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I think Richburg tried with that oddly placed Convention Center. That whole I77 is weird. I remember when the car dealership opened in the early 2000's in Richburg. I was thinking 'What a weird place to build a dealership'. It didn't last long and now we have that convention center built in it's ashes. I don't often see it used. I can't imagine any companies coming from outside the county to use it. I go once a year to a board game convention there, but that is it.
With no offense intended to the people who live out that way, yes, that kind of nails it --- "weird". From the southernmost Rock Hill exit (Flying J truck stop and the Nichols Store) down, honestly, all the way to Blythewood, it's just kind of desolate and, I hate to say it, monotonous. There's just not much of anything there. All through northern Fairfield and Chester counties, it's like you're up on top of this hardscrabble plateau. I know not all areas can be of equal beauty or picturesqueness, but a little more development along I-77 would be nice, and might be a catalyst for further growth. To tell the truth, for about 60 miles, I just zone out and listen to the radio. Occasionally I will stop at the Grand Central truck stop in Great Falls or the Wendy's in the same general vicinity (Pilot center).
That SC 34 exit south of Winnsboro, where the Ramada Inn used to be (looks now to be an Executive Inn or something), has potential, but for now, it's just a no-name hotel, a Waffle House, and a Sharpe Shoppe. There's also some kind of trades school behind the hotel. The SC Railroad Museum, while obviously operated on a shoestring budget, is a great place for kids, my son and I used to go there all the time, though he's outgrown it now.
With no offense intended to the people who live out that way, yes, that kind of nails it --- "weird". From the southernmost Rock Hill exit (Flying J truck stop and the Nichols Store) down, honestly, all the way to Blythewood, it's just kind of desolate and, I hate to say it, monotonous. There's just not much of anything there. All through northern Fairfield and Chester counties, it's like you're up on top of this hardscrabble plateau. I know not all areas can be of equal beauty or picturesqueness, but a little more development along I-77 would be nice, and might be a catalyst for further growth. To tell the truth, for about 60 miles, I just zone out and listen to the radio. Occasionally I will stop at the Grand Central truck stop in Great Falls or the Wendy's in the same general vicinity (Pilot center).
That SC 34 exit south of Winnsboro, where the Ramada Inn used to be (looks now to be an Executive Inn or something), has potential, but for now, it's just a no-name hotel, a Waffle House, and a Sharpe Shoppe. There's also some kind of trades school behind the hotel. The SC Railroad Museum, while obviously operated on a shoestring budget, is a great place for kids, my son and I used to go there all the time, though he's outgrown it now.
Yeah it usually boils down to two things...1) Economics and/or 2)Politics.... 1) being.. we cant get anything to come here 2_ being we dont WANT anything to come here....
I have watched CLT grow since the mid 1970s. York County is growing fairly rapidly. It is almost 300k residents, and it is consistently among the top 5 fastest growing counties in SC by percentage growth. It is also usually among the top 50 fastest growing the US. As it approaches 400k , more people from York will begin to move to Chester County and farther south. Some will continue to move north from Richland County. It will be gradual but the growth will move south from York and north from Richland. Then if a big manufacturer such as an auto manufacturer were to choose Fairfield County, it would create a huge bonanza. Or it could be another type of large manufacturer other than auto. It is just a matter of time before the big manufacturer arrives. Cheap land, water sewer connections, available work force, and big airport with excellent service are all part of recipe to land a big manufacturer. This type of spark coupled with a growing population could ignite a small population boom and growth of similar jobs to the area.
I have watched CLT grow since the mid 1970s. York County is growing fairly rapidly. It is almost 300k residents, and it is consistently among the top 5 fastest growing counties in SC by percentage growth. It is also usually among the top 50 fastest growing the US. As it approaches 400k , more people from York will begin to move to Chester County and farther south. Some will continue to move north from Richland County. It will be gradual but the growth will move south from York and north from Richland. Then if a big manufacturer such as an auto manufacturer were to choose Fairfield County, it would create a huge bonanza. Or it could be another type of large manufacturer other than auto. It is just a matter of time before the big manufacturer arrives. Cheap land, water sewer connections, available work force, and big airport with excellent service are all part of recipe to land a big manufacturer. This type of spark coupled with a growing population could ignite a small population boom and growth of similar jobs to the area.
Would be neat to see in the coming decades Charlotte and Columbia’s metros “meet†and create a synergy amongst each other. If you look at Google Earth, neighborhoods butt up right along the Richland and Fairfield county line. Like mentioned before, once a huge manufacturer announces plans to build in Fairfield county then watch the floodgates burst open the following years after.
Would be neat to see in the coming decades Charlotte and Columbia’s metros “meet†and create a synergy amongst each other. If you look at Google Earth, neighborhoods butt up right along the Richland and Fairfield county line. Like mentioned before, once a huge manufacturer announces plans to build in Fairfield county then watch the floodgates burst open the following years after.
