Considering SC...Please help (Columbia, Charleston: crime, homes, private schools)

[Bigfamilyof6]

My hubby is a truck driver and I am a wahm of 4. We live in Wisconsin but do not care for it much. Do not hate us but my hubby is originally from southern california and I was raised in Colorado. In the last few years we have become closer with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and more and more things boggel our minds on how things work up here. My hubby's family has begged us to move back out west but we really do not want to because of how godless it is out there. We have lived here in Wisconsin for about 2 years and we had great neighbors and our daughters were in the same grade together and were best of friends. Our neighbor is also a truck driver and the jobs are terrible out here for truckers. So needless to say they just left for Boiling Springs South Carolina. We did not know our neighbors all that well but their daughter was like another child in our house. We love her. And her parents are wonderful christians. We have been planning on moving for about a year now but just have not decided where the Lord wants us. Still praying for direction. My question is what is it really like in SC? We really do want and need to be around other christians. Our Faith comes before anything else. But we also want somewhere we will be accepted and our children too. My hubby is kind of afraid of driving in the south because of all the different highways. Is boiling springs a good area? Can anyone tell me more about this area? How hot does it get around these parts? And are the tornados really bad out there? Just want to get as much info as I can from some locals. I appreciate everyone's input.

Thank you and God Bless,

Jennifer

[Adrienne1]

We, too, are looking for a more Christian environment for our family. We live in Maine where it is anything but! We have heard that the Greenville area is probably the most Christian in the state. Hopefully, someone who lives down there can either confirm or correct that. we plan on visiting this fall and seeing what towns we like. We are also looking for a small, Christian town with a strong church. Let me know if you get any info! Thanks

[Marks]

Originally Posted by Bigfamilyof6

In the last few years we have become closer with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and more and more things boggel our minds on how things work up here.

My hubby's family has begged us to move back out west but we really do not want to because of how godless it is out there...

We have been planning on moving for about a year now but just have not decided where the Lord wants us. Still praying for direction...

My hubby is kind of afraid of driving in the south because of all the different highways.

Is boiling springs a good area? Can anyone tell me more about this area? How hot does it get around these parts? And are the tornados really bad out there?

Jennifer,

Welcome to the board and the SC forum maybe you're not new, but welcome anyway. Praise God sister! My wife and I are fellow believers as well, and you will find quite a bit of Christians here that are wanting the same things you are.

You said, "My hubby's family has begged us to move back out west but we really do not want to because of how godless it is out there... " Yep, I know because I live here can't wait to get out.

We have had our home on the market for over a year now and still have not been able to sell. So, I hear you when you say "still praying for direction."

Though I'm not from SC, I would say your husband should not be afraid of driving in the south, it's not that bad. I think some of the SC natives will tell you they wish the state would get on the ball with the road expansions and repairs.

Keep reading the posts from the forum and go to the "search" box and type in key words in your questions (i.e. boiling springs, hot, humid, etc.) we have discussed these things a lot over the last several months. Fellow members such as distortedlogic, anonymous, disneydreamer, etc. are from SC and are very helpful people.

Blessings to you and your family. Don't worry God will move you when He decides to. I have been reminded of these things many times from the good people on here.

Mark

[anonymous]

family of 6, it sounds like you'd do fine in South Carolina. this is definitely a great area for a Christian person to live. It's also probably a good place for a trucker to live, as well. Southern musicians always sing about truck drivers, too, so it just seems right to me.

It does get hot here. Not unbearably hot, just very muggy and uncomfortable in the summer. And the summers are long, usually going from May to early September. Spring and fall are nice, winters aren't too bad.

Tornadoes do occur, but they aren't very common. You see more of them in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, and Arkansas.


I think you could pick pretty much any small town in SC and it would suit what you're looking for. It's just a matter of finding whichever one you like.

