The Real Aiken? (North Augusta, Blackville, New Ellenton: job market, buy, contractor)

[pattibug]

I have heard so much about aiken being wonderful, can anyone let me know any negatives there. I want to move there but it sounds to good to be true.

[Racelady88]

There is no night life here. I don't know if you consider that a negative, but I know some people would. Augusta is 20 miles away.

The mall is fairly small and is the only one (unless you go to Augusta). At Christmas people come from all of the surrounding areas to shop at this mall, and at Wal-Mart (1/2 mile dow the same road). There is traffic in this area around the holidays.

SRS. This is a D.O.E. contractor nearby. They digest nuclear waste, make synergy drives for hybrid cars, make heavy water, and do a lot of R & D. It is not a nuclear power plant. It does make some people uncomfortable. It is in 200,000 acres of woods with very tight security. They have a website, but I don't remember what it is. I found it on Google. Savanna River Site SC (may have been told that I can't spell)

Blue Laws. A lot of places are not open on Sunday. The ones that are wait until 1:00 or 1:30. Grocery stores are open and a few restaraunts. Wal-Mart is open, but you can only buy food and a few other items of a personal care nature.

There is NOTHING outside of Aiken. Some of the nearby towns are rural eyeblinks, and some are shabby old mill towns. Augusta is the next real place. Personally, I think that this adds to the charm of the area, but my husband does not.

The job market is soft here. Most people commute to Augusta.

Those are the only things that I can think of.

[bobizzy3]

How important is Religion in Aiken. We are planning on moving to Aiken from California. We are concerned about how people react to a family that has no strong religious ties to a particular church. I have lived in the town I am in now for about 35 years and do not know anyone that goes to church on a regular basis,,, I know they have blue laws, and SC is in the bible belt which is all good,,, but how do locals react to people who do belong to church????

[stxowax]

There are MAJOR cultural differences between California and South Carolina. Church is a way of life in Aiken, as it is in any Bible Belt town. Some people go to church for spiritual reasons, some people go for social reasons, many people go for both reasons.

The people of Aiken will think that there is something wrong with you and your family if you aren't a member of a church and don't attend church services regularly. Unfortunately, this is how it is in small Southern towns.

The respect for individual freedom and personal expression that one enjoys in California will be viewed unfavorably in Aiken. Religion has been a huge part of all of these people's lives. They haven't been exposed to people who do not go to church. It will seem very strange to them.

Aiken is a nice town and has a lot to offer. But, it is definately a "tribal community" with "tribal traditions".

[Racelady88]

My husband & I do not go to church. In the beginning absolutely everyone invited us to their church. We politely declined. We still have made plenty of friends. We have not been told that we are going to burn, or anything like that.

There are a lot of churches here, and they are very well attended. There are also a lot of people moving here that do not have the old southern religous ties that the natives have.

[lovethecarolinas]

Originally Posted by stxowax

There are MAJOR cultural differences between California and South Carolina. Church is a way of life in Aiken, as it is in any Bible Belt town. Some people go to church for spiritual reasons, some people go for social reasons, many people go for both reasons.

The people of Aiken will think that there is something wrong with you and your family if you aren't a member of a church and don't attend church services regularly. Unfortunately, this is how it is in small Southern towns.

The respect for individual freedom and personal expression that one enjoys in California will be viewed unfavorably in Aiken. Religion has been a huge part of all of these people's lives. They haven't been exposed to people who do not go to church. It will seem very strange to them.

Aiken is a nice town and has a lot to offer. But, it is definately a "tribal community" with "tribal traditions".

just out of curiosity stxowax where are you from and where do you currently reside? I use to live in CA and currently live in SC (again Bible Belt country-small town) and yet have never felt this tribal community/tribal traditions that you speak of? Then again maybe I just have a hard time with such broad brush strokes of what life is like in the Carolinas?

[wsaiken]

I think Evey's list of cons is very good, for the most part. I happen to like some of the concededly shabby areas. They provide more of a local flavor. It's all relative, of course, but Aiken is more sophisticated than most of what is still a largely rural state.

Having been born and bred in SC, I am drawn to to these places, mostly for the food. The Blue Plate Grill in Graniteville, Old McDonald's Fish Camp near North Augusta and Carolina Bar-B-Q in New Ellenton are all worth a visit. And an hour and a half drive to and from Blackville is well spent if you're going to Miller's Bread Basket.

I'm also inclined to agree that religion is big in Aiken. It sounds like Evey's been a good sport when people have invited her to church, and she's probably discreet about her preference not to go. However, I'll bet she has friends praying for her unchurched soul. (Bobizzy3, if you're Episcopalian, come visit Saint Thaddeus -- http://www.stthaddeus.org).

On a related issue, political moderates and liberals need to have a thick skin. If you're opposed to the war in Iraq, for example, you'll be in the decided minority.

[RichCapeCod]

I’ve lived in the northeast all my life but am also considering Aiken (for all the reasons other posters have written). I wouldn’t be concerned about being “accepted.” I found the folks in the Aiken area quite friendly and so long as you respect their beliefs and customs I cannot imagine there being a conflict. As an aside, I’m Jewish. I served four years in the military (ages 18 through 22). In basic we had some sort of religious orientation. I entered the auditorium and some bored guy kept repeating, “Jews to the left, Catholics in the center, Protestants to the right.” So. I took my seat, all by my self, to the left of everyone else. Someone came in and took the Catholics away. Then someone else came into the room and started to speak to the remaining guys. Every now and again he’d sneak a peak over at me until, finally, he asked about my religion. I informed him I was Jewish and they had to find a Rabbi to talk to me! Thought it was pretty funny.

Relax. Be yourself. You’ll do just fine.

By the way, my wife of 38 years is a German Lutheran. Go figure.

[Racelady88]

The state gov't was one of the reasons I left Florida. I could ramble for hours about the things that have ended up in the state constitution, but that was not the topic.

Aiken City Council worries about old trees being cut down when people build, where (if anywhere) Sam's Club is going. SC state gov't is trying to decide if they want to do away with property taxes.

This part of the US may not be for everyone, but I am liking it just fine.

[Marks]

Originally Posted by Evey

The state gov't was one of the reasons I left Florida. I could ramble for hours about the things that have ended up in the state constitution, but that was not the topic.

Aiken City Council worries about old trees being cut down when people build, where (if anywhere) Sam's Club is going. SC state gov't is trying to decide if they want to do away with property taxes.

This part of the US may not be for everyone, but I am liking it just fine.

Oh yes, Amen to that!