Aiken Info Please!!!!! (Columbia, Greenville, Burnettown: low crime, house, job market)

[pattibug]

Ineed some info on Aiken , jobs,homes,entertainment,crime etc...

[Racelady88]

Homes are plentiful here if you want new construction. You can get a new 3/2 starting at $110,000. You can spend a lot more if you want to. Exisiting homes are hard to come by here.

The job market is pretty soft, but Augusta is only 20 miles away and many people commute.

SRS is the biggest employer. It is a D.O.E. contractor located in New Ellenton. They digest nuclear waste, make synergy drives for hybrid cars, make heavy water, do a lot of R & D, and some other stuff that I don't recall. They have a website if you care to check them out. Savanna River Site (not sure I spelled it right).

Entertainment? Not much in the way of night life. Hopeland Gardens has concerts, and there is a jazz festival in the spring. But Augusta is only 20 miles away. There are some big equestrian events in the winter & spring.

Not much crime here, either. I usually leave my keys in my car (makes my husband crazy), and ususally don't lock my house. I don't live out in the country, but right in a neighborhood. You hear about a few things on the news, but they are in Augusta. Mostly the news is full of stories about the school board or city council.

It is peaceful & relaxed here.

[Nancy Marie]

Evey,

I wanted to say first that, you are such a positive person on these threads and certainly positive about Aiken.

My husband and I have been doing a lot of research on different SC towns and cities and have narrowed our choices down to Aiken and somewhere around Greenville. Aiken sounds, like everyone seems to feel, like it's too good to be true. We will be visiting there, hopefully, in early March.

My brother-in-law moved to Greenville about a year ago. We visited there last fall and yeah, I have to say it's a pretty city and the downtown area is great - so many weekly events involving music and "moonlight movies" in the summer. He's working hard to covince us to move there. I can't however, seem to get Aiken out of my mind. I know you addressed entertainment briefly, but can you tell me if you have anything like weekly concerts and a "movies in the park" kind of thing there as well? I am so looking forward to our visit there! Also just curious - it says your locaton is Aiken, but "moving back to FL." Has Aiken become not to your liking for some reason?

Thanks for your help and for all the information you've provided!

[Racelady88]

Rest assured, I LOVE Aiken. My husband, not so much. His mom lives in FL, and in the 14 months that we have been here he has gone down there 6 times and she has been here 3 times. He agreed to give it a year to see if the area grew on him. Time is up, and he is still miserable. So, we signed the contract today and close on the 28th. *sigh*

Concerts? Hopeland Gardens does some outdoor concerts in the spring/summer and again at Christmas.

We have done a few other local events including The Chitlin' Strut in Salley, The Intertribal Pow-Wow at Langley Pond, Christmas in Hopelands, and The Sassafras Festival in Burnettown.

This is in addition to hiking in The Hitchcock Woods, canoing down the Edisto River at The Aiken State Natural Area, and visiting many of the local historic sites.

[MaddieClaire]

Originally Posted by pattibug

Ineed some info on Aiken , jobs,homes,entertainment,crime etc...

In my opinion Aiken is awesome...
It's beautiful, clean, very very low crime, friendly, quaint, and people really care about the town.
The Blue Laws are enforced, the police department enforce the laws, and you can walk in the park at night without fear.
You won't find nightclubs and things of that nature, and the sidewalks "roll up" at dark.
Lots of restaurants and shopping for a small town, also lots of family oriented events.
Horses are abundant, also very beautiful horse communities are everywhere. The Historic Downtown area is charming and quaint and just nice.
Nothing is more beautiful than springtime in Aiken.
I lived there 10 years (originally from Ohio) and it has been my very favorite place to live.
There are several websites concerning Aiken, but go there in the springtime if at all possible. Winters are mild, summers are very warm (hot even), and fall is fall. Sunshine is plentiful (even during the winter months).
The only thing I didn't enjoy in Aiken was the mosquitos... this past summer the mosquitos were bad (Ithink they were bad all over the south because of all the rains).
One more thing... you can have beautiful flowers all year long, and most of the annual flowers will return the next year.
Traffic on Whiskey Road is pretty bad during rush hour.. be prepared, and don't rush.
One major thing I learned when I moved to Aiken - Aiken is Aiken... it is what it is. People move there then want to change it (bad idea).
People move there because they love the area and the town, then gripe because of the "Blue Laws" - people move there then gripe about the traffic -
people move there then gripe about the heat and hunidity - people move there then gripe about "no nightclubbing" - people move there and gripe because there's nothing to do - etc. etc..
Move to Aiken and enjoy it for what it is, and you will be received with open arms.
(JMO)
One more thing.... Augusta GA. is crime ridden. There's now a teenage gang shooting people on the streets of downtown Augusta, and seems every day on the news is nothing but armed robberies in convenience stores and gasoline stations.
When (if ever) I have to go to Augusta I go in the daytime...then only to the area where Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. is located... I think the area is called The Augusta Exchange (or something to that effect.
Enjoy Aiken...it is a great place to live and raise a family.
God Bless.
Maddie Claire

[Nausikaa]

Aiken is very pretty horse country. If your family was from there, it would be really nice. If I was just to move to SC, and choose between Greenville and Aiken, then Greenville would wins hands down. For me, because Aiken would be too quiet, and I do not like Augusta at all. Other than Augusta, there is nowhere else to go. Greenville is very lively, and near the mountains. It's between Atlanta and Charlotte. It's a great place, I believe your brother is right!

[wsaiken]

I live in Aiken, but I went to school in Greenville and my sister lives there. I agree with almost everything that's been said. Greenville's a city. Entertainment, if that's your want, is in Greenville. Aiken is a town with surprisingly good restaurants and public recreation, but it can't compete with Greenville, amenity for amenity.

That said, I live in Aiken because I like living in a town. Yes, I have to drive to Columbia, Augusta, Greenville or even Charlotte or Atlanta to see a touring show or mid-major sporting event, but I don't mind. Greenville's a city you can proud to be a part of, but Aiken is town that you can make your own.

[seniorjet]

Originally Posted by wsaiken

Greenville's a city you can proud to be a part of, but Aiken is town that you can make your own.

Very well said.

I'll be moving to Aiken in April or May, as soon as my house is finished. I've lived my entire adult life in Washington, DC, but it's grown too crowded, too expensive, too unfriendly. I'm looking forward to the small-town feel of Aiken that I experienced on my 4 visits there.

[barbnden]

I checked out Greenville myself and loved the area...turned out that I like the smalltown feel of Aiken, better..I don't like to drive where it is very busy, like Greenville and Aiken has less traffic...will be moving to Aiken soon! Ps..have already found out the shortcuts to get around in Aiken..have only been there 3 times for a week at a time...love it.

[estrogen]

seniorjet,

who did you use for a builder? Where are you building?