Seems like most of Columbia's growth has gone to Lexington.. If I had to pick a #2 it would likely be Kershaw followed by Newberry. Fairfield is strategically located along 77 not far outside of Columbia but it doesnt seem to be actively taking advantage of it like the aforementioned Counties.. I am not saying they arent doing anything.. it just seems to be overshadowed by others. We have talked about a bridge of the Broad River and the extension of Clemson Road into Harbison.. I think that too indirectly could help Fairfield by opening up development opportunities below places like Jenkinsville up Monticello Rd as residents would have access to the NE or the NW Richland in a fairly short drive while enjoying cheaper land and a rural environment. I mean Lake Monticello is an untapped jewel... though I dont know much about it in terms of development potential or lake access
Seems like most of Columbia's growth has gone to Lexington.. If I had to pick a #2 it would likely be Kershaw followed by Newberry. Fairfield is strategically located along 77 not far outside of Columbia but it doesnt seem to be actively taking advantage of it like the aforementioned Counties.. I am not saying they arent doing anything.. it just seems to be overshadowed by others. We have talked about a bridge of the Broad River and the extension of Clemson Road into Harbison.. I think that too indirectly could help Fairfield by opening up development opportunities below places like Jenkinsville up Monticello Rd as residents would have access to the NE or the NW Richland in a fairly short drive while enjoying cheaper land and a rural environment. I mean Lake Monticello is an untapped jewel... though I dont know much about it in terms of development potential or lake access
An extension of Clemson/Killian Road across the Broad River to link with Harbison would be a major catalyst for growth and increased communication between the two areas. Right now Columbia is basically shaped like a "butterfly" with the area between I-77 and the Broad River being a kind of "dead zone". Kershaw County is doing a nice job indeed.
As far as the present "more rural" ambiance of Fairfield is concerned, I may just be partial to hill country, but I see potential for it becoming a mountain-like recreation and resort area, close enough to Columbia to be very accessible. We were on US 21 between Lake Wateree and Ridgeway the other day, and it felt almost like West Virginia. Some kind of mountain-valley-like lodge would be ideal there. Too bad South Carolina doesn't have state parks with lodges (Hickory Knob excepted) --- Kentucky does an outstanding job with this sort of thing, they went into isolated areas and created mini-resorts that dot the entire state, and they are perennial favorites for Kentuckians looking for getaways close to home, very affordable on top of that. They took one particularly rugged, hardscrabble area near the Ohio River, created a man-made lake, and put a fairly nice resort in the middle of nowhere (Greenbo Lake). Lake Wateree could use a lodge like that.
An extension of Clemson/Killian Road across the Broad River to link with Harbison would be a major catalyst for growth and increased communication between the two areas. Right now Columbia is basically shaped like a "butterfly" with the area between I-77 and the Broad River being a kind of "dead zone". Kershaw County is doing a nice job indeed.
As far as the present "more rural" ambiance of Fairfield is concerned, I may just be partial to hill country, but I see potential for it becoming a mountain-like recreation and resort area, close enough to Columbia to be very accessible. We were on US 21 between Lake Wateree and Ridgeway the other day, and it felt almost like West Virginia. Some kind of mountain-valley-like lodge would be ideal there. Too bad South Carolina doesn't have state parks with lodges (Hickory Knob excepted) --- Kentucky does an outstanding job with this sort of thing, they went into isolated areas and created mini-resorts that dot the entire state, and they are perennial favorites for Kentuckians looking for getaways close to home, very affordable on top of that. They took one particularly rugged, hardscrabble area near the Ohio River, created a man-made lake, and put a fairly nice resort in the middle of nowhere (Greenbo Lake). Lake Wateree could use a lodge like that.
Yeah.. .Fairfield does have that appeal from a landscape perspective especially if Lake Monticello can be developed in sections..but maybe Lake Wateree is better position.. Hell the fact the Fairfield has access to two large recreational lakes is also a plus
Back to Kershaw... Camden has a rich history, nice downtown access to the Wateree River, two interstates (77 is close) and the Carolina Cup which could make it appealing. While it may not overtake Lexington in size it may certainly offer another option for Midlands residents looking for suburban towns to live in .. Camden to me seems more like a real stand alone town than Lexington which feels more like a suburban town. Winnsboro could certainly have the same "stand alone" town appeal though there seems to be less there there than Camden'.... Ironically both towns downtown look very similar with those iconic historic what look like Courthouses downtown
Last edited by Woodlands; 07-18-2021 at 05:14 PM..
Yeah.. .Fairfield does have that appeal from a landscape perspective especially if Lake Monticello can be developed in sections..but maybe Lake Wateree is better position.. Hell the fact the Fairfield has access to two large recreational lakes is also a plus
Back to Kershaw... Camden has a rich history, nice downtown access to the Wateree River, two interstates (77 is close) and the Carolina Cup which could make it appealing. While it may not overtake Lexington in size it may certainly offer another option for Midlands residents looking for suburban towns to live in .. Camden to me seems more like a real stand alone town than Lexington which feels more like a suburban town. Winnsboro could certainly have the same "stand alone" town appeal though there seems to be less there there than Camden'.... Ironically both towns downtown look very similar with those iconic historic what look like Courthouses downtown
Camden does indeed have a "stand alone" aspect, as though it is this nice small town that just coincidentally happens to be near a much larger city. It is kind of like Newberry without the college and the opera house, if you can imagine such a thing. Winnsboro, I hate to say it, feels kind of down-at-the-heels and neglected. It would take a very concerted effort to make Winnsboro into the town it is capable of being.
Fairfield County does have a kind of "just right" feel to its topography, not unlike Newberry County. The lay of the land in Kershaw County is a bit monotonous, not really hilly, not really flat. I have noticed, though, and maybe I'm just looking for it, that Camden and Lugoff seem to have this "microclimate" thing going on, kind of fresh and breezy, good air. Even though it is much higher in elevation (higher, even, than Asheville,and that's saying something!), Beckley, West Virginia has a similar pleasant, crisp climate, though obviously quite a bit cooler. You don't have the feeling of being in the mountains, as much as being on a very, very high plateau (about 1/2 mile elevation). Camden feels just a little bit like that.
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