Neighborhood Articles
Hobcaw Creek Plantation: Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
By Barbara Patrick
Centuries ago, Native Americans roamed the forests in the area known to today’s Mount Pleasant residents as Long Point. Later, large plantations were built near the Wando River and its tributaries, including Long Point, Snee Farm and Boone Hall, which continues to be a working plantation even in the 21st century. Most traces of those graceful residences and sprawling properties have disappeared, replaced by modern but still gracious homes.
One such development is Hobcaw Creek Plantation, located just off Long Point Road. The neighborhood itself is lovely, with mature trees and shrubs adding to its curb appeal. Most of the residences in Hobcaw Plantation are large – no starter homes here – and, toward the back of the subdivision, they tend to be small estates with private docks on the creek leading to the river.
Because of that proximity to the water, Hobcaw Creek Plantation is clearly a desirable location for the serious boater who still likes to be close to town. And convenient it is, just minutes from Belle Hall Shopping Center and Towne Centre, two of Mount Pleasant’s premier shopping destinations. A variety of restaurants are nearby, and, should you feel the urge to venture farther afield, you’ll have easy access to the Mark Clark Expressway and Interstate 26, as well as Highway 17.
A glance at current listings gives a representative sampling of the executive homes that make up Hobcaw Creek Plantation, a stable neighborhood with only a handful of properties on the market. Homes tend to be in the 3,000 to 4,000-square-foot range, with prices beginning at around $500,000 and rising. Most have extra details such as central vacuum systems, extra-large garages and, in at least one case, even a workshop.
Compared to the area’s larger developments, some consisting of collections of multi-level neighborhoods, Hobcaw Plantation is a relatively small and close-knit community. On a typical day, you’re more likely than not to see a couple of neighbors jogging down a tree-shaded road or headed to the pool.
Most of the residences in this well-established neighborhood were built during the 1990s. Hobcaw Plantation has no golf course, but the clubhouse includes tennis courts, a playground and a swimming pool, and there is a community dock and boat landing.
Longpoint: Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
By Barbara Patrick
A park lies at the end of it, and it borders on Boone Hall Plantation, a historic working plantation on possibly the last stretch of scenic road in fast-growing Mount Pleasant. Add in several neighborhoods of homes ranging from small starter homes to large executive residences with views of Boone Hall Creek and you have Longpoint, one of the town’s most desirable communities.
Development of Longpoint began in the late 1980s, so the community has the patina of maturity, with lovely tree-shaded lots in the handful of neighborhoods that lie to either side of Needlerush Parkway. There are about 450 homes in Longpoint, most built on larger-than-average lots and nestled among whispering pines and sturdy oaks. Homes range from about 1,300 square feet to more than 4,000, with prices starting in the mid-$200s and rising to $800,000.
Longpoint is convenient to excellent East Cooper schools, medical care and two major shopping meccas–Belle Hall and Towne Centre. It’s just a few minutes to the sand and surf at the Isle of Palms and a relatively short commute to downtown Charleston.
Longpoint is a neighborhood built for getting together with friends and family. There’s a centrally located clubhouse, along with a swimming pool, tennis courts, soccer field and a play park, as well as volleyball and basketball courts.
But the main attraction for many families is the park at the end of the road. Palmetto Islands County Park is a delight for nature lovers, with hiking trails, picnic shelters, a large open meadow for games and a special Big Toy playground for youngsters. For added enjoyment, visitors to the park can rent pedal boats and cruise around the lagoon or spend an afternoon at the crab and fishing dock. Dogs get in on the fun, too, because East Cooper’s only dog park is located inside. During the summer, Splash Island is a big draw for neighborhood kids. Even without the park at the end of Needlerush Parkway, Longpoint is a great place to live, but for nature lovers the choice is clear. Longpoint is the place to call home.
Snee Farm: Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
By Barbara Patrick
Nearly 40 years ago, when the first residents moved into the new homes in Snee Farm, many people shook their heads in amazement. Why would anyone want to live so far away? Today, Snee Farm, located on Highway 17 just north of what is now the Isle of Palms Connector, is almost in the center of the town of Mount Pleasant and is convenient to literally everything, including excellent schools, shopping, medical care and the beach.
Long before developments such as Park West, I’on and Brickyard appeared, Snee Farm was considered to be one of the most desirable places in Mount Pleasant to live. It is an established, tree-lined community consisting of a variety of homes that range in size from 1,000 square feet to more than 4,000 square feet. Ventura Villas is a neighborhood of condominiums situated near the main entrance of the community and convenient to the clubhouse and golf course. The exteriors are clean and modern and the interiors are spacious. Prices tend to be in the upper $100s to low $200s for two- and three-bedroom homes.
Single-family starter homes are available in Snee Farm, with prices in the mid-$200s to the low $300s. Styles vary from traditional brick homes to contemporary wood siding, and there also is a section of homes designed to emulate the historic Charleston single house. Snee Farm also includes large executive homes that offer extras such as media rooms, game rooms, wet bars, skylights and much more. Membership in the Snee Farm Country Club is offered at several levels, from a social membership that includes dinners, parties and other social activities to a full membership that provides access to the golf course, tennis courts, three pools, pro shops and the Low Country Café. But even more than lovely homes and amenities, Snee Farm offers a sense of history since it is built on part of the original Snee Farm Plantation property. Once the roaming grounds of mastodons, mammoths and other prehistoric animals – the bones of a mastodon were found during construction of the golf course in 1969 – and settled later by American Indians, the land was granted to Nathaniel Law by King William III of England in 1698. Originally more than 1,100 acres, the property, after changing hands several times, was given to Col. Charles Pinckney in 1754 as a fee for legal services.
Legend has it that a skirmish took place in the manor section of Snee Farm during the Revolutionary War and, yes, that Gen. George Washington enjoyed breakfast with Gov. Charles Pinckney (son of the Colonel) under an oak tree in 1791. The plantation was purchased by Snee Farm Golf Club in 1966, and the original Snee Farm house and surrounding properties were bought by Joyce and Guilds Hallowell, who restored the home, which was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1974.
