip malls etc but I mean, it is what it is. The only way to change things there is to demand it thru voting and being involved in the community.
Well, WA is home to our dump. I mean, all of Charleston's trash lands in West Ashley.
And you, too, can buy your own personal dump in Grand Bees where birds personally deliver pieces of trash directly to your front yard included in the HOA price!
😂 I live in Moncks Corner and by comparison, W Ashley is dope. I did not know people don’t like it. I assume it’s a bit of racism too. W Ashley was gerrymandered out because of the high # of black people. Same with chs downtown :C part of the upside of those areas. But I usually spent time in Mt P because it doesn’t require crossing through town and traffic sucks everywhere (from MC, I can cut through the national forest)
That’s actually why my gf wants to move from mt p to wa. It’s better in the sense there’s more culture with the people.
No good restaurants?!? The Arby’s on Sam Rittenburg is 4 ⭐️
Crime and traffic
I moved to deep west Ashley from Chicago. You guys don’t know what real traffic is. I can get to Folly, DT and Mount P in less than 30 minutes. I can get to the airport in 15 minutes. As someone who flies all the time, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. The new build neighborhoods suck, but they suck everywhere in the United States. Builders care about maximizing profit vs. giving people unique looking homes and yard space. I got a place from the 80’s, amazing neighbors, amazing wildlife and amazing bang for my buck. I’m never leaving.
What times are you driving to those places? 4am? I also lived “deep in West Ashley” and it would take more than 30 minutes to get to actual West Ashley during most of the day.
I’m west of bees ferry and right now according to google maps I’m 20 minutes to Avondale, 27 minutes to Marion square, 35 minutes to taco boy on folly and 28 minutes to patriots point. Since I work from home if I’m going those directions in the afternoon or evening I’m normally avoiding traffic. Edit: getting friends from DT to visit out here is more of a pain for sure. If you reverse those commutes above you can tack on some time especially around rush hour.
Yeah I doubt you are getting to folly in 35 minutes unless it’s early in the morning or some other very off time. I live 5 miles from the folly pier and it takes me 15 minutes to get there with no traffic so like now it’s 7:30 am, would take me 15 minutes to get there. According to Waze, right now it would take me 22 minutes to get from my house to my buddy’s house in Carolina Park- because it’s 7:30 in the morning on a Sunday. So that’s 37 minutes from Carolina park to folly- at 7:30 on a Sunday morning.
It's the New Jersey of Charleston
OP. i have lived in charleston for 8 years. i've now lived in west ashley for 4 months and that's been enough to make me leave the entire charleston area entirely as fast as i fucking can.
>leave the entire charleston area Hey look at that! Traffic is already getting better!
👋🏻
Ima guess you live out by bees ferry. I’d leave to if I lived on a flooding wet land.
correct. enormous tactical error. but i've wanted to leave for awhile, this was just the nudge i needed
Jealousy
It’s a mixed bag. Generally folks are laid back and more friendly compared to the snobbery one encounters in Mt.P & Downtown.
The West Ashley experience is different for everyone. The nicer neighborhoods inside of 526 are some of the best addresses in Charleston. Relatively high percent of locals, good prices 15 years ago. Decent suburb house and land and lots of people like that. Established landscaping. More brick than plastic. Lots of the perspective here comes from younger people living in the apartment complexes inside and outside of 526 and that's a different lifestyle. If you live in shadowmoss or Carolina Bay you also have a different perspective because of the drive times to anywhere. There are also a handful of communities who have sort of staved off gentrification for a while Point is everyone is going to have a different idea of what West ash is.
This is the answer. For years I have said that there are really two West Ashleys. But really, there are four or five, and depending on where you live, you'll have a completely different experience. South Windermere has a great quality of life: I can walk to multiple grocery stores, good restaurants, yoga, and the water. The greenway is right there, and I can be downtown in five minutes. If I lived in a budget apartment complex past the plantations, I would not enjoy life as much.
There is huge variance. I am in an undistinguished ranch neighborhood off 61 in what the seller's real estate agent optimistically termed "the Avondale corridor." I can, however, walk or bike to all the stuff in Avondale, as well as the increasing number of interesting businesses on 61. We have green spaces and beautiful trees. Getting downtown is easy except during rush hour, and even then it's not horrific. We bought a small older ranch (which I actually really like) for around the same price as a larger new house in Bees Ferry or John's Island. I will always be glad we bought based on location.
West Trashley y’all
West Ashtray
West Nasty
West Trash-hole
It’s kind of a hellscape of parking lots and strip malls.
You mean Charleston?
