Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Boyfriend is active duty and will be stationed at shaw AFB would like suggestions on good towns/ cities to live in w 2 kids every other wkend and dog we are in our mid 30s and professionals! Thx in advance
Shaw is 5 miles from Sumter, 20 miles from Camden and 25 miles from Columbia. Those are your only real choices.
Columbia offers all the ammenities of a larger city but the cost of living is higher than the other 2 and the commute could be an issue.
Camden is much smaller but still close enough to Columbia that shopping, dining and entertainment options are still close.
Sumter is where most Shaw personnel reside. Sumter has about 40,000 residents so it isn't a small town. More like a small city. There are plenty of housing options available. If you are looking for a house, it is a buyers market in Sumter. 10 years ago when they announced that the 3rd Army was relocating to Shaw, the builders went nuts and started building homes like crazy. They built way too many for the amount of people coming. Then the housing market collapsed and a lot of these homes just sat there empty. Things are recovering now but there are still a lot of homes for sale and the competition to sell them is fierce. Plenty of apartments too but the rent seems a bit high in my opinion. Must not be as many vacant apartments as homes.
As for dining, shopping and entertainment Sumter is fair. We have all the regular chain restaurants and a few local establishments. Sumter has a mall but it's not a destination for shoppers. You can get your basics there with a JC Penny, Belk, Vic Secret, Radio Shack, Bed Bath Beyond, etc... but most people drive to Columbia or Florence to really shop.
I am realtor in the Sumter area. Let me know if you need help finding a place. I was active duty AF and have lived here since 1992. My name is Eydie McCombs 803-972-0117.#
I don't know how young or old your children are, but something that wasn't touched on in Sumter is youth sports. The support for it here is fantastic. There's Palmetto Park, which has 6 baseball fields centered around a gazebo, plus tennis courts, and the dairy bar next door (Rascal's) has batting cages. Dillion Park has 6 softball fields, also with a gazebo/snack area, and is surrounded by a 1 mile paved walking trail (great place to take your dogs, too). There are 2 fields that I've seen used as soccer pitches. Dillon is also the trail head for the Cypress Trail, which is a 7 mile hiking/mountain bike path. Then there's the new Patriot Park complex, which I believe (I haven't driven out there yet to see for myself) are the official soccer pitches/fields, but I've heard they can also be converted to ball fields for when hosting the Dixie Youth World Series, etc.
We may be moving to the area and from the forums and what I have researched Sumter sounds like a good little town. We were at a BBQ this past weekend and two families who were once stationed there had nothing but bad things to say. I am from the south and I know sometimes people from other places don't love it like I do. Is there any truth to them saying it is crime ridden, they didn't feel safe and all the schools are terrible? I cannot seem to find anything that says that, I find a few things here and there as you do with any town, but nothing that says STAY AWAY. We are trying to make a decision here very soon and a need the honest input of people there. Thank you ahead of time.
We may be moving to the area and from the forums and what I have researched Sumter sounds like a good little town. We were at a BBQ this past weekend and two families who were once stationed there had nothing but bad things to say. I am from the south and I know sometimes people from other places don't love it like I do. Is there any truth to them saying it is crime ridden, they didn't feel safe and all the schools are terrible? I cannot seem to find anything that says that, I find a few things here and there as you do with any town, but nothing that says STAY AWAY. We are trying to make a decision here very soon and a need the honest input of people there. Thank you ahead of time.
Honest answer......Is there crime? Yes. Is it higher than normal? Probably. However a big part of that crime is localized in specific areas and like a lot of major metro area crime, it is crime that is perpetrated against each other. There is a very poor population here that is raising a generation of fatherless thugs. Drugs are an issue and they steal and rob each other to get what they need. It's no different than any larger city. But because Sumter is a smaller community, it seems magnified. I am a military brat who came here when I was just a kid. I've been here 35 years now and have raised my own family here. I live in a historic neighborhood close to downtown. My neighborhood is like an island between less desirable areas. We hear of some petty theft on occasion but nothing ever serious. The newer neighborhoods on the west side of the city rarely ever see any crime.
As for schools, we are heading in the right direction. Our school board made a serious mistake a few years back by hiring a superintendant from a large, very questionable metro school district. The public outcry came to a head just a few weeks ago and culminated in his dismissal. The board will not make that mistake again. If you feel you still can't trust the public school system, there are several affordable private schools in the area that excel in all areas of academics and athletics.
To me, Sumter is an ideal place to live. The city offers everything you need as far as shopping and restaurants. Obviously, because of our size, the offerings may be a bit limited. However, the location makes it simple to overcome. We are only 40 minutes from shopping and dining in Columbia. Less than 2 hours from Charleston, Charlotte, Savannah and Myrtle Beach. And if the mountains are your thing, we are 3 hours from them.
The cost of living here is much lower than the other areas I mentioned above. Your housing dollars go very far here.
I agree with Iam4usc. I have been stationed at Shaw for a little over 2 yrs, always seem to be gone, but that's what the flight line is about. Last year i was in Korea for 6 months and unbeknownst to me my house was unlocked. Did not figure it out until about a month after i got back when i locked myself out on accident. My back door was unlocked the whole time and i just walked right in. In that 6 months of my house being unlocked, not a single thing happened. My neighborhood is very close to base a i really enjoy it. Everyone is friendly and watches out for everyone. Certain parts of town are less then desireable, but if you have no reason to be there then you will be just fine. Overall i don't mind Sumter.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Moving to Shaw AFB SC
Thanks again.
