Job in Kingstree, SC - where to live??? (Florence, Conway: house prices, employment)

[sullyone]

My husband is considering a job offer in Kingstree, SC. It's a good offer with a great company (that will be new to the area). The problem is, I cannot find any decent housing within a normal commute! He may turn down the opportunity if we can't find a nice area to live. What areas might I consider? Here are some details:

A good school system is very, very important.

House prices 350K to maybe 450K (comparable to current)

Looking for a nice little town that has the basics (good grocery stores, maybe a mall, employment for me, etc.)

I know I don't want to live in Kingstree. A commute for my husband to work there is not out of the question, he'd be willing to drive 20-25 minutes.

Is anyone familiar enough with that area to help me identify a few towns that might fit the bill? Thank you so much for your suggestions and advice.

[baylovers]

For $400,000 you can get yourself a very nice house & piece of property in Williamsburg County, but as I am sure you have noticed, you will be in the middle of nowhere.

I am not very familiar with the schools in Williamsburg, but when I cannot think of any that jump out at me as being exceptional.

Manning (25 minutes from Kingstree) is a decent town in Clarendon County, but not sure about the schools there. They have a super Walmart, if that is any consolation.

Monks Corner (45 minutes) is a nice town, as well... you could get a nice spot along the lake. Georgetown (50 minutes)has a very nice historic district where you can get a decent house in your price range. It has a nice downtown district along the Riverwalk. You would be 15 minutes to the beach. There is a super Walmart on the outside of town, too. It is a mill town as well. The paper mill lets off a sulfer smell that can be strong if the wind is blowing the wrong way, but folks tell me that they get used to it.

There are a couple of good schools in Georgetown but be very careful because there some bad ones, too. The McDonald School was awarded the Palmetto's Finest award for elementary schools.

If he is willing to travel just over an hour I would look at the Pawleys Island area or the Conway area.

I know this is not what you wanted to hear, but I hope it helps.

[pacomarj]

My family is from Kingstree and a lot of them still live there. There are a couple of grocery stores and soon to be Walmart, but for the most part people drive to Lake City or Florence for shopping. The public schools in Kingstree are decent, but not the greatest. Kingstree is a nice sleepy town though. You could always live there and drive to Florence to eat/shop, which is what many people do. On the other hand, I know many people who live in Florence that work in Kingstree. The drive is straight on Hwy 52 and will take around 40 to 45 minutes, depending on how fast you drive (watch out for the speed traps of Scranton and Coward). The schools in Florence are good and you would have close access to jobs and shopping.

[Luvsdabeach]

You are kidding about the speed traps in Scranton and Coward. I've seen many people pulled over in those towns. lol