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My husband is in the Air Force and we're relocating to Shaw AFB. Since he only has 3 years until he can retire, we would like to buy a house and hopefully stay put for awhile. We currently are in the Las Vegas area and are very much wanting an area that has lots of green grass and trees! Ideally, we would like an acre or more to have chickens and a large garden. We are looking into the Lugoff-Elgin area, as it seems there are better schools for our kids, who will be in 1st and 3rd grade next year. Are there other areas that may offer affordable land/housing without compromising school quality? As long as I can find a job in Early Intervention or something similar, we should be able to afford around $200k. I am also looking into completing my master's degree, possibly at the university in Columbia so I'm hoping the commute isn't too terrible?
I'd greatly appreciate any info on the area! We are excited about our upcoming move
The school situation in Sumter is kind of funny and probably doesn't work out for you since what you are looking for is more rural. The public schools closer to the city aren't as bad as some people would like to make them out to be. Alice Drive Elementary and Kingsbury Elemenatry are very good schools but you would need to live in town. But if you are looking for a lot of space, your selections aren't so great. What about private school? Sumter has 3 well known private schools that excel in performance at the elementary level. Thomas Sumter is out in the country behind the base. Wilson Hall is in a more upscale neighborhood closer to town and St. Anne Catholic School is located downtown. Depending on your buget, all of them have a relatively reasonable tuition rate.
Either way, I would encourage you to live closer to Sumter. We embrace our military here. Shaw is a big part of what makes Sumter. Sumter is only about a 40 minute commute to the USC campus in Columbia. But depending on your field of study, USC has a satelite campus here in Sumter and many courses may be offered there. I know my wife got her masters and did a lot of her classwork time at USC-Sumter via live links.
I am a military transplant as well and have come to love Sumter. It is ideally located. Less than 2 hours to Myrtle Beach, Charleston and Charlotte. The mountains are about 3 hours away. And if you love the outdoors, there is plenty to do from hiking the Palmetto Trail to kayaking numerous rivers and swamps within an hours drive.
Before you take my opinion (or anybody else's opinion on an annonomyous bulletin board) check with the base's information office on the local schools. They usually have some good information.
Best wishes and thank you for your family's service.
Happy Veteran's Day!
But why pay the Columbia real estate prices when your dollar goes much further in Sumter County? Plus, the schools on the east side of Columbia aren't that great.
But why pay the Columbia real estate prices when your dollar goes much further in Sumter County? Plus, the schools on the east side of Columbia aren't that great.
Because there isn't much to do in Sumter. You can live in Shandon or Forest Acres where the schools are great.
Lots of AF folks based at Shaw live out towards Lugoff. The commute isn't bad considering none of it is interstate, a state highway bordering the east.side of Ft. Jackson is the north-south route folks use as part of their commute back and forth from Kershaw Cry.
Lots of AF folks based at Shaw live out towards Lugoff. The commute isn't bad considering none of it is interstate, a state highway bordering the east.side of Ft. Jackson is the north-south route folks use as part of their commute back and forth from Kershaw Cry.
Thanks, folks! We're going to take spring break and fly out to check the place out. We're not going to get the land we want (right now) on our budget and schools are a priority. I'll look into the private schools, I did hear elsewhere they are reasonable. Lugoff is definitely still looking like our best option, but might consider Sumter or East Colombia if it all lines up (good schools, nice house/neighborhood, and enough "elbow room").
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