Moved to PeeDee - Big Mistake? (Columbia, Charleston: bad credit, real estate, tornado)

[Nausikaa]

Marx: When you relocate to Hilton Head, post some pics on the site.

BTW, I'm thinking of moving to Homestead or Hialeah, do you think I will like it? Do you think it's safe. Thanks for an info.

[backtofla]

marx, i have to agree with you on almost everything you said. i hate to be rude or negative, but i lived in western nc for a while, before moving back to fla.
i tried to fit in there with some of the locals while in school, but it was a waste of time. i couldnt like hip-hop because i was white, i couldnt wear baggy jeans b/c nobody else did --- if they were white. i was from fla, and ppl look down on us. look down on me? why? b/c i dont talk with a southern accent and didnt kill my first buck before the age of 3? it was a real eye-opening experience.
so what did we do? moved back to fla. do we like all the traffic? no. is it hot as hell in the summer? yes. but does fla share the same problems as other southern states (education, crime, etc...)? yes.
you just have to decide what is best for you. and for us, the beach was better than the mtns, we prefer affluent over non-affluent, and we like warm weather over cold. so, it wasnt too hard of a choice for us.

ps- my wife and i have 4 yr degrees, make good money, but it is expensive to live in fla as you know. you just have to decide what you and your family want and what's best for them. good luck to you.

[Millay]

You know, I have lived in the south all of my life. I grew up in Lexington County, SC and went through one of the best school systems in the state. I went to a small liberal arts college in Georgia. I did my graduate work in Columbia at the U of SC.
Then I was offered a job in Florence.
And I agree, Marx, that even to me the Pee Dee was a shock. But I also have to say this: we make our own happiness.
The university where I teach is not one I would have chosen to attend as an undergraduate, but now I wouldn't change jobs for the world. I feel connected to my students and I feel like I can really teach them something the Pee Dee public schools didn't get around to. Most of them have grown up around here and are woefully underprepared for the rigors of college. Since I get them as freshmen and sophomores, I can push them in the right direction. Most of them have drive; they just need the tools to get where they want to be.
When I moved here I knew one person. I had to make an effort to find people I enjoyed and who shared my interests. There are beautiful natural areas around here that offer hours of cheap or free entertainment. Take a guided canoe trip down the Pee Dee, or a moonlight dinner trip down the Lynches. Visit Lynches River County Park to walk the boardwalk or visit Goodale to look for wildlife. Camp in Myrtle Beach State Park. Take a weekend trip to Wilmington and visit their wonderful aquarium. If that kind of thing isn't up your alley, try the Florence Philharmonic. Francis Marion University frequently offers free concerts and art exhibitions. And the Florence Little Theatre, while not Broadway, is an inexpensive way to enjoy plays and musicals. In the summer one of my favorite things to do is take my dog and go to the Little League games down the street from my neighborhood. Right there in Hartsville you have Coker, which I'm sure offers all kinds of fun things to do that would attract people you might like to hang out with.
Yes, the Pee Dee is different. But perhaps you just haven't realized all the positive things about it yet. We can't immediately change the depressing things that are wrong here, but we can contribute to our communities and enjoy what they have to offer.

[carolinajack]

my youngest sister went to Francis Marion for a year, before transferring but she never talked about the area being that bad.

[madiiisc]

Well after read this thread here are my .02 cents.
I grew up in S. Florida, (Dade Cty) and lived there until my mid 20's. I moved to SC (Dillon Cty) and I will admit that I was in total shock when I first arrived. I lived in a extremely small town (pop 600) and it seemed that there must of been a sign put up when I arrived "OUTSIDER HAS ARRIVED". Everyone looked at me like I had a 3rd eye, I wasn't one of "them". This bothered me but I quickly learned that these people were warm, loving and close knit. If something is wrong (illness, lost job, etc.) they are the first to come to the rescue. It is definentely (sp) good ole' country living.
I have worked in Florence Cty for over 10 years, I have yet to run across any drugs, by reading this forum you would think that there are selling in every corner. This is simply not the case. Yes there is a great divide between the poor and middle/upper class but the same is true anywhere that I have lived. If you truly want to see the differences try visiting C. America, I think you will view things differently.
I love the slow pace of life up here, I wouldn't raise my kids anywhere else, most especially in S. Fl. Yes, they have a funny accent, but they are growing up like regular kids, not the ones that I see whenever I visit my family in S.Fl.
I have to agree with Millay, life is what we make of it, only we have control over our own happiness.
I hope that you look at what this area has to offer beyond the stereotypes.

[marx404]

Millay, and everyone thanks for the kind words. Yes, in comparison, the PeeDee is a great shock culturally and demographically. Also, I have to say that although they are only a few miles apart, there is a BIG difference between Florence County and Darlington County, especially the poor towns. I have been working in Darlington near downtown fo the past 8 months. I guess working 12 hours a day 6 days a week in this environment has tainted my point of view. But consider what has greeted me upon my arrival:

A stabbing at work, hostile people, hostile work environments, prejudice, ignorance and intolerance (and the occasional public urinations). I'm not making this up nor will I ever believe that once ppl here get to know me this will all dissapear and everything will be all rosy. Was FL perfect? no. Did I also encounter the same things? yes, except for the stabbing part and never all this on such a grand scale.

