Will be visiting in March. (Columbia, Charleston: real estate, hotels, gated community)

[Beeman744]

Hello friends in SC. My wife and I have been considering retiring to South Carolina for about a year now. We have been looking at propertys in the Cross, Holly Hill, Round O and Cottageville areas by way of the internet. We are going to be coming to see the propertys in March. I have been told by a local real estate agent that Cross is a pretty rural town. He actually said that there was nothing out there but a bunch of fish camps. I like rural but in retirement I may want to live withen driving distance to a grocery store. I would also like to live withen driving distance to a good fishing lake. Would there be any one out there that could tell me a little bit about Holly Hill, Cross, Round O and Cottageville? As for me ill be a retired phone man who likes to hunt and fish. My wife will be a retired bookkeeper. We are also beekeepers selling honey, candles and other hive products. i was born and raised in Tennessee, my wife in New York. Were pretty much just plain country folk. Thanks for any info given.

[baylovers]

Don't anything about that area, I'm a coastal person , but it sounds like it would be heaven for you. I wish you the best of luck and enjoy a long healthy retirement.

[ljkbsb]

You might look into the Orangeburg area. Hunting and fishing are big around here and Lake Marion is only 20 miles away. The shopping is not great, but will do on a week to week basis. I go to a bigger city for anything of value or shop the internet.

[mrsj1999]

I'd recommend Santee, Vance or Eutawville. Santee has a little more eating places, a few grocery stores (Food Lion/IGA). Santee also has a small mall & hotels. I have family there & they are doing well there. They hunt & fish a lot in that area. Orangeburg is just a short distance away. It's a nice area to retire because people are not in a hurry to do anything. The suburbs of Columbia is nice too (Elgin & Lugoff). If you have ties to the military, FT Jackson is in that area (great shopping).

[usc_gal98]

Originally Posted by mrsj1999

I'd recommend Santee, Vance or Eutawville. Santee has a little more eating places, a few grocery stores (Food Lion/IGA). Santee also has a small mall & hotels. I have family there & they are doing well there. They hunt & fish a lot in that area. Orangeburg is just a short distance away. It's a nice area to retire because people are not in a hurry to do anything. The suburbs of Columbia is nice too (Elgin & Lugoff). If you have ties to the military, FT Jackson is in that area (great shopping).

I was going to say that also. Holly Hill really doesn't have anything to offer anyone. Santee would be a much better choice. Although that one strip of hwy can get pretty busy in the summer, it's well worth the travel to the lake.

[Beeman744]

I did visit in March and bought some land in a new development near Lake Marion, just south of Manning . I still hope to retire to the Walterboro area as it will put me between the beach and the lake. We really liked Walterboro. It did seem like a nice town.

[sojones]

Upstate and Coastal areas have the best fishing / hunting right?

[Brandon Hoffman]

Originally Posted by mrsj1999

I'd recommend Santee, Vance or Eutawville. Santee has a little more eating places, a few grocery stores (Food Lion/IGA). Santee also has a small mall & hotels. I have family there & they are doing well there. They hunt & fish a lot in that area. Orangeburg is just a short distance away. It's a nice area to retire because people are not in a hurry to do anything. The suburbs of Columbia is nice too (Elgin & Lugoff). If you have ties to the military, FT Jackson is in that area (great shopping).

Great advice here, and I'd add Summerton and St. Matthews or Swansea to that list.

[porchlightmissing]

Originally Posted by Beeman744

I did visit in March and bought some land in a new development near Lake Marion, just south of Manning . I still hope to retire to the Walterboro area as it will put me between the beach and the lake. We really liked Walterboro. It did seem like a nice town.

Walterboro is a great and friendly town. Since you do the bee thing. check out Bee City on Highway 61 near Cottageville for some kindred souls.

[Heatheray]

I recommend Georgetown - some people call it Little Charleston. It's right between Myrtle Beach and Charleston. This town was recently rated by National Geographic Adventure Magazine as one of the Top Ten Adventure Outposts. There's 35 miles of beaches, 4 or 5 rivers, and more than a dozen marinas, so there would be plenty for the fishing enthusiast! To learn more about this area, visit this Squidoo lens http://www.squidoo.com/georgetownsouthcarolina/

Plus, there's a new gated community being built right now in the area - they just built a brand new marina, too. The Yacht Club at Belle Isle - http://www.theyachtclubatbelleisle.com

Good luck!