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Hey all. New here. I will be moving to Shaw AFB this summer. I know there are some threads out there about this already but I had more specific questions that I hope you all can help me with.
First of all, I am from Charleston, SC and I am somewhat familiar with the area...so I have a very small basic understanding of the Columbia and Sumter area.
I have done a good amount of research on rental homes, apartments, duplexes, townhomes, etc in the area. But every review I read is extremely negative. I haven't found a apartment complex at a reasonable price that doesn't have high crime, ruckus, bad management, and bad maintenance! Does anyone know of any apartments with good rep? any suggestions?
Also, if you don't have much info about apartments in the area, what about area's to live (rent a house, duplex etc)? I heard Dalzell has a pretty good reputation. Any others? Zipcodes will help.
I am a younger single guy with no kids or family. So I do not have to worry about any bad schools or anything. However, that doesn't mean that I can tolerate trashy, loud, and high crime areas. I have no preference to city or country life....but southeast columbia does sound more appealing than sumter (but thats without knowing much about it).
Please give me any advice you can! Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post.
I have done a good amount of research on rental homes, apartments, duplexes, townhomes, etc in the area. But every review I read is extremely negative.
It seems to be in everyone's nature these days to be negative and cynical in all facets of life. It may be because we've become selfish and self-serving as a people (blatantly evident if you drive anywhere around here) and, instead of finding the positives in our experiences, pick and ***** about our dislikes. Nothing is ever up to anyone's standards anymore, so I wouldn't put much stock in reviews.
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I haven't found a apartment complex at a reasonable price that doesn't have high crime, ruckus, bad management, and bad maintenance! Does anyone know of any apartments with good rep? any suggestions?
Yes. But before offering suggestions, let me ask what you consider a 'reasonable price'.
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I heard Dalzell has a pretty good reputation. Any others? Zipcodes will help.
If you prefer a rental house (which is going to give you more living space and privacy for your money) to an apartment complex, Dalzell will offer you a plethora of options. I live in Dalzell and my neighborhood is probably 40% rentals now (5 years ago it was 60% rentals). The zip code here is 29040.
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I have no preference to city or country life....but southeast columbia does sound more appealing than sumter (but thats without knowing much about it).
Just out of curiosity, what do you find appealing about SE Cola? There's really not much to do in that area, that I can think of, and shopping options are lower-end (there's an Aldi, Walmart, and then a bunch of hair & nail shops up through there). If being closer to Columbia is your goal, then this will accomplish that, but keep in mind you're still 20-30 minutes away from the heart of activity.
And as a side-note, while I'm on the topic: From my side of Dalzell, which is all the way West of Shaw, I can be at just about any part of Sumter within 15 minutes, due to the wonderful way the highway/roads system is laid out. If you live in Dalzell proper (East side of Shaw, where the post office is located), then you're more like 5 minutes to Sumter.
It seems to be in everyone's nature these days to be negative and cynical in all facets of life. It may be because we've become selfish and self-serving as a people (blatantly evident if you drive anywhere around here) and, instead of finding the positives in our experiences, pick and ***** about our dislikes. Nothing is ever up to anyone's standards anymore, so I wouldn't put much stock in reviews.
Yes. But before offering suggestions, let me ask what you consider a 'reasonable price'.
If you prefer a rental house (which is going to give you more living space and privacy for your money) to an apartment complex, Dalzell will offer you a plethora of options. I live in Dalzell and my neighborhood is probably 40% rentals now (5 years ago it was 60% rentals). The zip code here is 29040.
Just out of curiosity, what do you find appealing about SE Cola? There's really not much to do in that area, that I can think of, and shopping options are lower-end (there's an Aldi, Walmart, and then a bunch of hair & nail shops up through there). If being closer to Columbia is your goal, then this will accomplish that, but keep in mind you're still 20-30 minutes away from the heart of activity.
And as a side-note, while I'm on the topic: From my side of Dalzell, which is all the way West of Shaw, I can be at just about any part of Sumter within 15 minutes, due to the wonderful way the highway/roads system is laid out. If you live in Dalzell proper (East side of Shaw, where the post office is located), then you're more like 5 minutes to Sumter.
Thanks for replying Ceezer. I was hoping you would cause I have seen how resourceful you have been in other threads.
Yeah, I know what you mean by reviews but when people say that they get people knocking on their door asking for money...and they can hear their neighbors talking next door, it makes me worry. haha
my price range would be around 600-650 bucks, but could manage 700.
thanks a lot for the zipcode! I will be searching online today!
SE Cola is appealing because while working at Shaw, I will be going to classes at USC during the night. It also puts me closer to friends, nightlife, things to do, etc. But like I said, I am not set on SE Cola. Especially if its anything longer than a 30 minute drive to Shaw.
Is "Dalzell proper" a subdivision? or a part of Dalzell?
my price range would be around 600-650 bucks, but could manage 700.
I believe you can get a 1BR apartment at a place like Companion Court for around $650. We actually rented a 3BR apartment there when we first got to Sumter in '04, and it was pretty nice. The only time noise came into play was when an upstairs neighbor (we were on ground floor) moved in with 7 children, so there were heavy footsteps running around. This is kind of in an area away from everything else, so it's quiet, and is just about 8 minutes from the front gate of Shaw and 4-6 minutes from town. There is another, newer, complex on Carter that is very similar but I think just a little more expensive. These types of complexes offer a small gym and public pool (maybe a good way to make new friends), if you're interested.
Or, for about the same money, you can rent a 3BR 1400SQFT'ish house and not have to worry about what the neighbors are watching on TV or how close you're going to be able to park because it's raining and you've got bags of groceries to carry in. On the other hand, you may be required to be responsible for lawn care. If you've got some friends you trust to live with, then you could share those duties, along with the cost of the living arrangements (650'ish + ~$100 electric, $25 water, $15 trash, $90 cable + internet, etc)
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SE Cola is appealing because while working at Shaw, I will be going to classes at USC during the night. It also puts me closer to friends, nightlife, things to do, etc. But like I said, I am not set on SE Cola. Especially if its anything longer than a 30 minute drive to Shaw.
That makes sense. You may already know, but there is an extension of USC in Sumter that might offer the classes you're considering. There is also Central Carolina Technical College in Sumter, and Midlands Tech in Columbia, amongst others (a Troy extension in Sumter, Columbia College, etc).
From Shaw to Pineview Rd is 35 minutes, but you could cut that by living a little more East, like around Lower Richland (5-10 minutes closer, depending on the location). But then you'd be further away from the nightlife scene.
You mention 'things to do' so, depending on your interests, you might find plenty to do in Sumter. There's no comparison between Sumter's nightlife and downtown Cola's, though, I'd imagine (an assumption, as I'm a boring old homebody and unfamiliar with either).
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Is "Dalzell proper" a subdivision? or a part of Dalzell?
I call it 'Dalzell proper' because that's the actual town of Dalzell and where the post office is located. I do this just to identify which part of Dalzell I'm talking about because it's broken up by Shaw (it's about 10 minutes from my home). I may very well be the only person that refers to it as such, so don't let me confuse you.
It's my pleasure!
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