Alpha,
Congrats on your move to Chuck town. I absolutely love the place, I have lived there for over 10 years. I am no longer there, but I can offer some tips and hints to selecting a good area to live. I have had the commute to the airport/airbase for some time. Due tot he geography and poor planning for growth the roads can be quite congested in the am/pm commute. Also you have older neighborhoods and area's that are GHETO fabulous. It would be hard to show you without pulling out a map. However, the last several years before the recession saw a huge growth spurt with lots of NEW housing pop up everywhere. There can be good deals on renting a newer house or finding a newer apartment.
The new parts of Summerville, Goose Creek and north Charleston are awesome. Close enough to everything, but far enough from the beach you are not paying inflated prices. For a good quick commute and accessibility to I-26, and the younger professional crowd i would recommend the area of North Charleston anything in north area of Rivers Ave/Hwy52 and university blvd. West Ashley can be pricey and old, but the night life is a big draw. Mt. Pleasant can be good if you can afford it, but then you have a long commute to deal with traffic.
Try craigslist and apartmentfinder.com for some reference. I like Atlantic Palms in north Charleston or anything new in that area.
Good luck and hope you get settled in. You going to be working at the FBO or Boeing or Airline? I will be back to visit friends in mid August. I can show you around if you like to have a beer.