South Carolina means a lot to me and I want to find a way back (Columbia: low income)

[rachamoore]

Hello and thank you for reading this.



When I went through my divorce in 2007-2008, I went down to Myrtle Beach for about three months by myself and it was the happiest I had ever been. I lived the next ten years wanting to go back and in 2017 I finally did and ended up renting a room in Aiken from a Facebook friend I had back then. She turned out to be a psycho and back to Vermont I came. I have this special place in my heart for South Carolina and am hoping to come back in about two years when I am ready and able to support myself with a good job. I will be finishing up my bachelor's degree at the end of next year and it will be in business administration and accounting. Now my problem...I am not sure where I want to live. I will write a list of my interests (as crazy as some of them are)



I really am hoping to get some good insight/recommendations/advice etc.. The more important ones will be at the top of the list.


Safety - I live in a place where there are no good or bad parts of town. It is very safe here and well, very boring.


Weather - Need to get away from the 9 months of cold. Heat doesn't bother me, it is the cold, snow and ice that bothers me.



Raise a family - I am single and open to meeting someone with children but if it doesn't happen that way, I am interested in fostering or adopting. I was unable to have children and believe that this wanting to have children has left me more than incomplete.



Cost of living - It is very expensive where I live and a single person cannot afford to live on their own, no roommate opportunities so I am stuck living at home. the average 1 bedroom apartment starts at 1000 if you are not low income. Honestly, I just want to be able to support myself comfortably.


Love for thunderstorms - I can't help it, I love them and I don't get enough of them here.


Trees - I love the trees!!! The streets lined with trees in Aiken. (scenic photography is something that makes me very happy)


Water - Something about being near water makes me happy, at peace and filled with joy. I know that there is flooding near the coast and it is very expensive. I think I could be happy near a lake.







When I was in Aiken in the summer of 2017, I found it to have far less humidity that here in Vermont. I am doing doordash and grubhub here and it works around my schooling. I would like to have the option of continuing it down there so safety really is a concern of mine.


Which towns/cities should I look into. Honestly I think I would be happier in a town but it has to have things to do. Where I live, there are hardly any decent stores, restaurants, events (haha!) yep...it's pretty boring here, you have to drive an hour to get anywhere and I just don't want that life style anymore.



If I wanted to continue living here, I would move to a town in New York where I am very comfortable called Clifton Park. It has roughly 36k people and has both chains and local stores. city of Albany is only 20-30 minutes away. I would love it if I found a town in South Carolina that makes me feel as comfortable.



Rachael

[Charlestondata]

I would look into Charleston and Beaufort and the surrounding areas if lots of water is a deciding factor.

[BrandonCoombes]

Greenwood or Anderson. Though Greenwood is about an hour from bigger cities.

[johngolf]

rach

I would suggest you look for employment at/around Charleston, Columbia, Greenville and in that order.

[Iam4USC]

I suggest you look at the western or southern side of Lake Wateree. Camden is very close for basic amenities. And Columbia is just about 30 minutes for everything else. The area gives you water, decent cost of living, relatively low crime, close to lots of jobs, and thunderstorms on the lake are awesome to watch.