“I grew up on Shem Creek. I was born and raised right there on Lucas Street, half a block from the creek. I used to swim in the creek, waterski up and down the creek, go to the boat landings, all over that area. That was my limit when I was growing up, I couldn’t leave the creek. We had boats when we got old enough to run a motor. Me and my buddies used to be in the creek all day. And I raised my two little girls there.
“I just moved to Harborgate Shores a few months back, around Thanksgiving of last year. We found a house that was reasonable: a nice place in a quiet neighborhood. We’re on a cul-de-sac, so there’s no through traffic and it has a nice pool in the backyard, too. That was kind of a selling point. It’s a little different from Shem Creek. I’ve got some good neighbors but it’s not the same as living on the creek.
“The Magwood family has a lot of history there on Shem Creek. From where the Magwood Seafood dock is [on Haddrell Street] up to the bridge all used to be Magwood property at one time. Years back, you saw a lot of shrimp boats on Shem Creek. You didn’t see many yachts.
“Waterfront real estate is limited and it’s so pricey that you can’t afford to utilize the property for infrastructure, which is what the fishing industry needs. Property values are going up so high that all they’re building on the water are condos. That’s not doing the shrimpers any good. There used to still be a place down in Edisto where we could pull the boats out of the water for maintenance but now they took that one out, too.
“I think we’re going to catch some nice shrimp this season, but the fuel prices are so high now that the profit margin is not there.” —as told to Jason A. Zwiker
About the Neighborhood: Just off of the main roads, Harborgate Shores is near the small creeks and marshes between Mt. Pleasant and Sullivan’s Island/Isle of Palms. Nearby Ben Sawyer Boulevard makes it an easy drive to the beach or downtown.
What’s the story on your neighborhood? E-mail jason@zwiker.com for a chance to give your ‘hood its due.
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