Life in Bishopville

[usc_gal98]

Originally Posted by waccamatt

I guess if schools aren't a concern and you aren't in need of nearby amenities, Bishopville would be ok.

I usually stop by the off on the exit to go to McDonalds in the early morning hours on my way to Columbia and that is about the extent of it.

[LadyBella]

* Please 4give mistake in title...For what its worth...*From what I can guess you are looking for from what you stated, you are making a good choice. I grew up in Lee County after my family moved from NY, pretty much for the same reasons. My parents wanted my siblings and myself to grow up in a safe and rural environment. Look the land is cheap and gives you the opportunity to have the home setting you cant get many other places. I now live in DC and I would recommend an area such as Lee County for the purpose of raising children if you are going to home school or send to private school. Lee County, i.e. Bishopville, is close enough to all the great things in SC, the beach, Columbia, and not to mention easy enough drive to GA or NC without having to pay the higher prices for EVERYTHING you would to move to the major areas. I hope this makes sense. As a person who always looks for the small town outside of the big city, I think that Lee County is a good choice. If not Lee, there are other smaller counties that would fit the bill.

[Mary Ann789]

Lee isn't the poorest. I think Allendale County is the poorest but Lee ranks right up there. I think sales tax is 6% state plus 2% county. Cars are treated as taxable property here so there's a yearly bill unlike other states. There is recreation. There's fishing at Lake Ashwood, fishing in the Lynches River and camping, fishing and horseback riding at Lee State Park.

Lee's nice because it's rural but within 30 minutes of Sumter and Florence and 45 minutes of the Columbia outskirts depending on where in the county you live.

Hope this helps

[Ceezer]

I was just telling my wife yesterday, as we were coming back from Ashwood, if I had money and wanted to stay in the area that I wouldn't mind moving out to Lee Co. The land is so much nicer out that way, for some reason... must be all the water, because I can't think of any other reason as to why only 20 minutes from my house all the lawns look so much nicer than the one I'm always putting time/money/research into. I like the lay of the land out there, too. And it seems like you'd be able to pick up 15-20 acres a whole lot easier than in one of the surrounding cos.

We explored Emerald Lake some. That's a nice community back there.

And like Mary Ann said, it's just 45 minutes to Cola, 30 to Florence, and I think it's closer to 15-20 from Sumter.

[Woodlands]

From a location perspective... Bishopville and Lee County are in a great location. It is centrally located and convenient to Columbia, Florence, and Sumter.. and with the low cost of living..theoretically would be a great place to live. THe County has struggled over the years. It was known as a 'speed trap' for some time for those traveling back and forth along I-20. There is a stretch just west of Hwy 15 that was notorious for SCHP laying in wait. The Hwy 15 intersection has seen the most commercial development in the County though some questionable decisions to locate a landfill and the prison nearby may have limited the development of this stretch to industrial some limited commercial. Issues such as schools, unemployment and to a lesser degree crime may have stifled the growth in the area with most of the upwardly mobile and development occuring more west in Camden and Kershaw County. Downtown Bishopville has good bones with wonderful structures and a quaint layout that is waiting to be capitalized on. There is a small museum and the Bishopville Opera House that represent some opportunities to draw people off of I 20 for a visit.

[pitney]

It is somewhere near Bishopville. Voted one of the best in the country. Pearl did it all by himself without any formal training. It is on Pearls 3-4 acre home site. He started it out because he wanted to win yard of the month but found out he was not eligible to win since he lived outside the associations boundries by a block or so.

[IKTJK]

I have lived in Bishopville for the past year. It is a small town with nothing to do, however the rest of my family lives in Sumter and Dalzell, so I go there often, it is only 15-20 minutes away depending on which side you are going. Florence, Hartsville, and Camden are close by as well. I travel to Florence to shop. You will find that everyone knows each other. I know all of my neighbors, which is a good thing. My two boys go to BPS and the teachers and principles are great at there job. They work hard to make sure the children are learning,and being an active parent in your childs education is extremely helpful. Both my boys made honor roll the entire school year and they learned what was needed.