What is it REALLY like in Sumter? (Columbia, Myrtle Beach: for sale, real estate)

[sahmusaf]

First, thanks to everyone who's been taking the time to address all of my panicky questions and fears!

Ceezar:
My research about the schools has come through word of mouth and greatschools.net. I'm not judging, just curious!

And I didn't say that I PERSONALLY think the weather there is the worst on earth, I said based on what the Shaw AFB website tells you about the climate they make it sound like there's never a day that you could leave your house, constant threats of severe weather, etc. Which seems ridiculous. But I was curious how hot and humid it gets in the summer, and how typically cold it gets in the winter. (I've done some internet research of course, but you know how that goes...it says the Utah average July high is 92, when we typically have 105+ degree days).

Captain Worley:
I haven't been to Robins. Ever been to Fairchild or Hill, for comparison?

CarolinaBredChicagoan:
I'm not trying to bad-mouth Sumter, simply ask questions based on the myriad of rumors I've heard about it. I want to have a clear, honest picture so we can make our decision whether to retire or PCS.

So, to everyone, that's why I'm asking questions that may seem a little offensive. Again, I'm not judging, just asking, because this really is a life-changing decision for us. I've found that asking the people who live in a place--especially transplants who liked a place enough to stay--is the best way to get a sense of a place.

My next question is about crime. I've heard that there are really nice subdivisions, but that there's a high level of personal property crimes against those neighborhoods. Any insights?

[CarolinaBredChicagoan]

I phrased that wrong. I didn't mean to imply you were trying to bad-mouth Sumter. That doesn't really bother me, anyway. I just meant that I don't think Sumter lives up to the reputation you've ascribed to it.

The only way you can know, though, is to visit. Sumter has issues, but there are a thousand towns that are worse.

[Ceezer]

It's going to be hard to compare Hill to any other (most, anyway) USAF bases. Maybe it's just me but I think Ogden/Leyton/SLC is such a wonderful area. Great weather, amazing scenery, very friendly people, and extremely low cost of living (I've seen 4000sqft homes with in-ground pools that overlook the city for $200k). That's not your typical military town (or even a typical town in general).

We've never had any personal property damage or break-ins. I leave my car doors unlocked and haven't had anything taken from it. Around town there have been a few times, admittedly, that I felt I had to be cautious and aware (crowds of young adults/kids) but I've never felt personally threatened.

Maybe it'll also help if I tell you that I'm not from around here, so that you know I didn't grow up on the kool-aid or anything. I grew up in WV/OH in a small farming & blue collar community where there was no real crime rate. I joined the Marine Corps and saw a lot of places, especially military towns (and I saw even more, later as I worked for the USAF as a DoD contractor). We moved here on Thanksgiving Day, 2004. At first we were excited by the possibilities and the, what appeared to be, somewhat large city. Once the novelty wore off and reality set in we became disappointed and ambitious to get out of here, but I don't think it had that much to do with Sumter being "bad", but more that we had built such high expectations for it that it couldn't live up to (that's why I get bothered by all these posts where people are saying "Oh, we stopped by xxxx for 2 days and are in love. We're moving next week!", then a few months later they're posting with gripes and how they're moving out. First impressions are nothing more). Within the last year or so we've really come to accept it for what it is and have picked up on some of the finer things about the city.

Is Sumter comparable to Ogden? No way, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a city that is. Is there crime in Sumter? You bet, but it seems to be contained to a few specific areas (well, and the clubs but that's easy to avoid). Would I leave Sumter? Sure, but mostly because I really, really miss the mountains. But if I'm destined to live out my years here and am limited to weekend Greenville trips, I'm ok with that. In fact, I'm even considering investing in some land around here to build on down the road.

The biggest drawback about Sumter, in my eyes, is the limited employment opportunities. Y'all will soon be retired military so that's not quite as much of a burden, and your husband may be able to transition into one of the available contractor spots.

You'll be able to find lots of fun things to do with your daughter if you're willing to look for it. I mentioned the park on base, there are also lots of great parks around town. They spruced up Dillon Park a few years ago so they have playground equipment, a paved walking path, a walking trail (I think it's called the Sumter Cypress Trail?), some fields to run around in, and (for later) ball fields. Swan Lake has a walking trail around it so you could pick up a bag or two of cheap bread and spend hours feeding the foul and teaching her about some of the flora they have the lake landscaped with. There are a few new water parks in town. I've only found one, and while I was, at first, a little concerned about the neighborhood it was in (on Main there by Morris College), it was done very nicely and we had no problems at all. I've stated that I absolutely adore the new library.

The fair is this week. We went last night and while it's expensive ($7 for adults to get in, $5 for kids. Military discounts available. Tickets are $1 each and rides require 3-5 tickets per... Kids can get a hand stamp for $18, though, for unlimited rides), we all had a good time. At Halloween in previous years we took her to the mall for trick-or-treating but last year we decided to stop downtown afterwards to see the trick-or-treat event that's held by the city. Wow! I was very impressed by the presence of law enforcement (you've got all kinds of kids out in the dark, you can't be too sure), the candy stations, the entertainment, the little haunted alley, and overall atmosphere of the event. We'll be going straight there this year.

