work in Florence, live near Columbia? (Myrtle Beach, Greenwood: transplants, condos, homes)

[pinkpocketbooks]

Would the commute be realistic at all? We have a possible job relocation coming up that would require my husband to live near Florence for work. I DO NOT want to live there. I need to be near a city. We'd be moving from Charlotte. I work in advertising and broadcast so the opportunities would be better for me in Columbua.

Is there a suburb of Columbia or a nice area in between Columbia and Florence that would be a realistic commute for both of us? thank you!

[Tommy1981]

There's about 80 miles between Florence and Columbia:
Yahoo! Maps, Driving Directions, and Traffic

Camden or Lugoff would be as close as you could get to the middle. The commute to Florence wouldn't have much if any traffic problems. Commuting from there to Columbia would probably get in the major rush from all of the suburban areas on that side of town. I-20 is probably the best interstate in Columbia to handle that load because its 3 lanes once you get close to town, all the way through town (I-26 is 2 lanes in one of the busiest areas).

I've you're used to a 45-60 min commute then I'm sure you could make this work. Given the price of Gas and the uncertain future of the economy, I'd think twice before commiting to a commute like this unless you drive a motorcycle or ride a horse to work. Florence is small compared to Charlotte, but its still one of the major cities in South Carolina. But then again, Columbia is definitely the best place in SC for Broadcasting.

I guess if you're commited to making this work I'd focus on the Camden area. There are plenty of neighborhoods there, and that would be the most realistic place to live between Columbia and Florence.

[Chi2Midlands]

I agree with Tommy - Camden is a good midway point. My wife's boss and her husband live in Camden - she works in downtown Columbia and he in Florence - so they seem to make it work. Camden is also a pretty nice small, historic town (oldest inland city in SC, in fact) surrounded by many horse farms. If you think you might like living in such a town, then it might be for you. If you really must be in an area closer than that to Columbia and its urban amenities, then you may want to look into some of the homes/subdivisions in the Elgin/Lugoff areas - you'll be a bit closer to the Village of Sandhill-anchored commercial hub in Northeast Richland County.

Originally Posted by Tommy1981

There's about 80 miles between Florence and Columbia:
Yahoo! Maps, Driving Directions, and Traffic

Camden or Lugoff would be as close as you could get to the middle. The commute to Florence wouldn't have much if any traffic problems. Commuting from there to Columbia would probably get in the major rush from all of the suburban areas on that side of town. I-20 is probably the best interstate in Columbia to handle that load because its 3 lanes once you get close to town, all the way through town (I-26 is 2 lanes in one of the busiest areas).

I've you're used to a 45-60 min commute then I'm sure you could make this work. Given the price of Gas and the uncertain future of the economy, I'd think twice before commiting to a commute like this unless you drive a motorcycle or ride a horse to work. Florence is small compared to Charlotte, but its still one of the major cities in South Carolina. But then again, Columbia is definitely the best place in SC for Broadcasting.

I guess if you're commited to making this work I'd focus on the Camden area. There are plenty of neighborhoods there, and that would be the most realistic place to live between Columbia and Florence.

[waccamatt]

Camden is a good option as are the northeast parts of Columbia. If you live close to I-20, the commute to Florence should be a little less than an hour from there - not a commute I would want to make, but it is doable.

[pinkpocketbooks]

I wonder if there is a better option on the Myrtle Beach side? Does anyone know anything about Conway? Or other areas east of Florence, but somewhat close to Myrtle Beach?

[Tommy1981]

Conway to Florence would take almost as long as Florence to Columbia. There's no interstate to go on, so you'd have to slow down more through some of the small towns in between. There wouldn't be the same sense of rush hour that you'd get with Columbia, but there is a huge traffic flow to the beach during the warmer months.

The Broadcast market in Myrtle Beach would be smaller than Columbia, but Advertising there is as big as anywhere. Myrtle Beach and Conway are very Tourist-y. They have lots of restraurants, some of the bigger chains like Planet Hollywood and Hard Rock Cafe that you wouldn't find other places in the state. They have lots of shopping like outlet malls. I enjoy visiting that kind of place, but I don't think I'd want to live there. The cost of living would be much higher than in other parts of the state.

Marion, SC would be closer to Florence, but about an hour from the beach. Like Camden its got a historical charm about it. If you wanted to go the other side of Florence I'd shoot for Marion over Conway.

Why do you say you don't want to live in Florence?