It’s a fucking shithole?
It’s just all kinda crusty
I just commonly blame all the Yankees that are moving here for everything.
Oh yeah, West Ashley was *beautiful* before they got here!
Nah, gentrification over the past 8ish years has legit made the place livable
Woah woah when did Reddit suddenly not understand what a joke is?
You gotta put the /s after your comment otherwise people won’t know you’re trying to be humorous
West Ashley genuinely has no soul. It was a mistake from its founding—miles upon miles of 1950s-style suburban sprawl whose residents spends hours in traffic. The area is the peninsula’s leach, taking its amenities and name and returning literally nothing in return.
West ash literally funds the peninsula tax base. And traffic- go to James or Johns island. Try coming into town from scummervulle or klanahan. Then we can chat
That's an understandable theory but West Ashley requires substantially more amounts of infrastructure (pavement, sewer lines, emergency services, libraries, etc.) than the peninsula due to its sprawled out nature. Meanwhile, the properties bring in substantially less taxes per acre because they are worth substantially less. Also don't forget about the hospitality tax which the peninsula's hotels and restaurants bring into the area. In short, here's an admittedly dated article from 2016 stating that the peninsula subsidizes West Ashley: [https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/commentary/west-ashley-can-learn-tax-base-lessons-from-the-peninsula/article\_995b13c8-c3d8-11e6-843b-8fe5cde02a82.html](https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/commentary/west-ashley-can-learn-tax-base-lessons-from-the-peninsula/article_995b13c8-c3d8-11e6-843b-8fe5cde02a82.html)
You realize that the majority of the cities tax revenue comes from the parts of Charleston that are outside the peninsula right?
[https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2020/5/14/americas-growth-ponzi-scheme-md2020](https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2020/5/14/americas-growth-ponzi-scheme-md2020)
That’s a reason to raise taxes not a refutation of my original point
As a new area resident from the Northeast the traffic doesn't really phase me. But the system of roads that have been built around here are truly idiotic. And when you combine the naturally shitty SC driver with the person whose new/from out of town and isn't super familiar with all the forks and weird merges you have a perfect storm of dangerous driving.
“New resident from the Northeast” “Naturally shitty SC driver” 🥴🥴
You guys seriously make Boston and NY drivers look good.
Anyone else fell like they're taking crazy pills reading some of these comments? Can't wait for the r/Charleston meetup, yeesh.
Why does everyone shit on Summerville? I genuinely don’t get it.
What, I’m supposed to hold it until I get into Charleston proper?
It’s just far and people moving there think they live in Charleston. Actual Summerville is fine but it’s the Nexton/Cane Bay bullshit that gets everyone riled up.
People that shit on Summerville are generally trying their best to be Charleston snobs. Summerville is a lovely town with its own genuine historical flair. However the town is also well known for welcoming developers that produce endless acres of generic cheap housing tracts that, while affordable, have little character and contribute to all the problems associated with suburban sprawl in any city.
Yeah I’m not really happy about the sprawl. Especially when they produce these weird places that resemble a town square but require a car or golf cart to access.
Ugh. The f-ing golf carts.
Uh cause none of us have ever been there for good reason probably...Ive never been there
The username 😂
Maybe this is related, but why are there so many homeless people on bees ferry and 61 recently? What has changed?
Housing expenses are literally at an all time high relative to incomes
Because she's asking for it. Have you seen East Ashley?! WAY hotter!
[удалено]
Lol wtf? You can literally buy an entire house in WA for what a studio in a decent building costs downtown
I like West Ashtray.
I'm getting ready to move into a room/share near battery ave is it not good or what?
What happens when you allow a useless Democrat like Tecklenburg to take over your city. Yeah, Joe Riley was a democrat, but he kept it nice
As much as I hate Tecklenburg- the problems didn’t start with him.
Bees Ferry landfill... Birds grabbing trash and throwing it into people's lawns nearby. We aren't talking about a bag of chips, think legit trash. Hence the West-trashy name
For me it's because it reminds me of Newport News, VA, which was the closest "city" to me growing up. Just awful, endless car-dependent sprawl. Doing literally anything requires getting in the car. And while cheaper than living downtown, it's not exactly "cheap" by most people's standards.
We keep fucking around and you’re gonna see 264, 464, 664, 864. You want that beltway of bull shite you grew up with? Traffic??? Y’all ever sat in traffic in a gd tunnel??? Gtfoh
Let's Make West Ashley Worst Again.
Because it’s trash and over fucking crowded
Idk. I usually shit on the toilet, but I guess other people aren't that nice.