SC native ... will answer questions (Columbia, Charleston: relocating, real estate, vacation)

[kat2k]

Originally Posted by 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.

Aiken is a very nice place. Back when I stayed there for a short while I didn't see many inter-racial couples, but the people are really nice for the most part, so I don't know if it would be a problem or not. Aiken has a lot of families and retirees. I wouldn't worry about it myself, but maybe you would want to take a trip down there and pay close attention to how people react towards you and yours just to be on the safe side.

[Dorisina]

Hi there, you seem like a very good brain to pick. We are trying to sell our FL house and when it does we would like to relocate to SC. We have been to Aiken and really like it...charming town with nice developments in the south end and like the look of the area. Our two concerns: 1) Aikens it no other neat towns outside of Aiken and no close metro area for broadway type shows and 2) now that we are retired and nearing the age when we would like to have good hospitals near by. The Rock Hill/Fort Mill area seems has more to offer as it is close to Charlotte, but my husband is concerened about it growing too rapidly and he doesn't want to be in a congested area. Do you know what areas outside of Columbia would be like Aiken or Fort Mill? What is Irmo like? Thanks

[Akhenaton06]

Outside of Columbia, Camden and Newberry would probably be more like Aiken. I'd say Irmo would be more like Fort Mill.

[hil]

hi i am new to this post.
we would like to move to the charleston area , summerville, goosecreek and surrounding areas.
can you give me any details about it.
thanks
hil

[brodave1916]

Originally Posted by kat2k

Anyway, if anyone has a question about any of the cities in South Carolina, feel free to ask me and I'll try my best to answer.

Oh and ... I'm not a real estate agent or trying to make sales, just trying to help people out and share the information I know.

My wife and I are highly-educated, very liberal, deeply-committed Methodists who are considering Greenville for our retirement home. We spent a week there a couple of months ago, looking around, checking it out. We like the idea of a good university (guess which one), the downtown area, pro baseball, a good zoo, some art and culture, and possibly condo living. We want to be near the mountains -- downtown to Table Rock = 30 minutes.

We are not wealthy but believe we can afford a small place there.

We are in our early 60's and want to make our final move soon. Tell us reasons we might not like to live out our years in Greenville. Thanks.

brodave

[brodave1916]

Originally Posted by Dorisina

Hi there, you seem like a very good brain to pick. We are trying to sell our FL house and when it does we would like to relocate to SC. We have been to Aiken and really like it...charming town with nice developments in the south end and like the look of the area. Our two concerns: 1) Aikens it no other neat towns outside of Aiken and no close metro area for broadway type shows and 2) now that we are retired and nearing the age when we would like to have good hospitals near by. The Rock Hill/Fort Mill area seems has more to offer as it is close to Charlotte, but my husband is concerened about it growing too rapidly and he doesn't want to be in a congested area. Do you know what areas outside of Columbia would be like Aiken or Fort Mill? What is Irmo like? Thanks

Consider Rock Hill, Greenville, Anderson, and Greenwood. All are lovely, with good health care, and--except for Greenville--small. Look to Anderson for beautifyl foliage and lakes, to Greenwood for a good retirement community on a lake, Greenville for being near mountains, and Rock Hill for proximity to Charlotte.

brodave

[Skyliner]

Irmo is quite congested and growing (sprawling). You might want to check out Anderson in the Upstate. AnMed Health is a very nice, clean, and welcoming hospital (look around Highway 81 to the Northeast of the city). Nearby, Greenville has plenty of cultural options regularly available and major Broadway shows at the Peace Center for the Performing Arts are one of the best-loved elements by people living in the area. The Arts are a way of life here in Greenville, and the opportunities to enjoy numerous forms of culture are endless year-round.

[deee]

I live in Florence. I am a native upstate New Yorker but I have lived in various places in the South since 1989.

Downtown Florence is a pit and the pictures posted on the previous comment do not lie.

But, the only people who live in the actual downtown part of Florence are too poor and/or uneducated to afford to live anywhere else. Where else can you find a house for 19K?

That being said, the surrounding parts of Florence are actually pretty nice. The West Florence school district has all the tools your child needs to succeed. But, you won't see anything state of the art or innovative and you will have to be very involved in your child's education.

There is a good choice of decent private schools. Tuition for most schools runs around 5k.

There is a large medical population and other highly educated people who work at GE Medical, Roche Carolina, Sonoco, etc. Most are transplants so I have found it easy to make new friends. You won't be making friends with the true Florence crowd though. If being the "in" family at the country club is your idea of fun, new comers will not like Florence and think it is snobby. There is a shocking disparity between the haves and the have nots. Much of it is racial in nature.

The real upside of Florence is the housing prices. We have 3600 square feet two story brick house on one acre. It's worth about $350,000. Florence hasn't had the giant run up in real estate prices but we have appreciated each year. The outlying area is spread out so there is virtually no traffic. It is very unusual to wait more than two turns for a traffic light. Taxes are a joke. Of course, you get what you pay for. I think ours are about $1,800.

West Florence has all the usual southern suburban amenities Target, Chilis, Steinmart, Home Depot, multi screen movie theater, medium sized mall, etc., etc. Some will find the area boring as there is no real culture or unique identity to Florence. Myrtle is the beach, Charleston is all about dining and history, Columbia is the home of the Gamecocks and the state capitol. As someone else pointed out, "Florence is well, Florence."

If you like the country, there are a few nice neighborhoods where you can have land and horses.

Feel free to ask me any questions about Florence.

[sandlapper]

Originally Posted by Dorisina

Hi there, you seem like a very good brain to pick. We are trying to sell our FL house and when it does we would like to relocate to SC. We have been to Aiken and really like it...charming town with nice developments in the south end and like the look of the area. Our two concerns: 1) Aikens it no other neat towns outside of Aiken and no close metro area for broadway type shows and 2) now that we are retired and nearing the age when we would like to have good hospitals near by. The Rock Hill/Fort Mill area seems has more to offer as it is close to Charlotte, but my husband is concerened about it growing too rapidly and he doesn't want to be in a congested area. Do you know what areas outside of Columbia would be like Aiken or Fort Mill? What is Irmo like? Thanks

I grew up literally a highway exit away from Irmo so I may be able to give you a little insight. Irmo is a nice place. Its proximity to Lake Murray is keen. It is also not far from Lexington Medical Center and its branches. Irmo was (in the 80's) and to some extent today is a boomtowm of the Columbia metro kinda like Ft. Mill or Rock Hill is to Charlotte today. My parents (late 50's) now actually live in Irmo I would reccomend it for retirees. Just know which roads to avoid during rush hour and you should be fine. Most traffic from that area flows into the city or out typical rush hour traffic patterns.

Chapin is an area that I would reccomend looking into as well if I was a retiree cosidering moving to the Riverbanks Region.

[familyonthemove]

Hello, my family and I will be relocating to Florence, SC. We will be living in my parents vacation home,(my parents are still here in MD) for a few months, until we can find an area that we feel comfortable raising our family. Do you know of any good parks or other community places that we can meet other moms and children?
How about churches in the area?
Is there any laws about home schooling in South Carolina?
Thanks You