Want to relocate to Florence, what is the city like?

[Dan In SC]

Originally Posted by Badger53170

We are thinking of relocating from Minnesota to South Carolina. Can anyone tell us about the state, the environment, the city of Florence, and the people there?

Oh man its incredible! They have so much Renaissance art and great food. You have to check out the Uffizi and the Duomo! The weather there can be quite hot in the summer, and cool in the winter. Do you speak fluent Italian?

Oh wait, you're talking about Florence SC. Yeah, not quite as good as Florence Italy.

[Stay At Home Mother]

Florence Italy doesn't look that great to me. Looks kind of ugly in the pictures I see on Google images.

It is a sea of old buildings there with narrow streets with no trees. Looks like a sunlight free zone.

The river through the city looks polluted.

Probably ok to visit if you like history and art, but I'd rather live in Florence SC. Got some newer stuff, and not living right on top of other people. Florence SC going to be a lot safer too.

[Chico020]

[quote=Stay At Home Mother;37195794]Chico, I'm not against it getting bigger. It is getting bigger, 10 percent growth the past 10-12 years despite a stagnant economy is solid growth. It has gotten a ton of the chain restaurants and retail the past 15 years. I lived there when Quincy's and Western Sizzlin' were best chain steakhouses in town (I still like these kind of places. lol old school). I think new restaurants and retail also helps lead to more growth because the lack of those was why a lot of people didn't consider Florence in the past.

Your points about the cities that benefit from government is a good one. Aiken would probably be nothing today without the Savannah River Site nearby. I think the fact Florence hangs with Aiken without a huge federal employer nearby proves Florence has done well for itself and has had solid leadership.

The interstate has benefited Florence in a big way. I think it has a lot more than Sumter, Seneca, other small cities in SC and elsewhere off the interstate. It also has grown more and has more than other cities right on the interstate in SC and NC like Walterboro and Orangeburg.

What i like about Florence is there is no hype. That can be its identity. A nice place to people who want to live the good and simple life with less traffic in a less built up area with low cost of living 1 hour from the beach. A good city doesn't have to be flashy and have tourism. Most cities in the US are not tourism cities.

Florence and Pee Dee has a lot more good employers than a lot of people realize. It seems like sometimes people make it seem like Earl SC or Bamburg or Barnwell. And like you said, it isn't adjacent to a bigger city like Greenville and can't free load off that city's popularity.

Florence will continue to become more attractive as other cities get too overpopulated and built up. Time is on Florence's side.

Taken from Wikipedia: General Electric Medical Systems, TRICARE, a supplemental insurance company that serves the US Armed Forces and its civilian employees, Assurant, a real property and personal insurance company. The city also serves the pharmaceutical industry: with a Hoffman-La Roche pharmaceutical manufacturing facility and research and development center for IRIX Pharmaceuticals. Florence also serves as the financial and service hub for the Eastern Carolinas, with many financial and professional management institutions invested heavily within the city. Companies with regional operations and headquarters to include, JP Morgan Chase, BB&T, Monster.com and Bank of America. Florence has operation headquarters for at&t and Duke Energy Inc. Florence to remain competitive and bringing in and sustaining major manufacturers such as Honda, ESAB, DuPont-Teijin Films, QVC Distribution Center, and Heinz. I would add Duke Energy's nuclear power plant and Sonoco in Hartsville, Nanya Plastics in Lake City, Johnston Controls, Aluminum Ladder Company, Nucor Steel, etc. Both Clemson extension and USDA have large argricultural research centers in Florence and the Pee Dee.c I think the best way to help growth in Florence is to market it in a positive light. The focus always seems to be on what it doesn't have which I think makes it seem like a bad place to live. Accentuate the positive, and more growth will come.

If you look at Charlotte's Chamber of Commerce website, for example, you don't see them talking about the bad traffic in Charlotte. [/QUOTE
Definitely agree with the traffic thing even tho Florence has its headaches around 2nd loop and S. Cashua and around 5 points. I'm from Florence originally and I now live in Charleston for school but I know in the past that some people just have limited Florence growth based on some there decisions and I finally seeing improvement on things that should of been done along time ago. But I do agree one of the best things about Florence is the great mixture of a bigger city and small town feel. I definitely agree like Myrtle Beach which is insanely over crowded that Florence growth is a steady pace in comparison to rapid growth in which cities like MB cant prepare for accordingly. I do however want to see the Eastern Florence area to have economical growth in comparison with the Western and Southern parts of the city

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by Badger53170

Oh wow, you guys are awesome with your replies. This helps us tremendously. Keep them coming!

To be more specific, my girlfriend is thinking of applying at Assurant, and I'm in retail myself. We would just like to know that there are jobs for us if we put our effort into it. We enjoy the small town feel and know that we can get to Myrtle Beach for city life if needed.

As for aspects of Florence, we would like to know more about what's all there for businesses, churches (we are Lutheran), parks, SCHOOLS too, housing prices, typical apartment rates (because we'd probably have to rent first before we look for a house), and things to do in and around Florence.

We desperately need a change in our lives, and we're sick of upper midwest winters. We'd love to be a part of your community if we can make this work.

Columbia is just as close as Myrtle Beach, and is a much bigger city. I wouldn't classify MB as "city life". There's a lot going on during the summer, but mostly touristy things.

[Stay At Home Mother]

Originally Posted by Chico020

If you look at Charlotte's Chamber of Commerce website, for example, you don't see them talking about the bad traffic in Charlotte. [/QUOTE
Definitely agree with the traffic thing even tho Florence has its headaches around 2nd loop and S. Cashua and around 5 points. I'm from Florence originally and I now live in Charleston for school but I know in the past that some people just have limited Florence growth based on some there decisions and I finally seeing improvement on things that should of been done along time ago. But I do agree one of the best things about Florence is the great mixture of a bigger city and small town feel. I definitely agree like Myrtle Beach which is insanely over crowded that Florence growth is a steady pace in comparison to rapid growth in which cities like MB cant prepare for accordingly. I do however want to see the Eastern Florence area to have economical growth in comparison with the Western and Southern parts of the city

How do you define East florence? I think the growth as far as retail/restaurants goes will tend to be near the interstate. Even south florence doesn't really have much other than housing.

[Chico020]

I define East Florence as East of McLeod out to Francis Marion and south until you get to Carolinas Hospital System. I agree the growth is along the West Florence and South Florence areas along Pamplico Highway, Irby Street are growing. Yet the growth needs to be more even around the city. I tend to think that a major outlet store or something similar would be great for the eastern part of city. Probably along Highway 327 since it would be easy access to I-95. Eastern part of a city is a huge part of the city but is very stagnant in growth over the last 20 years.

[carolinachaos]

Yes Eastern Florence as far as growth is concerned has grown stagnant. I envision that area of the county primarly 327 with housing developments and other retail, there is no grocery store in that part of Florence County and that is a pretty large swath of real estate with no Grocery Store or other retail outlets.