Moreland at 50 boasts live oaks, marshland views
Formed more than 50 years ago, Moreland is like the proverbial turtle -- slow and steady wins the race. The neighborhood, the first one you get to off St. Andrews Boulevard west of the Ashley, is attracting attention for its strong, brick-constructed homes, peaceful surroundings and stunning marshland scenery, just a bridge away from peninsular Charleston.
"It's nice," said Bob Register, who was in the front yard clipping red and yellow flowers for a table vase one late November afternoon. "We're just four minutes from downtown."
Register and wife Mary Register moved into their brick home with white columns 11 years ago. Their neighbors include fellow retirees and younger people, such as the family next door that has a tree fort in the back yard for two boys, ages 12 and 14.
"We look at the back of The Citadel," he said. "We are on the marsh. You can sit on the back deck and look at the Ashley River."
The quiet subdivision has about 200 homes, many built in the late 1940s and early 1950s. They're one and two-story, and most are brick veneer with a few wood frame and masonry. Many homes have fireplaces, hardwood floors, ceiling fans and screened porches or sunrooms. Some houses come with attached one- or two-car garages.
Prices range widely from $150,000 or so for smaller homes on inner streets to close to $650,000 on the front marsh overlooking the river. Home sizes are 1,500 to 3,500 square feet. A number of houses have been upgraded in the past four years or so, including homeowners installing new roofs. Other dwellings are fixer-up projects, requiring extensive renovations.
When driving into Moreland for the first time, striking features include the huge oaks, camellias, azaleas, fig trees and magnolias that blanket the neighborhood, providing shade to yards and houses.
The trees and shrubs also provide a buffer from the main highways and from the commercial strip along Wesley Drive. For instance, the Registers planted a row of tall bushes and plants to block the view of an apartment complex behind their home.
But it wasn't so long ago that the subdivision nearly lost its secluded character. In the 1970s and 1980s, Moreland came under pressure from developers who variously proposed apartments, a large shopping center nearby and a causeway through adjacent wetlands. Residents came out in force to block the projects, which were for the most part disbanded.
While neighborly, Moreland faces a geographic drawback that keeps it from being more cohesive. The subdivision is chopped in two by St. Andrews Boulevard, and there are places where you have to go on to the highway to drive from one part of the community to another.
Still, real estate agents see more pluses than minuses.
"It's done pretty well," said Jay Unger, agent with Prudential Carolina Real Estate. The less pricey homes away from the Ashley River have been particularly attractive as resales. Sizable homes with large lots and plenty of trees, costing just $200,000 to $300,000, "fly off the market," he said. The neighborhood hasn't become overpriced. Just four out of 10 houses sold this year fetched the listing price or above, according to Multiple Listing Service figures.
Gettys M. Glaze, real estate agent with ReMax Realty, said Moreland's prime spot across the river from downtown is a big draw.
"The key thing is location, the proximity to downtown," he said. "That's what you can't find anywhere else."
Here's how to reach Moreland from downtown Charleston. Take U.S. Highway 17 across the Ashley River bridge. Stay right onto S.C. Highway 61. City street signs mark the neighborhood. On the north side of 61, entrances include Woodward Drive, the first road into Moreland; Harrison and Sheldon roads and Godfrey Park Place. On the south side of 61, entryways include Parish Road and Godfrey Park Place.