[SouthernCharm29]

My family (husband and 1 year old) and I are headed to Shaw AFB in March. These posts have helped calmed my fears from all the horror stories I've heard about the base. In checking things to do, I like the Sandhills Mall, is there a nice neighborhood that is somewhere between that area and Shaw for renters? I don't want to drive more than 20 mintues to work each day. I've heard the CDC is really expensive, is this true? I've also read on other forums that there is really only three nice apartment complexes near Sumter, any info on those? How's the community around Sumter?

[Woodlands]

SouthernCharmer... by Sandhills Mall I take you mean Village of the Sandhills in NE Columbia? The only place I can think of that may be midway between Sumter and the NE Columbia area..is Camden. There were some apartments built near I-20 at Hwy 521 in Camden/Kershaw County that may be worth investingating.. There are also probably homes for rent in that general area as well. If you live at this location you can be in Sumter/Shaw AFB(down HWY 521 in about 20 minutes and to the Village( down I- 20) in about the same amount of time. Not much in between primarily a rural area. There are also several new apartment communities in Sumter.. Broad St. near Walmart and off Wise Drive north of Sumter if you are trying to stay within Sumter and striking distance of the Base... also there are several patio home communities in the western edge of Sumter that may have rentals available as well.

http://www.apartmentguide.com/apartm...rolina/Sumter/

http://www.apartmentguide.com/apartm...rolina/Camden/

[airforce backer]

2nd tour back at shaw

within 2 hrs i can be anywhere i want to go

i hit the beach every weekend

i paid about 150k for a 2200 sq ft house brand new custom designed by me and my wife.

cost of living is low

shaw is dumping million and millions into the base, the addition of the army also boosts our funding

the local area is slowly building up

the history is great

the things youa re hearing are fromt eh whiners and cry babies who sit around and dont know how to make the best of thier situation

those folsk are everywhere

i did a yr in korea. the best tour ever. but ask many folks they will tell you korea is hell on earth

its all about attitude

[donnacreation]

Sumter is my hometown. I was born there in 1955, and by the tender age of four, I was trying to run away to NYC. Long story short, I moved to Columbia at eighteen , and two years later I moved to Philadelphia, where I lived until 2006, when I returned home with my yankee husband. This town is devastatingly depressing. It is insular, impoverished, and downright ugly. It's filled with dollar stores, predatory finance companies, fast food joints, and far too many fundamentalist churches. It's a Super Walmart town-forget about Target and Kohls. Sumter is too poor for these discount retailers. Fine dining-abysmal(Sumter is a town of thin wallets and big bellies filled with country cooking and TERRIBLE versions of Mexican cuisine). Move to Columbia and commute. Even better, move to Charleston and commute. And please accept my heartfelt sympathy.

[missnatural01]

Sumter is what you make of it. My children love the downtown library. They have story circle every day at 10am. I have found that Sumter has more activities than I was led to believe. I recently took my children to the Mommy and me at the sumter museum. It was really nice. I also took them to earth day at Swan Lake. It was the first time Sumter had an Earth Day celebration so that was a step up in my opinion. No, it wasn't anything grand but it was nice and raised awareness. Sumter offers drama classes, dance classes, gymnastics, sports, tennis center (which hosts an international women's competition every year). You can check out some info on Sumter and view the Sumter calendar of events here: Events in the City of Sumter, SC

Like I said, Sumter is what you make of it. If you choose to go in with a negative attitude then you will probably focus on the negative aspects (and I admit there are some). That was my problem when we moved here and I read on-line and from unhappy sumterites how bad it is here. Then, I decided to become proactive and go out and look for things to do. I toured the school (that I had heard and read negative things about on greatschools and various boards) and I realized that the staff and principal seemed to genuinely care about the students. My children and I were welcomed and made to feel comfortable, we asked many questions and I believe were answered truthfully, we were allowed to sit in on a class and by doing that I realized how much attention and energy the teacher put it to her lesson. I saw how she worked with the students. Needless to say, I was impressed.

I have heard of Miss Libby's Dance School Miss Libby's School of Dance but personally don't have any experience with it.

I would encourage you to visit Sumter with an open mind and then make your decision.

[missnatural01]

[quote=Ceezer;5529719]Would I leave Sumter? Sure, but mostly because I really, really miss the mountains. But if I'm destined to live out my years here and am limited to weekend Greenville trips, I'm ok with that. In fact, I'm even considering investing in some land around here to build on down the road.

I'm from the mtn.s too....Western NC.

[Ceezer]

Originally Posted by missnatural01

I have heard of Miss Libby's Dance School Miss Libby's School of Dance but personally don't have any experience with it.

My daughter attended Miss Libby's for a while. First for dance, then for gymnastics. The program was fine, my daughter just lost interest in it quickly (she's more into sports).

Something else that recently became available is the Sumter Value Cinema. It's the old theater behind Bojangles and movies are $1.99. It's just something nice for the family to do that is low-cost, especially with the heat coming (2 hours of air-conditioned entertainment for $6 (we're a family of 3) is hard to beat). Right now they're playing Hotel for Dogs and Paul Blart, both rated PG (plus Taken & Gran Torino, but those are more mature).

I'm glad you found the school to your liking.