Sumter??? (Columbia, Charleston, Myrtle Beach: fit in, high crime, transfer)

[Cairnsclan97]

I was wondering if anyone could tell me anything about Sumter and the area. People, schools location etc... Thank you so much

[Nausikaa]

I lived in Sumter for a couple of years, after my husband's transfer. Not the most interesting place if you aren't from there. People are very family oriented, have their own friends and their own church. Having said that, there is a large Air Force Base there, and quite a few military - but then they do a lot of their stuff on base. If you aren't military - you aren't included in all that. There are nice parts of town, and bad parts - parts you don't want to be in! Absolutely no shopping. Full of fast food. No real restaurants, at least when I lived there. It's flat and not very scenic. It's also a long way from anything, i.e. Columbia or Charleston.

If you are from Sumter, it's fine - you will fit in. Otherwise, it's a bit boring.

Just my opinion.

[anonymous]

cairnsclan, I can help you. I lived in Sumter for about 20 years, and most of my family is there. What exactly do you want to know?

The social circles are tightly-knit; you're either involved with a church, or a school, or the air force base. There are 'ways in', but it is probably difficult. There is a fair amount to do, but your options are limited. It's a big hunting and fishing area. There are tons of golf courses around; one golfing magazine rated Sumter the #1 place to live in America, in terms of affordable golf. You can go water skiing at the lake, and it's a great place for gardening. But outside of that.. you don't have much. No nightlife to speak of.

The public schools are generally mediocre. Your kid can potentially get a good education there, but the average Sumter county student is far below the national average. The lower and lower-middle classes of Sumter are very rough, and most normal, decent people wouldn't want to send their kids to school with a lot of Sumterites. Wilson Hall is an excellent private school for about $2,000 per year. A lot of Sumter's middle/upper class families send their kids there. Statistically, Sumter has high crime. But those numbers can be deceiving; Sumter has some ideal places to raise kids.

I agree with most of what Nausikaa said. Although, the shopping and food situations have improved quite a bit in the past 5-10 years. There are a few excellent restaurants, but they are all out in the middle of nowhere. It's a little bit strange, you basically drive 20 minutes to a place out in the middle of the woods, and eat at an expensive restaurant. You obviously aren't going to stumble on them, you have to know where they are.

It's 30 minutes to Lake Marion, 45 minutes to Columbia, 2 1/2 hours to Myrtle Beach or Charleston. That's all i can think of right now. Let me know if you want to know anything else.