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I would like to know about Sumter. I have been online and it seems like a nice enough small town. I need advice from someone who has been there. I'm looking for a nice family atmosphere low crime? Thanks.
Sumter is a military town with Shaw Air Force Base located there. I think as towns that size are concerned, it has a fairly high crime rate. I'm not sure what you're looking for, but it isn't a fast-growing city and I wouldn't imagine there are a ton of job opportunities, but if all you're looking for is a small town, it might be for you. I'm not a real fan of small towms, so I'm not the best to tell you about them. As small towns go, I like Camden, which is about 20 miles north of Sumter. It has a nice, historic downtown and is the county seat of a growing county.
kimbo, I grew up in Sumter. There's no simple answer. BTW - I'd call it a large town rather than a small one. The area (MSA) has about 100,000 people, and the city of Sumter has about 45,000 people.
But, Sumter has some neighborhoods that fit what you seem to be looking for - safe, and family oriented. It also has some bad neighborhoods, that you don't want to live in. Because of the bad neighborhoods, Sumter has one of the highest crime rates in the US. Crime rates don't tell the full story, though - like I mentioned, Sumter can be a great place to raise children.
I have plenty of information and opinions about Sumter, but you'll have to be more specific.
Thanks anonymous,
I come from a large city about 650,000. We have about 5 murders a week. We now have different gangs forming in our city. The schools are terrible, students beat up the teachers, bring weapons to school nobody is safe.My boys are young I don't want them to grow up in this environment. My husband and I are very hard working good people. We want a better place to raise our kids. No place is perfect I know. I want everything my city is not.
I want friendly people, good schools, lots of places for the kids to play, sports, summercamps, swimming. We love to shop. We want a big house atleast 4 bedrooms with atleast 1 acre land. We want neighbors, but not to close, no culdesac, no HOA.
I think Sumter fits some of those things, but not others.
Two things that stand out - you're from a place that's a good bit larger than Sumter, and you love to shop. Sumter has all your basic amenities, but you'd have to make trips to Charleston (2.5h), Columbia (1h), Charlotte (2h), or Myrtle Beach (2.5h) to go shopping.
Recreationally, Sumter is an outdoorsy place. If you're a 'city person' or someone who likes to be indoors, there is very little to do. There is a tremendous amount of cheap golf courses, a large new tennis facility, good youth baseball, soccer and summer camps, a huge lake nearby, lots of hunting and fishing, a few places to kayak - but if your interests lie outside of these things, I doubt you'd like it. For example, there is almost no market for fine art, no good radio stations, no local TV stations, a mediocre local newspaper, a terrible mall, etc.
Cost of living is very inexpensive. Real estate is cheap, land is cheap, taxes are low. HOAs and suburban sprawl (cul-de-sacs and such) are relatively uncommon. Most people here wouldn't put up with HOAs. Schools are below average - Sumter High and Alice Drive Elementary/Middle are the only halfway decent public schools in the area, and neither is very impressive. You can spend $5k a year and send them to Wilson Hall, which I'd strongly recommend (I'm biased, though).
Thanks very much for your post. Your opinion was very helpful. We are outdoorsy at least we want to be. We don't mind driving to get to the larger city amenities. Our kids are currently in private school but it will depend on how much money we will make in SC if we will be able to keep our kids in private schools. Thanks again, I think Sumter is definately worth visiting this summer.
Yeah, in a place like Columbia or Greenville, you can be outdoorsy, and you can also be "indoorsy" (for lack of a better word). Sumter doesn't really have that second option. I'd like to stress, Sumter is a very agricultural and blue-collar town. It is also quite racially segregated - something else to be prepared for. However, in that sense, it isn't much different than any other similar-sized town in that part of South Carolina.
Last edited by anonymous; 05-29-2007 at 09:46 AM..
Anonymous, Thanks for sharing this with me.
You said, "in that part of South Carolina". Is there a section of SC that is more racially segregated than others? We visit North Myrtle Beach, little river area year. Every year we make friends of different race with the local people. I am African American, but my husband and I have friends of all races we just get along good with all people. So far we have not felt any racial tension at all in the Myrtle Beach area. We dont choose to live in Myrtle Beach because it is too close to the coast and houses cost a little more there. I was looking for some place right in the middle where the coast and the mountains was a short drive away. What do you think about Columbia?
Well, not to turn this into a discussion about race, racism, etc. - keep in mind, this is a combination of fact and personal opinion.
But historically, where there was cotton, there was slavery. And where there was slavery, there was (and still is) segregation. There is a "cotton belt" that runs through all the southern states, where cotton thrived. (eastern SC/NC/VA/GA, northern FL, southern AL/MS, and along the Mississippi River in MS, LA, TN, AR, MO) In South Carolina, it happens to be the general area that I-95 runs through, which includes Sumter. These 'cotton belt' areas never really recovered, socially and economically, from slavery and the Civil War. Slowly but surely, things are improving - but how much they've improved is up for debate.
Myrtle Beach is an oddity; it is a tourist area, and has a different makeup than the area I'm talking about. The soil is sandy, and no one could grow much. Thus no slavery, thus no problems today.
I believe that everyone gets along fine on a personal level. On a political level, it is a very different story - lots of distrust among different groups. I'm white, though, so I may not be qualified to comment on what things are like for a black South Carolinian. I'm not trying to discourage you, I just think this should be something you're aware of.
Anonymous,
I'm not discouraged. Racism is still lots of places even in Maryland. I know how my husband and I Interact with people and we haven't had any problems thus far. I can feel when there's tension around. I know how to remove myself from an awkward situation or either a place where I'm not wanted. I'm not moving South to change anybody or anything or to cause trouble. I am a business woman and I am going to put in my share of work, respect, and love in any neighborhood that my family and myself may reside. Most people will respect that when they meet us, most times we just blend in except for color. If not we will just move on no hard feelings. We will definately rent before we settle down any place.
Thanks for your opinion it is greatly appreciated, and it will be taken into consideration.
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