I'm definitely considering moving to the Florence, SC area.
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What struck me as a northerner visiting was the change as you pass I-95 from South Florence to Timmonsville. All of a sudden places have big fences, bars on windows are common, even a corner place on SC 401 headed back to Hartsville had the bars. I'm used to rural parts of upstate NY where, well, one guy I know if you know which door, his house is always unlocked.
But there is a great restaurant in Timmonsville.
One nice thing, on US 76 on the east side of town there is a flea market place. $10 for a spot. So if you bring stuff you can't use, you have a place to go sell it, and if you find you need something, maybe someone there will be selling it. Some of it is the same made-in-China junk I can buy at the flea market here at home, but it's not all bad.
Honestly for the most part I liked it down there. I think I'd be happier closer to Columbia for a few things I like to do, but with the 75 mph speed limit on I-20 it's not that bad of a drive if you need to go that way for something.
Honestly for the most part I liked it down there. I think I'd be happier closer to Columbia for a few things I like to do, but with the 75 mph speed limit on I-20 it's not that bad of a drive if you need to go that way for something.
75 MPH SPEED LIMIT?!?!? That's it. I'm sold. As soon as I am stable enough, I'm moving.
I imagine this is old news for all of you in Florence but I just had a chance to look at the WBTW site and saw the article talking about student housing downtown with the FMU med school. I think this would be an awesome addition to the downtown make up and be something that can really boost downtown. Thoughts?
It is a branch of USC' med school, FMU is involved somehow but it isn't their med school.
I doubt it will be more than 20 students located there, if even that.
I can't see it boosting downtown much. What downtown needs is more employers which means more people coming down there during the day, and it would be more on people's minds for after work stuff.
I think the location of the downtown kind of kills off any chance they have to revive it. It just isn't seen as a safe area and it isn't qauint like a Greenville or Aiken so can't see it being a big draw. West Florence is where the action is in Florence so any "downtown" really needs to be there.
Yes, I-95 and I-20 outside of the cities have 70 and 75 mph limits. I would presume the other interstates are the same way. Traffic was no real issue outside of the stretch right around Columbia during the day the one Saturday. Even there while heavy it kept moving. Rush hour, construction or a wreck could probably bottle it up though.
(I spent a week based in Florence, went to Columbia twice, went to Hartsville twice to visit a friend who lives there; after reviewing hotels I picked the one in Florence as the best compromise of budget and quality).
It is a branch of USC' med school, FMU is involved somehow but it isn't their med school.
I doubt it will be more than 20 students located there, if even that.
I can't see it boosting downtown much. What downtown needs is more employers which means more people coming down there during the day, and it would be more on people's minds for after work stuff.
I think the location of the downtown kind of kills off any chance they have to revive it. It just isn't seen as a safe area and it isn't qauint like a Greenville or Aiken so can't see it being a big draw. West Florence is where the action is in Florence so any "downtown" really needs to be there.
Actually it is FMU's med school that will have joint programs for USC's 3rd and 4th year students as well. It is also expected to have an enrollment of around 350 students which will be downtown, this is exactly what Florence needs. These are 350+ students who will eat, shop, go to class, and probably live downtown or near downtown.
While having employers downtown is never a bad thing, Florence is not big enough to attract the big employers to develop into a corporate hub like Main Street in Columbia. Small businesses are going to be the employers that locate downtown but alone, they wont be able to bring in enough people. Plus with students, they will be more likely to stay downtown longer and go out after class, etc.
For the longest time Florence had an unrealistic view of themselves as the next Greenville or Columbia and focused on developing downtown into some metropolitan city center with sky scrappers and martini bars rather than utilize the attributes of Florence like the small town charm or having 4100+ college students at FMU so I am thrilled to see Florence finally doing it right.
Florence was focused on being like Columbia or Greenville?
I don't see that. You can't have a downtown like that and expect too much is going to change.
Most people there used to make jokes about just blowing up the downtown and starting over, I never heard anybody talking about developing downtown until last 5 years or so.
I think Francis Marion is going to have other medical degrees at this location, but the medical students are going to be 3rd and 4th year students from USC during their clinical rotations. If you look at the news about it, they always refer to it as Florence's new medical school, not Francis Marion.
Florence was focused on being like Columbia or Greenville?
I don't see that. You can't have a downtown like that and expect too much is going to change.
Most people there used to make jokes about just blowing up the downtown and starting over, I never heard anybody talking about developing downtown until last 5 years or so.
I think Francis Marion is going to have other medical degrees at this location, but the medical students are going to be 3rd and 4th year students from USC during their clinical rotations. If you look at the news about it, they always refer to it as Florence's new medical school, not Francis Marion.
About five years ago when they did first start talking about it and unveiled the master plan, everyone was comparing it to Greenville and commented on how we need skyscrapers like Columbia. They also opened a cosmopolitan type bar down there that didnt last very long.
I have seen it referenced as the Downtown Medical School, but everything I have seen from the most recent articles from this week and last refer to it as the FMU Medical School and also explain in the article that FMU students will go there for all four years while USC students will only go there for their 3rd and 4th so both schools will have programs and students there.
That's interesting regarding medical school. Never saw that.
It looks like Francis Marion has some engineering programs now too?
Something like that, I heard about it from some friends that are still undergrads there and saw something on SCNOW.com about it but im not too sure on the details on it. We have always had something like a joint thing with Clemson but it looks like they are getting there own with this.
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