Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am thinking of buying a house there. Both I and my wife are pretty enchanted with the house itself, and I've driven through Marion a lot of times, but never actually stopped there or visited anything there. Are you happy there? Any major problems?
I am thinking of buying a house there. Both I and my wife are pretty enchanted with the house itself, and I've driven through Marion a lot of times, but never actually stopped there or visited anything there. Are you happy there? Any major problems?
I lived in Florence for a period of time and the only people that lived or stayed in Marion were people from there. It was always considered as "meh" to "yuck" by Florentines as the schools were not that hot, there were no jobs other than at a few plants, and if you wanted a quaint town feel.. Marion and Mullins are both "ok" aesthetically and have made improvements but may be less visited/known when compared to Lake City, Camden, and Hartsville which are of similar size. The County which was called "the neck" because of how it was shaped..though people joked it was because who lived there.
That said, I think things are looking up for Marion as people look for lower cost alternatives to Horry County along with if I-73 ever gets completed. I could see retirement communities popping up in the eastern end in the future and you have access to Myrtle Beach and Florence Airports not to mention I-95. So if you are just looking to retire and want a quiet rural lifestyle and dont mind driving 30-40 minutes for other amenities.. Id say go for it!
Last edited by Woodlands; 12-12-2023 at 08:03 AM..
I lived in Florence for a period of time and the only people that lived or stayed in Marion were people from there. It was always considered as "meh" to "yuck" by Florentines as the schools were not that hot, there were no jobs other than at a few plants, and if you wanted a quaint town feel.. Marion and Mullins are both "ok" aesthetically and have made improvements but may be less visited/known when compared to Lake City, Camden, and Hartsville which are of similar size. The County which was called "the neck" because of how it was shaped..though people joked it was because who lived there.
That said, I think things are looking up for Marion as people look for lower cost alternatives to Horry County along with if I-73 ever gets completed. I could see retirement communities popping up in the eastern end in the future and you have access to Myrtle Beach and Florence Airports not to mention I-95. So if you are just looking to retire and want a quiet rural lifestyle and dont mind driving 30-40 minutes for other amenities.. Id say go for it!
Thanks, Woodlands!
I don't really like the drive that much, but I can live with it. As someone who has spent a LOT of time in Myrtle, I can say with experience housing is not only getting more expensive there, but there is serious "urban sprawl", where builders are going farther and farther out to build for the influx of people coming there. Houses in Conway used to be fairly cheap, but are getting about as expensive as houses in Myrtle. Even Aynor, which used to be considered waaay out, is starting to get built up. I thought I might skip all the traffic and mess, and buy a home we love that's way out in Marion. We put a bid down, but we got caught in a multiple-bidder situation, so not sure if we'll get it or not. I thought those days were in the past. lol
I will know by Tuesday night. Thanks again for your help on this!
I don't really like the drive that much, but I can live with it. As someone who has spent a LOT of time in Myrtle, I can say with experience housing is not only getting more expensive there, but there is serious "urban sprawl", where builders are going farther and farther out to build for the influx of people coming there. Houses in Conway used to be fairly cheap, but are getting about as expensive as houses in Myrtle. Even Aynor, which used to be considered waaay out, is starting to get built up. I thought I might skip all the traffic and mess, and buy a home we love that's way out in Marion. We put a bid down, but we got caught in a multiple-bidder situation, so not sure if we'll get it or not. I thought those days were in the past. lol
I will know by Tuesday night. Thanks again for your help on this!
Yeah.. I think Marion is a diamond in the rough..If you are looking at retirement as opposed to a young couple starting a family and have to look at multiple factors other than just an inexpensive place to live. I could see value in moving there. If you can find a nice property in a good area.. you can certainly use it as a base of operations for when family and friends come from out of town to visit, while using it as a spring board to the Grand Strand. I think eventually that urban sprawl will spill in and maybe what you buy today can become something you pass on to your family tomorrow for their use and memories... Good Luck
Marion is a good location in my opinion, it’s between Florence and the Grand Strand, as both Florence with the industries and a Myrtle Beach with the tourism grow out Marion will be a prime spot to set down roots.
Marion is a good location in my opinion, it’s between Florence and the Grand Strand, as both Florence with the industries and a Myrtle Beach with the tourism grow out Marion will be a prime spot to set down roots.
Yeah it interesting that when you go to Marion County Economic Development web site.. They are pushing it for Industrial development which historically is what most rural SC Counties have done. I suspect that industries would favor Florence and Dillon because of the highway and related infrastructure. If I were Marion I would focus on attracting growth from Horry County like retirement communities/development in the eastern part of the County as opposed to Countywide. Those retirees pay taxes and other than hospitals they have very little (or less) impact on municipal services. Rather than worry about training the workforce for industrial jobs (as they can simply go to work in Florence or Dillion and live in Marion) They can push careers in medical services, hospitality, home health care etc that would support a growing retirement population while still providing jobs to locals.
The challenge is you dont want to price these folks out of the County.. but I think there could be a balance between any new development that focuses on retirees versus new workforce housing. They can limit the amount and location of retiree housing via zoning while encouraging workforce housing in marion and mullins where there is existing infrastructure, stores, schools etc that may be more of interest to workforce than retirees who may also use those stores, volunteer at schools or just go into Horry for everything else. The property taxes and some sales tax retirees pay could help shore up the tax base for the County to fund things like schools (depending on how SC views the taxes retirees pay)
My mother lives in Marion. For an older person retired it's not bad. Crime goes on particularly in certain areas but that's the same story in most towns. In the beach season more people pass through and more quiet in the winter. Never any traffic jam that I've seen. It's close enough to Florence to go whenever or commute there. There's countryside all over if you want that.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
