Goose Creek — To the folks who live here, it’s no surprise that the city has been named the “Best Place to Raise Kids in South Carolina” by Bloomberg Businessweek for the second year in a row.
“We know we are a family-oriented community in Goose Creek,” said recreation director Gary Stuber. “We’re happy that everybody else thinks so too.”
Photo by Grace Beahm
Middleton Playground, visited by Matthew Hughes, 8, and his father, Michael, is among many amenities available for children in Goose Creek.
Stuber said his two children, now young adults, grew up in the city, and “I truly believe they are better people for it.”
Chelsea White, a mother of two who moved here two years ago, said, “I was opened to moving anywhere in the area, but I liked that Goose Creek was close to everything. The kids have plenty to do, the schools are good and we feel safe.”
The Businessweek list includes a location in every state. The magazine said of Goose Creek, “This quiet, pretty suburb of Charleston has much to offer, from great parks to solid schools, to rolling bike trails.”
Mayor Michael Heitzler, who has served the city since 1976, said, “Goose Creek was incorporated in 1961 by young, blue collar families, and there were three things they wanted: safe neighborhoods, good schools and recreation. I think the first two elements are common for every community, but the third isn’t necessarily so.”
Heitzler said the city is framed by a “beautiful community center” near the Marguerite H. Brown Municipal Center on the east end and Crowfield Golf and Country Club on the west end.
“And in the middle are passive parks, active parks and tennis courts, all tied together by a series of hiker-biker trails that are ideal to get people to enjoy life and the bounty that is Berkeley County. We are close to forests and fields and fishing and fun and all the urban amenities of Charleston.”
Businessweek lists the population of Goose Creek at 35,950 and places the median family income at $60,668.
“Real estate is less expensive, property taxes have not been raised for 32 years in the city limits, and on top of all that we have a robust school district,” Heitzler said.
The magazine also cited the above-state-average math and reading scores of schools in Goose Creek, which Heitzler said are one reason the schools are overcrowded.
“Why do people keep moving to a community where the schools are bursting at the seams? If it wasn’t a good place to raise kids, they wouldn’t do that,” he said. “There might be more beautiful places, but for the money, (Goose Creek) is the best place to live.”