Does it make me conceited to express openly what I have experienced here or to express my dismay over it? no. Does anyone, anywhere have the right for any reason to treat me or anyone else with such disrespect as I have encountered in the PeeDee? no. When ppl here see you as intelligent, their immediate reaction is to turn into bullies or excommunicate you because that's thier reaction when they see you as a threat. Dignity is completely lost when ppl act like selfish animals to each other. On a lighter side, when I do get time off, I do encounter the nicer ppl in Hartsville where I go, but it's at work the idiots come out of the woodwork. Part of my job entails checking credit. Most of the PeeDee has extremely bad credit and is involved in illegal activity and or infidelity (which is a HUGE thing here). The financial gap here is astounding. The drug problem here in the PeeDee is beyond conceivable, in public and very real. I'm not sure which is worse, the poor - surviving with prison inmate mentalities or the wealthy - acting like frugal dolts. Most ppl either choose to ignore it or don't see it. It all depends on your social circle. I deal with the public all day, I see many people from all over the PeeDee. there is much difference between those from the PeeDee and those from elsewhere. It is a shame but thats the truth. Last week, I quit my job in Darlington and began a new one in Florence. Already I have begun to see a difference in the ppl I deal with every day. I wake up fresh every morning and try to look past the stereotypes. I am not one to believe in stereotypes. I let people SHOW ME who they are. sorry if this offends anyone, this is just MY experience. I do hope and pray that I see the better side of the PeeDee soon.

[zanager4000]

Probably not alot of people going around quote shakespeare down in SC neither. But there might be hey who knows.

Moving to a new place is a shock in itself, especially moving from a place like Florida to South Carolina, dog. I know I am originally from Florida myself.

These days if you dont have a blackberry or bumping around in a lexus like the do in FL most floridians dont know what do with themselves. Like I said I am from there, so I know.

What place doesnt have run down buildings? I live out in missouri now. You should check out arkansas sometime. wow, talk about run down. They got little broken shakes that got signs on them that say dont go in my house. Yeah they call shacks houses down there. And who cares anyway? I mean a house is a house. Who can afford 110 on a house these days anyway.

What gets me is like I called these apartment places in Florence and they want $500 a month for an apartment there. I was like what? 500 clams? Where is a dude supposed to get that every month when the only jobs if you are lucky enough to get one is mcdonalds. I think they need ALOT more jobs in SC myself. In fact, I would like the govenor to put 5 cicis pizza in florence, 3 dominoes deliveries, 10 more burger king and mcdonalds. 25 - 30 more grocery stores, some walmart food stores, about 10 more chinese food places. look let me get like 5 buffalo wild wings on that palmetto street. yeah. And hooters, dog, dont forget hooters. Wow need about 3 or 4 or those.

12 hour days? What kind of job you working that gives you that many hours brother? Sign me up I want as many hours as I can get

Eric

[settlepa]

I dont think she will make more than that if even that much. A RN only starts at 20.00. My wife is also a nurse thats how I know.

[jamrasc]

Originally Posted by settlepa

I dont think she will make more than that if even that much. A RN only starts at 20.00. My wife is also a nurse thats how I know.

I think it depends on where you work. My sister is an LPN and works in home health care. She makes $25/hr. I do know that the hospitals don't pay anything, she worked there too and was only making $9/hr.

[pianogal]

So IF ANYONE WHOSE FROM THE AREA COULD HELP ME UNDERSTAND THE AREA MORE AND GIMME AN IDEA OF WHAT IM MOVING DOWN TO I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT, THANK YOU!! IF U WANT EMAIL ME IF U COULD HELP ME OUT-- Xccarclubdotcom@aol.com. My names ANDY. thank you!!!!!!

Dillon is a very conservative town. Most of the people there still frown on a couple living together without the benefit of a marriage license. And in a town that size everybody knows everything about everyone else!

Also, check the stats on city data....Dillon has one of the highest crime rates per capita in the country. The average is 325 - Dillon's is 1125. I just returned from spending a week there visiting my parents who still live there. It is sad to see how depressed and run down it has become. There are no jobs that's why there's so much crime. The public schools are horrible - they were recently featured on one of the prime time news networks as one of the worst school districts in the country. Everyone that can afford it sends their kids to private school. Yes, they just spent mega bucks on the downtown area - and most of the stores are empty! Plus...now when you eat at a restaurant you pay an extra 2% sales tax to pay for it! My parents have stopped eating out...they refuse to do it. They would love to move to Florida , but the property values in Dillon are so bad, they couldn't get enough out of their home to afford one in Florida.

I would suggest living and working in Florence. The crime rate is still terrible - 990, but the schools are better.