[pinkpocketbooks]

actually i don't want to live in Florence. i don't want to move at all. we've said that we would be open to relocating to 'some' places. and for me 'some' would mean near a larger city with culture, diversity, and variety for dining, shopping, etc. I like a city! that's exactly what it is. and i don't mean to knock on a place that some may love, but i don't imagine myself being happy living in Florence. i grew up in an extremely small town, but after living in Atlanta and then Charlotte I never want to go back to small town life.

i would much rather live somewhere else that was a reasonable commute for my husband to work in florence. he has a great opportunity within his company that is based there.

Originally Posted by Tommy1981

Conway to Florence would take almost as long as Florence to Columbia. There's no interstate to go on, so you'd have to slow down more through some of the small towns in between. There wouldn't be the same sense of rush hour that you'd get with Columbia, but there is a huge traffic flow to the beach during the warmer months.

The Broadcast market in Myrtle Beach would be smaller than Columbia, but Advertising there is as big as anywhere. Myrtle Beach and Conway are very Tourist-y. They have lots of restraurants, some of the bigger chains like Planet Hollywood and Hard Rock Cafe that you wouldn't find other places in the state. They have lots of shopping like outlet malls. I enjoy visiting that kind of place, but I don't think I'd want to live there. The cost of living would be much higher than in other parts of the state.

Marion, SC would be closer to Florence, but about an hour from the beach. Like Camden its got a historical charm about it. If you wanted to go the other side of Florence I'd shoot for Marion over Conway.

Why do you say you don't want to live in Florence?

[waccamatt]

While there is a lot to do in Myrtle Beach, it isn't a "city" in the traditional sense, it is a tourist mecca. Camden is about a 30-40 minute drive to downtown Columbia and the northeast subdivisions a 25-30 minute drive to downtown outside of rush hour. A lot depends on how long a commute your husband wants to make every day.

[Tommy1981]

What does Small mean?

Cities in South Carolina have a certain Population based on the number of people that live in the city limits, but because a large portion of the population prefers a more rural house, they live out of the city limits and don't count towards the popluation count, but they definitely count as patrons toward local businesses.

I grew up in Abbeville, which is small by any definition. There are a total of 8 red lights in Abbeville county (as of 2000 or so when I left). But everybody in Abbeville drives to neighboring Greenwood to do almost any kind of shopping or entertainment. Greenwood isn't that much larger on paper, but the businesses there benefit from all of the neighboring towns.

Florence is the largest city in that area of the state. It has a nicer mall, tons of restarants, shopping, etc. There are many neighboring towns where most people drive to Florence to shop, eat out, go to a movie, etc. Also its at the intersection of 2 major intersates, and the malls and shopping is very accessable, so there are alot more people in Florence on any given day than the population shows. There isn't too much that you can do in Columbia that you can't do in Florence.

Have you visited Florence? I wouldn't rule it out until you visit the area.

[Chi2Midlands]

Originally Posted by pinkpocketbooks

actually i don't want to live in Florence. i don't want to move at all. we've said that we would be open to relocating to 'some' places. and for me 'some' would mean near a larger city with culture, diversity, and variety for dining, shopping, etc. I like a city! that's exactly what it is. and i don't mean to knock on a place that some may love, but i don't imagine myself being happy living in Florence. i grew up in an extremely small town, but after living in Atlanta and then Charlotte I never want to go back to small town life.

i would much rather live somewhere else that was a reasonable commute for my husband to work in florence. he has a great opportunity within his company that is based there.

Knowing this new information, if your husband doesn't mind a commute of about an hour or so, I would focus on the Northeast Richland side of Columbia, particularly around I-20/Clemson Road/Two Notch Road, which is anchored commerically by the relatively new Village of Sandhill mixed-used development (it is basically an outdoor mall with condos and eventually offices). You will be in a decidedly suburban environment but will be in one of the most sophisticated and cosmopolitan parts of Columbia's new suburban areas. This side of town is a haven of transplants from all over the country. As waccamatt implied, you should be able to get to downtown in about 30 minutes from there, 45 minutes tops in normal rush-hour traffic. Housing is mostly single-family suburban, but there is a variety of neighborhoods from $150k starter homes to $500k ones on a golf course. However, there are a couple of clusters of condos in the aforementioned Village of Sandhill and near the Wildewood community closer to the Clemson Road/I-20 interchange.

Hope you can find something you like.