[Bigfamilyof6]

Thank you so much Marks and anonymous. You both were so helpful to me. It is so frustrating, I am so sick of dealing with people that have no faith. I know they will be where ever we go but it sure would be nice to have more christians around us than not. I feel for you Marks I really do. You know when I was a little girl I always said when I grew up I was moving to California because I thought it had everything there. But now that I am an adult and have grown up having brothers and sisters around us is what is more important now and SC looks really pretty so I think I would get the best of both. Anonymous, where did you get that info on tornados? That is really neat and informative. Thank you for sharing that. You both make me feel like this is the right way to go. I am going to have to do some serious praying tonight and see where the Good Lord leads us. What are the schools out there like? I have been wanting to homeschool our children so I know they will be getting a christian education, cant afford private school for 4 kids.That would be a bit pricey. What do the average homes sell for? City-data.com I believe tells you back to the year 2000. Great info thank you all for sharing with me and if there is anything more you can tell me about moving to south carolina I sure would appreciate it.

God Bless each and everyone of you,

Jennifer

[Adrienne1]

Hey Jennifer,
We have four kids too, and are concerned about the public schools. I actually called a church in Easley (one that seemed to agree with our faith) and they said the public schools were pretty good there as far as being accepting toward Christians. The man I spoke with said that a lot of members of their church either worked or were very involved in the public schools. I looked at the school websites and read the teacher bios. and many if not most were outwardly christian! That would be unheard of where we live in Maine.
We have our kids in private school here, but we are barely making it financially. I am hoping down there the boys will be able to go to public school where they will have more to offer and still share their faith. I know the public schools down there almost all have christian clubs, etc.. that the kids can join. That says a lot to me.
Well, I am rambling, but hope this helps.
Take care.
Adrienne

[anonymous]

things here are pretty thoroughly Christian. Unless you're sending your child to a private school that specializes in teaching a specific religion, then your average private school will be similar, religously, to your average public school.

In my experience, the private schools don't really cater to strict religious education. There are exceptions, but typically your private schools supported by the Episcopal, Methodist, or Presbyterian churches will be more lax on religious standards than Baptist. Baptist schools have a reputation for being strict. If you are very, very serious about a Christian education, then Bob Jones University (and K-12 school) in Greenville is typically considered to be the most intensely conservative Christian school in the nation. For example: Students are forbidden to watch any films with a rating higher than a G rating, and may not listen to country, jazz, new age, rock, rap, or contemporary christian music.

Many private schools are independent, like the one I went to. They read a prayer every morning over the PA, and pray before the sporting events - but they don't have mandatory religion classes, and there are students from other religions.

One thing to note, is that most of the independent schools in SC were 'white flight' schools. They were all founded between 1965-1969, when they were integrating school systems in the south. White families in town didn't want their kids to go to school with black kids. Obviously this has changed, most private schools now go out of their way (some more than others) to have black students. In cities like Greenville or Spartanburg, the high schools are pretty decent. So there was no long-term viability for white-flight schools, and they're fewer and far between. But in areas with bad public schools, these are much more common (Orangeburg, Sumter, downtown Columbia, downtown Charleston, Manning, etc.)

[SouthernAtheist]

Hey,

Just thought I should warn you that the upstate of SC is not so much the closed-minded and backward Christian haven that it used to be. I have been living in the metro-Atlanta area since 1984, but before then had lived in the upstate (Greenville-Easley area) my entire life.

On recent visits I was very surprised to visit the newly revitalized downtown Greenville area and found it refreshingly 'non-christian'. There were lesbian couples openly holding hands, a variety of people of all types strolling enjoying the falls on the Reedy River. I am sure that you can still find communities where everyone is beating each other over the head with how 'Christian' they are, but some of the larger cities are becoming more pluralized and are thankfully coming into the 21st century where they realize that perhaps it is best that they (schools, newspapers, politicians) keep their religious views personal - the way one might presume they should be.

I am also curious as to why you would want to move away from 'Godless' areas and to a 'Red State' religious area when statistics clearly show that standard of living is worse in 'Christian areas', crime is worse, divorce is worse and education is worse?