SC native ... will answer questions (Columbia, Charleston: transplants, vacation home, movie theater)

[kat2k]

Originally Posted by Pookeber

I didn't check all the other responses, but you can you tell me a little bit about Florence? My husband has a possible job offer there. I would like to know about schools, home prices, anything you want to tell me.

We were looking to move to the Myrtle Beach area, but Florence is pretty close.

Thanks,

Jen

Florence is, well, Florence. Not that great of a place, the schools seem alright from what I can find. The crime is high and when I've been there I've seen a few gangs walking around, the town looks rundown in areas .. maybe it's changed, it's been a while since I've been there. It just looks sad and depressed.

For some pictures, see this post on another site: http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/in...showtopic=6147

[Pookeber]

Wow, that's really disappointing. Thanks for your honesty. Is there anyplace outside of Florence that would be nice to live in. Like between Myrtle Beach and Florence? How far is Florence from Myrtle Beach?

Thanks,

Jen

Originally Posted by kat2k

Florence is, well, Florence. Not that great of a place, the schools seem alright from what I can find. The crime is high and when I've been there I've seen a few gangs walking around, the town looks rundown in areas .. maybe it's changed, it's been a while since I've been there. It just looks sad and depressed.

For some pictures, see this post on another site: http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/in...showtopic=6147

[patransplant]

Originally Posted by Pookeber

Wow, that's really disappointing. Thanks for your honesty. Is there anyplace outside of Florence that would be nice to live in. Like between Myrtle Beach and Florence? How far is Florence from Myrtle Beach?

Thanks,

Jen

Hi Jen,

My family too is looking into Florence, SC. My husband has received a promotion with relocation to Florence and so we're looking all around this area as well and unfortunately not having much luck. From my research I think North Myrtle Beach or Horry County is about 1 hour away. We have a lot of reservations (crime, schools etc) about the Florence area and so we're just not sure this would be a good move for our family. If anyone might have a different opinion of Florence or knows of any optional areas within a 30 - 40minute commute to Florence that would be helpful?

Thanks!

[Pookeber]

Yeah, so far it doesn't sound great. Let me know if you find out anything else that would be of interest. I was wondering to if there was somewhere outside of Florence that would be nice and wouldn't be too long of a commute.

Jen

Originally Posted by patransplant

Hi Jen,

My family too is looking into Florence, SC. My husband has received a promotion with relocation to Florence and so we're looking all around this area as well and unfortunately not having much luck. From my research I think North Myrtle Beach or Horry County is about 1 hour away. We have a lot of reservations (crime, schools etc) about the Florence area and so we're just not sure this would be a good move for our family. If anyone might have a different opinion of Florence or knows of any optional areas within a 30 - 40minute commute to Florence that would be helpful?

Thanks!

[moedog]

Originally Posted by kat2k

Florence is, well, Florence. Not that great of a place, the schools seem alright from what I can find. The crime is high and when I've been there I've seen a few gangs walking around, the town looks rundown in areas .. maybe it's changed, it's been a while since I've been there. It just looks sad and depressed.

For some pictures, see this post on another site: http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/in...showtopic=6147

I wonder what you mean by "I've seen a few gangs walking around"? How did you know they were gangs? Very interesting. But Florence is an ok city. The downtown is virtually deserted, other than the medical center(and there is a second major medical center on the southside), but there are lots of nice neighborhoods, including many new developments, as the area is growing. The schools are considered decent, especially in the the western part of the city. They have a pretty good mall, which is surrounded by every big box retailer and national restaurant chain you can think of. If quiet suburban living is your thing, you will probably be satisfied in Florence and at a lower price since housing costs are relatively low. Newer major industries include GE, Roche Pharmacuitcal, Honda, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and QVC. Francis Marion University is a state college with 5000 plus students. There is a civic center seating 10,000 which draws nationally known entertainment and houses several minor league sports teams. Really, a lot going on in Florence for a city of that size.....

[Pookeber]

Thanks for your imput. How far is Florence from the Myrtle Beach area? I have read before that the West schools are the best.

Jen

Originally Posted by moedog

I wonder what you mean by "I've seen a few gangs walking around"? How did you know they were gangs? Very interesting. But Florence is an ok city. The downtown is virtually deserted, other than the medical center(and there is a second major medical center on the southside), but there are lots of nice neighborhoods, including many new developments, as the area is growing. The schools are considered decent, especially in the the western part of the city. They have a pretty good mall, which is surrounded by every big box retailer and national restaurant chain you can think of. If quiet suburban living is your thing, you will probably be satisfied in Florence and at a lower price since housing costs are relatively low. Newer major industries include GE, Roche Pharmacuitcal, Honda, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and QVC. Francis Marion University is a state college with 5000 plus students. There is a civic center seating 10,000 which draws nationally known entertainment and houses several minor league sports teams. Really, a lot going on in Florence for a city of that size.....

