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I spend most of my life in NC (near Ft. Bragg). But have lived the last 12 years up north (Ontario, then NY). My wife is from Buffalo and I have a kid that is 6. Finally we are both mid 30's. I accepted a job in McBee, SC and don't know much about the area. I like to know the following
1. How is the health care/hospitals around here?
2. Where is the best public school in the area (say Columbia to Rock Hill to Flonece) and I am not talking locally good, I am talking standing toe to toe with a NY public school (from a upper middle class hood).?
3. Where is the best place to find a apartment/rental home that aleast 3BR/1.5 Bath and aleast 1200sq ft (must have AC). Also low crime area, quick access (ie less than 5 miles) to grocery store and post office (wife has a ebay biz) and parking for 2 maybe 3 cars?
4. Anything unique about taxes, laws, social morals I should be aware off?
5. Any hazardous critters that are unique to SC (that are not in NC)?
Hold on for a week or so while I gather data to perform a suitability analysis for you..
No, seriously though, McBee is really not close to much. I'm going to assume that you've visited, and know what you're getting into. Most of the places here listed would be a 1-hour commute, give or take a half hour.
#1, #3 - don't have any good advice there.
#2 - Probably Northeast Columbia or Fort Mill. There are other options that can be hit or miss: Rock Hill, Florence, Camden, Lugoff. Places to go ahead and rule out: Bishopville, Hartsville, Darlington, Bennettsville, Society Hill, or anything within a 20-mile radius of McBee. A few other places that I don't know much about: Lancaster, Monroe NC, Cheraw.
In my opinion, if you're serious about what you say (a school that equals a top-notch NY school), you would send them to a private school. Columbia and Sumter both have good private schools, but the good ones are difficult to get admission into.
#4 - I'm sure there will be issues, but if you've spent most of your life near Fayetteville, then I would think you'd already have a good idea of what you're getting into.
#5 - Other than SC state politicians, no, I don't think there are any hazardous critters that are indigenous to SC. Gators, snakes, mosquitos, poisonous spiders, fire ants, palmetto bugs, etc. - but as far as I know Fayetteville would have all of those.
Last edited by anonymous; 01-15-2007 at 03:55 PM..
FYI, the people I know from the area pronounce it MAC-bee.
I knew someone from college who was from McBee. She didn't seem academically handicapped to me. So, I don't know that I'd rule out the places Anonymous mentioned without at least a look, particularly Hartsville. Coker College, the Governor's School for Science and Mathematics and Sonoco's headquarters (an international packaging manufacturer) are there. I'd bet that some of the people working there don't send their kids to school in Columbia or Sumter.
Well, to be fair, I never claimed going to school in Hartsville, Bishopville, etc. would make you "academically handicapped". My mother went to Coker, in fact, and I know several intelligent people from Hartsville.
But, I stand by my earlier statement that you aren't likely to find top-notch public schools in that area. Although, I didn't realize the Governor's school was in Hartsville, and I suppose that would be an exception (but I don't know much about it).
A friend of mine grew up in Camden, and from her descriptions of it it sounds like a good place to live with decent schools. It's between McBee and Columbia, so you'd have easy access to work and to the big-city amenities.
Hold on for a week or so while I gather data to perform a suitability analysis for you..
No, seriously though, McBee is really not close to much. I'm going to assume that you've visited, and know what you're getting into. Most of the places here listed would be a 1-hour commute, give or take a half hour.
#1, #3 - don't have any good advice there.
#2 - Probably Northeast Columbia or Fort Mill. There are other options that can be hit or miss: Rock Hill, Florence, Camden, Lugoff. Places to go ahead and rule out: Bishopville, Hartsville, Darlington, Bennettsville, Society Hill, or anything within a 20-mile radius of McBee. A few other places that I don't know much about: Lancaster, Monroe NC, Cheraw.
In my opinion, if you're serious about what you say (a school that equals a top-notch NY school), you would send them to a private school. Columbia and Sumter both have good private schools, but the good ones are difficult to get admission into.
#4 - I'm sure there will be issues, but if you've spent most of your life near Fayetteville, then I would think you'd already have a good idea of what you're getting into.
#5 - Other than SC state politicians, no, I don't think there are any hazardous critters that are indigenous to SC. Gators, snakes, mosquitos, poisonous spiders, fire ants, palmetto bugs, etc. - but as far as I know Fayetteville would have all of those.
Thanks for the info, As far as schools I would like a good public school but I take it no public school in SC can go toe to toe with NY schools, so what is the best public school distict in the state?
Also I never saw gators the time I lived in NC (but then again I have been gone from the area for 12 years)
FYI, the people I know from the area pronounce it MAC-bee.
I knew someone from college who was from McBee. She didn't seem academically handicapped to me. So, I don't know that I'd rule out the places Anonymous mentioned without at least a look, particularly Hartsville. Coker College, the Governor's School for Science and Mathematics and Sonoco's headquarters (an international packaging manufacturer) are there. I'd bet that some of the people working there don't send their kids to school in Columbia or Sumter.
Wsaiken,
The locals already told me, Hartsville isn't bad but I have been unable to locate a 3BR apartment in Hartsville. And I don't know about Coker, I have to look at that one.
A friend of mine grew up in Camden, and from her descriptions of it it sounds like a good place to live with decent schools. It's between McBee and Columbia, so you'd have easy access to work and to the big-city amenities.
Does your friend have any recommendations for a apartment in Camden?
but I take it no public school in SC can go toe to toe with NY schools
I tried really hard to ignore the insinuations of your original post. I don't know why, but I definitely find this offensive. Maybe I'm too sensitive, but I wouldn't just assume that NY schools are better than SC schools. Even if I felt that way (which I don't), I definitely wouldn't go around blabbing that.
I tried really hard to ignore the insinuations of your original post. I don't know why, but I definitely find this offensive. Maybe I'm too sensitive, but I wouldn't just assume that NY schools are better than SC schools. Even if I felt that way (which I don't), I definitely wouldn't go around blabbing that.
I've got to agree -- I share Anon's sensitivity. Orion, if your kids are good students, then they'll do well in SC schools and be accepted into quality colleges. I attended an SC public school and was admitted to Duke with above-average but not top of the class grades. And despite what you hear, high school is more challenging now for the top kids.
I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't investigate schools -- we all know that there are great inequities in the system. But your children can succeed while you pick peaches in McBee.
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