Sumter vs Camden? (Columbia, Newberry, Lexington: how much, employment, school)

[ctgal]

Relocating from the lowcountry. Looking in both towns - each has good features. We're in our mid 50's, politically left of center, no children in school. Does anyone have comments/ recommendations?

[Ceezer]

What are you looking for? I prefer Sumter to Camden, but if you wanted to be closer to Columbia then Camden is going to get you there.

[rubber_factory]

Sumter has much more in the way of shopping, business, and retail. It is much bigger, and the economy is stronger, but it seems like every store is a national chain.

Camden has more charm, lots of historic buildings, but there isn't much going on. I prefer Camden, just based on the people I know from both places. You may also want to check out Lake Wateree, which is nice.

[Woodlands]

Camden is evolving more as a Cola suburb much like Newberry and Lexington.. while Sumter is more of an independent city though is also very commutable to Cola. It depends on if you want a small town or big town atmosphere.. if you like small town.. then Camden if for you.. if you like small town feel with some city amenties.. then Sumter may be more preferable

[ctgal]

Thanks all for your responses.
We're looking for a small town feel with convenient grocery shopping/farmers markets. We're used to having 1-2 acres of property and enjoy the privacy. We're not subdivision people. Eat out occasionally - never at chain restaurants, but do patronize good local restaurants for special events/lunch. Night life not a concern, but do enjoy classical music events. Husband is a specialist in antique furniture restoration - 30 years working for museums and collectors - hopes to open a small restoration shop. Not sure which town has the most residents with furniture to be restored. I'm looking for work, but hope not to commute to Cola. Have scoured the print and online ads - not much available.
Your input is appreciated!

[rubber_factory]

Originally Posted by ctgal

Thanks all for your responses.
We're looking for a small town feel with convenient grocery shopping/farmers markets. We're used to having 1-2 acres of property and enjoy the privacy. We're not subdivision people. Eat out occasionally - never at chain restaurants, but do patronize good local restaurants for special events/lunch. Night life not a concern, but do enjoy classical music events.

I think the two towns would meet your needs equally in these respects, or at least would be very similar.

Husband is a specialist in antique furniture restoration - 30 years working for museums and collectors - hopes to open a small restoration shop. Not sure which town has the most residents with furniture to be restored. I'm looking for work, but hope not to commute to Cola. Have scoured the print and online ads - not much available.
Your input is appreciated!

Camden is known for having a lot of antique shops. I don't know if that means it is a good idea to open up shop there or not - the market may be saturated, you know? I really can't say for sure.

As far as general employment goes, I think if you choose Camden, you oughta be prepared to be very flexible with what work you're willing to do, how much it pays, and where it is located.

[innovator82]

I get the feeling that is more "old money" in Camden than Sumter, so one might think there would be more of a need for furniture restoration. There are some nice local restaurants downtown as well. Sumter has the Swan Lake/Iris Gardens downtown park that is very nice. There is a shopping mall in Sumter but would have to drive to NE Columbia from Camden for that kind of shopping.

[Ceezer]

But it's only a 20 minute drive from Camden to Sandhills.

[In the Pines]

Having lived in Camden, I can say we loved it. But - we were warned ahead of time that it's not the most welcoming place to outsiders. We felt very welcomed but we had high profile jobs and were extremely involved in local politics, causes, clubs, etc. Even with our involvement, it was hard to make friends with some people. On the other hand, we met some of our most dear friends there. I did see other couples move to Camden after we did and they ended up leaving after a short time because they felt they couldn't break into society there. It really depends on how active you plan on becoming and how comfortable you feel initiating connections with people. And, don't assume Camden is becoming a suburb of Columbia - that will really tick off native Camdenites! Camden has done an excellent job of fending off growth and urban sprawl.

[Rophlmao]

Sumter's economy is taking hit after hit and will logically be damaged for at least a decade. Camden is a fine town and I would strongly consider it.