Quote:
Originally Posted by katey907
I just recently got a job at McLeod in Florence. I'm wonder what is a good are of town to live in, and what are some activities to do in the town since I'm in my early 20's. I've heard there isn't a great night life but is there any good shopping, places to eat, etc. But mainly I'm worried about where to look to rent a house!
Thank you so much!
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Katey,
I grew up in Florence on the west side of town. I think it is a good place to live overall.
West Florence has the mall, Magnolia Mall, which is a solid mall for a small town. There is a Best Buy, Walmart, Kohl's, Target, Barnes and Noble, TJ Max, Dick's Sporting Goods in that area. Restaurants include Outback Steakhouse, Olive Garden, Mellow Mushroom, a good local steak and American food place Percy and Willies, Five Guys Burgers, Peddler Steakhouse, Buffaloe Wild Wings, Longhorn Steakhouse etc. Most of these restaurants were not there when I was growing up in the 90's so you will be living large.
I think Apple Annie's and Redbone Alley tend to be the hotspot for young people in the 5 Points area near Cherokee Road. There is a bar/club near Apple Annie's that has changed ownership several times over the years but they used to have live music there and fairly big names on a regional level would play there from time to time. Renting along Cherokee Road would probably be a good idea if you want to be near the "action" in Florence. The Florence Country Club, which has tennis courts, and a nice park with many tennis courts Timrod Park are located off Cherokee Road and the area also has two of the nicest elementary schools. I found this listing for a rental near Cherokee on craigslist:
Great location just off Cherokee
You might also want to look off of Hoffmeyer road, which is near West Florence High School and a nice area. Cashua Road near the Forest Lake subdivisions has some newer apartments and probably could rent a house/condo in that area as well. I grew up in the Oakdale / Whitehall area around the Oakdale Country Club and that is a little further out but you probably could find some decent rentals along Pineneedles Road.
I don't know if you were interested in apartments but there are some new apartment complexes there. I would probably stay at this one located off Irby Street in South Florence, not too far from a super walmart:
The Reserve at Mill Creek Apartment Rentals
South Florence is a decent area too and it's not that far away from west Florence, just a straight shot down a 4 lane road in Second Loop. People tend to recommend West Florence b/c the schools are tad bit better but a lot of that is because the more affluent people tend to live on west side and there are more poor kids going to South Florence.
I also noticed these apartments appear to be brand new on South Cashua Drive in the Forest Lake area, might be worth checking out
Woodlake Apartments Apartments in Florence, SC | Apartments.com.
Florence has a great YMCA off of 2nd loop in the South Florence area, and there is also a very nice fitness center associated with McCloud hospital, where you m ight be able to get a discount since you will be working there. That is probably one of the nicest fitness centers in the entire state. It is located near the mall and West Florence high school.
There is a new movie theatre, I think Regal, off the west side of town near the Civic Center which should be nice.
I think Florence has a good newcomers club that you might want to join to meet other people rapidly. I'd also recommend joining a church even if you aren't religious because it is a good way to meet people in Florence. I went to Ebenezer Baptist Church growing up out in the Oakdale area and there are a lot of nice people who go there. First Baptist downtown is a nice one too.
I forgot about this but there is a nice new park with tennis courts in the Oakdale / Ebenezer area. I forget the name of it, probably Ebenezer Park. I think you can also pick up the Florence Rail Trail near this park, which is an old railroad track that was converted to a hiking trail. I never been on it but I think it is fairly popular in Florence. I wouldn't mind renting in this Ebenezer area if I could find something there.
There is also a new huge tennis center off of N. Cashua Drive. I forget the name of it but I think it is a private club but if you like tennis, Florence is the town for that.
The Florence Civic Center is a nice facility and they will have concerts and trade shows and other events from time to time. They used to have a minor league hockey team that was popular but not sure if they is still going on.
Let me know if you have any other questions. I miss Florence sometimes. Congratulations on the new job.