Evaluation Of Marion, Sc??? (Columbia, Florence: for sale, homes, purchasing)

[Rainnelor]

My husband and I are interested in purchasing a home/property with history. Since he works from home and I am retired, we can live just about anywhere in the country...however; it would be helpful to be within an hour of a large airport. Can someone tell me if Marion, SC would fill that bill??? We are not the type of people to be bothered by racial diversity or necessarily skeptical of a town simply because its economy is distressed.

Thanks for your help.
RAINNELOR

[jlrich]

I guess I'll be the first to throw in my two cents.

1. There is plenty of homes with history but I don't know how many are available. A lot of these have been handed down to family members.

2. As far as the airport, how large is large? Florence Regional is 30 miles away, and they're usually routed to Charlotte. Myrtle Beach you can probably get to there within an hour depending on the traffic. A little farther would be Wilmington & Fayetteville, NC and Columbia, SC.

3. Since you're not worried about a distressed economy then you won't have a problem in Marion...because their economy is definitely distressed.

[Rainnelor]

Thanks for taking the time to help me out!

[jlrich]

My dad was born and raised in Marion County and I still have a few family members in the area. Marion is a nice place with some good people, but the area has digressed in the last few years due to the closing of the many textile factories in the area. Also, tobacco used to be the big cash crop in the area but due to imports and restrictions on tobacco products the farmers have lost that big dollar from tobacco. A lot of businesses have left and the town struggles to retain what they have and attract new business. A lot of people that are there are just existing, for lack of a better term.

[Rainnelor]

I am so sorry to hear of the plight of this community. It is very disheartening to see this type of thing happening more and more frequently to small towns throughout the country. When businesses go under, many good, hard working people suffer!

[BillF.]

I was just reading the reply you sent to Rainnelor and it sounds like you know the community well. I would like to have the perspective of someone who is not just trying to sell me on area, but who would give an honest evaluation of it. My wife and I are retired, and we are considering selling our home in Michigan to move to a warmer area. I was told about Marion, so we have begun our search in that area. The only thing I really remember about NC was the hot summers when I was posted at Ft. Bragg as a part of the 82nd Airborne, but that was back in the 60's, so my memory is not so clear about NC. I'm not crazy about blazing hot or freezing cold weather, so a true picture of weather/climate conditions would be nice.
We in Michigan are also living in a depressed economy. What impact is this really having in your community? I'm open to all the information I can get before I go down to Marion and start looking at the area with with a move in mind.

[jlrich]

Originally Posted by BillF.

I was just reading the reply you sent to Rainnelor and it sounds like you know the community well. I would like to have the perspective of someone who is not just trying to sell me on area, but who would give an honest evaluation of it. My wife and I are retired, and we are considering selling our home in Michigan to move to a warmer area. I was told about Marion, so we have begun our search in that area. The only thing I really remember about NC was the hot summers when I was posted at Ft. Bragg as a part of the 82nd Airborne, but that was back in the 60's, so my memory is not so clear about NC. I'm not crazy about blazing hot or freezing cold weather, so a true picture of weather/climate conditions would be nice.
We in Michigan are also living in a depressed economy. What impact is this really having in your community? I'm open to all the information I can get before I go down to Marion and start looking at the area with with a move in mind.

The climate in Marion, SC is about the same as Fayetteville (Ft. Bragg). The temps average in the mid to upper 90's during the summer and it is fairly humid. Winter averages in the 30's with not a lot of snow or ice. There is a few fast food places and a few strip malls with little in them. A new Super Walmart was built between Marion and Mullins so that will attract a few more businesses.

Depending on the traffic, you can be in Myrtle Beach in about an hour and Florence in 20 to 30 minutes, depending on which area of Florence. Either place has basically anything you need, you just have to drive to get it.

[BeachTeach07]

What made you interested in Marion? Interesting that this is the county you mention when you are looking for homes with history. I teach in Marion School District and it is very tough at times especially with businesses closing left and right, gang activity, and just distress in general. I don't know a lot about the actual town of Marion but the parts I have seen can go from good to bad very quickly.
I commute from Conway everyday, it is about 25 minutes from Marion. Have you looked into this city? There is A LOT of history here as well and I notice quite a few older homes for sale all the time.

[eureka1]

If you're coming down anyway be sure to check out LAKE Marion, a couple of hours SE near Santee. That area is depressed too but ya gotta love that lake. I don't remember any real fine scenery in the Florence/Marion area, not like that. Good luck with your move!

[eureka1]

Correction; SW not SE. Sorry.