Best town in SC to raise a family in this economy (Columbia: sale, to rent)

[mommyofone]

Me,my fiance,and our 2yr old just recently moved back to florida from oklahoma. BIG MISTAKE! the economy has hit florida so badly that neither of us can find work. Not even at the fast food places! Its horrible. I know oklahomas economy is great but we absolutely don't like that state! Not fans of tornados! We are considering a move to NC or SC but dont know much about either. I'd like some advice on which areas of either state are best to raise a family. Good schools,good healthcare,low crime rate,etc.My fiance works in the construction and automotive fields so we would need a place that has good job opportunities in those areas. I am a stay at home mom right now so he would be the only one working. We aren't looking to buy a home right now,just to rent.So where would be the most affordable,safest place in your opinions?

[creekgirl4life]

SC also has high unemployment so finding work prior to your move is a good idea. You might want to take a look around Greenville or Columbia.

[NewYorkBorn]

The state of SC unemployment was recently reported at 11.5%. South Carolina has a state population of a little over 4 million so that means that based in these numbers there are over 400,000 people unemployed here. That is a big number for a state with such a small population. I would definitely think twice about moving here at the present time. This is a beautiful state but until people become serious about diversifying the industries that are here the decent paying employment opportunities are limited.

Good luck.

[jac]

Originally Posted by NewYorkBorn

The state of SC unemployment was recently reported at 11.5%. South Carolina has a state population of a little over 4 million so that means that based in these numbers there are over 400,000 people unemployed here. That is a big number for a state with such a small population. I would definitely think twice about moving here at the present time. This is a beautiful state but until people become serious about diversifying the industries that are here the decent paying employment opportunities are limited.

Good luck.

I think your numbers a little bit off. There are over 4 million people residing in South Carolina. However, a number of those are under the age of 18 (23.8%) or over age 65 (13.3%). There are also a number of people of working age who would not be involved in these statistics (full-time students and stay-at-home parents come to mind). That being said, South Carolina has a slightly higher unemployment rate than Florida.

I think a better way to look at the unemployment figures is imagine yourself at a gathering of working adults. (In SC) For every 100 people you talk to, between 11 and 12 will be out of work. For the OP's consideration, if they went to the same party in Florida or North Carolina, between 10 and 11 people will be out of work out of every hundred. For Oklahoma, the number would be between 6 and 7.

My advice would be to proceed with caution. Find the jobs before you move.

[NewYorkBorn]

Originally Posted by jac

I think your numbers a little bit off. There are over 4 million people residing in South Carolina. However, a number of those are under the age of 18 (23.8%) or over age 65 (13.3%). There are also a number of people of working age who would not be involved in these statistics (full-time students and stay-at-home parents come to mind). That being said, South Carolina has a slightly higher unemployment rate than Florida.

I think a better way to look at the unemployment figures is imagine yourself at a gathering of working adults. (In SC) For every 100 people you talk to, between 11 and 12 will be out of work. For the OP's consideration, if they went to the same party in Florida or North Carolina, between 10 and 11 people will be out of work out of every hundred. For Oklahoma, the number would be between 6 and 7.

My advice would be to proceed with caution. Find the jobs before you move.

You make some good points but in my opinion that is still a lot of people out of work. As you said people should proceed with caution before moving to SC.

[Columbiadata]

1,754,126 unemployed people are a lot, period. I wouldn't move anywhere I didn't have a job, at least not until five years from now with my state retirement, my rolled over 401-K and the profit from the sale of my house.

[Buckeye in SC]

Originally Posted by NewYorkBorn

The state of SC unemployment was recently reported at 11.5%. South Carolina has a state population of a little over 4 million so that means that based in these numbers there are over 400,000 people unemployed here. That is a big number for a state with such a small population. I would definitely think twice about moving here at the present time. This is a beautiful state but until people become serious about diversifying the industries that are here the decent paying employment opportunities are limited.

Good luck.

C'mon man, 4.5 million people live in the state, but typically in any state only about 1/2 the population are seeking full-time work at any time; besides the under 18 population, there is a signifcant retirement population due to retirement hot spots along the coast, and you have to take into account even in the 18-65 age group that a lot of 18-22 year olds are in college (not working), stay at home moms, etc. If I remember right there is about 2 - 2.1 million 'workers' right now meaning there are about 225k or so people unemployed right now. Also, keep in mind, that while SC's rate is a bit higher, they have gained about 1 million new people in the past 2 decades (population was under 3.5 million in 1990), so that means there has been a need to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs just to keep up w/the population growth that states like Ohio, Michigan, etc. haven't had to since their populations have been stagnant for decades. And, one other fact that gets overlooked is that the rural areas in the state skew that number when you have some counties like Marlboro and Allendale w/unemployment rates over 20%. The 3 major metros aren't that far off of what the national rate is, I think Columbia for example is right around 10% and Lexington Co. last month was 8.8% - actually less than the national rate of 9.7%.

That said, the job picture isn't great here right now like everywhere else, definitely locate work before just moving here, but it's not like the economy is in a free-fall either.

As to the OP's question, as a transplant to SC, I would say your best bet for cities to raise a family in is to stick to the larger areas like Columbia, Greenville, Charleston or Rock Hill as you will have a better likelihood of landing some sort of work and won't be viewed as such an 'outsider' like you would in some of the smaller good old boy mentality towns.

[Greenville]

Originally Posted by NewYorkBorn

You make some good points but in my opinion that is still a lot of people out of work. As you said people should proceed with caution before moving to SC.

No, people should proceed with caution before moving ANYWHERE. Any move has its inherent risks. There is nothing unique about South Carolina in that regard.

Besides, the original poster was asking for advice about the best SC town in which to raise a family, not the same tired response from you about how awful you believe SC's economy is.

[NewYorkBorn]

As you said Buckeye 1 million people were added to the SC population in the last 20 years. So why on earth has it taken 20 years to create more jobs and for people to admit that diversity and a move away from manufacturing are needed? It is very easy for those who are still working to try and portray others troubles as no big deal. But when the shoe is on the other foot it does not feel good.

Agree with me or not I know what I have seen in SC and I do not take any pleasure in the problems that exist there. Especially considering that I was warned by many not to take a chance moving to SC in the first place.

[GJBenn85]

NewYorkBorn,

It is what it is. Your posts are tiring and they rehash the same crap each time the subject of SC's economy pops up. Increased diversity in the state's economy is not going to suddenly occur. The people and the government of this state need to want diversity and progression before any large companies will be attracted to SC. The quality of the employees (reliability, education, etc.) needs to improve before wages will rise. The mentality here is different from other states. IT WILL NOT CHANGE OVERNIGHT, OR IN FIVE YEARS. If you cannot deal with this--and I hate to sound like a native southerner (which I am not) complaining of the "d*** Yankees"--move back to NY or to another state where you can find what you want/need.

The people that find a necessary niche to fill do just fine in this state. The ones with common or only adequate skills that force them to compete with thousands of other individuals for a single position are the ones struggling to find a solid job.

To the original poster:

Construction in SC, like Florida, has been hit hard. Unless skills exist to work in a different field, it will be difficult to find employment right now regardless of where you search.