[wilmygirl]

Originally Posted by kat2k

The area is alright. Augusta has some ROUGH areas ... I suggest the Evans area. Crime is pretty high in the area and when I've been there mainly on business there were a few gangs in some of the areas. One of the areas is full of gypsy houses ... that city isn't a favorite of mine. It seems like it's missing something. The mall has its share of crime also from what I've read.

Aiken is nice - some of the towns and areas outside it are rough, but the city itself is nice and clean. Some nice shopping centers and things. Augusta isn't far off for the other things.

Both areas are unbearably hot in the summer, but it IS SC and Georgia!

What areas have gangs? My husband has accepted a job at DOE-SRS, and apparently places to choose from are limited in that area, so Augusta seems to be the choice. We are looking at a townhome in West Augusta off Washington Rd. We've visited once, and that area seemed nice enough. Is it unsafe to go to the mall? We went there, as well, but didn't notice problems. I am from Wilmington, NC, and I have to say that people say we have high crime, as well, but I've never really felt unsafe. We know where to avoid. I am concerned though about the number of negative posts for Augusta. When we were there, people said that it's been cleaned up a lot and that it has a bad reputation from years back that has been hard to rectify. Where are the gypsy houses? Just want to be sure we're avoiding the "Bad" areas.

[wilmygirl]

Originally Posted by kat2k

The Wilmington, NC area is really booming, it is probably best in resale value. Charleston SC, probably next best. Both areas are gorgeous and right on the water. Wilmington is a gorgeous place!

I'm from Wilmington, and I'll just tell ya..I love it, but good luck finding a job and an affordable home. Resale is great, yes..b/c the buyers are the ones who are suffering. I absolutely love it here, and am very sad that my husband has accepted a job forcing us to move to apparently a terrible place..Augusta..but..I have to say that our job market in Wilmington is extremely competitive..unless you're in health care or have your own business, it is the luck of the draw. Houses are double what they are in many places in the south. Of course, cheaper than houses up north, but remember to anyone moving down, your salary won't be the same as it was in other places, either. Although a gorgeous place to be, just be aware of the frustration you may encounter. We are #1 for traffic accidents in NC. Lovely, but overcrowded.

[tigertat]

Hi

I'm new to posting so forgive me if I mess up. Just wondering if anyone could give an honest opinion on the subject of race. I know you've probably heard these questions before but here goes. I'll be making the move in August from NY to SC and there's a bit of an ethnic difference in the house. I've visited Aiken a few times and can only tell of once when our appearance seemed to have bothered anyone but I can also say that I saw the confederate flag quite a few times and was wondering if there could be more of a problem but I didn't see it because I loved the town so much.

I hope I haven't offended anyone with my question just trying to get a good idea of what to look forward to or not look forward to. Any response would be a help whether good or bad.

[kat2k]

Originally Posted by wilmygirl

What areas have gangs? My husband has accepted a job at DOE-SRS, and apparently places to choose from are limited in that area, so Augusta seems to be the choice. We are looking at a townhome in West Augusta off Washington Rd. We've visited once, and that area seemed nice enough. Is it unsafe to go to the mall? We went there, as well, but didn't notice problems. I am from Wilmington, NC, and I have to say that people say we have high crime, as well, but I've never really felt unsafe. We know where to avoid. I am concerned though about the number of negative posts for Augusta. When we were there, people said that it's been cleaned up a lot and that it has a bad reputation from years back that has been hard to rectify. Where are the gypsy houses? Just want to be sure we're avoiding the "Bad" areas.

The area where I saw 'gang' looking characters was mainly around Jefferson Davis Hwy near that Regency Mall [an old closed, rotting shopping mall] .... that whole area seems kind of shoddy, but the mall brings it down a lot. I last visited Augusta a good while back, so things may be different now.
Back 8-10 years ago the mall had its share of crime, most weren't that serious but I know there were some fights and a couple shootings that went on. Some of the people I saw there made me a little uncomfortable, but nothing ever happened. But no mall is safe and crime-free, going at an off-time like early on a weekday morning is probably fine. Hopefully it is different now. Yes, the city has bad parts, but if you get out near Evans, Martinez, etc it's fine. I'm not extremely familiar with Augusta but know the basics.

The gypsy houses are on that road from Edgefield going in to Augusta...is it 25? I don't exactly remember, only went through there once. It's kinda spooky going through there. Some strange houses!