South Carolina

[next_migration]

The large cities in South Carolina include Charleston on the coast, Columbia in the center, and Greenville in the northwest. All three have metro areas in the 800,000 to 900,000 range. Charleston is a truly lovely city, but given its location in the high-risk flood and hurricane zone, best not added to. The foodshed mapping of Kurtz et al. (2020) suggested that Greenville might require quite a large foodshed even with a low-meat diet. Columbia is more easily provisioned but its metro area, which sprawls over six counties, is likely to be larger than you want.

South Carolina does not seem to be the most promising state for conservative migrants to consider, unless you want to move to one of the big cities, which I don’t recommend. Smaller cities frequently appear to have chronic economic issues or shockingly high crime rates that are suggestive of such issues. A few of the most promising that are located away from the coast or the metros are the following:

 

 

o  Sumter (40,000 people) hosts four colleges or universities and a large Air Force base; its economy includes manufacturing and food processing. Cultural amenities include Swan Lake Iris Gardens, which is known for its iris festival and multiple species of resident swans. There is some public transportation.

o  Aiken (32,000 people) was formerly a winter home for rich northerners, and its housing prices are higher than those in less fancy communities. Major employers include a huge nuclear waste processing and storage company and the U.S. military. It is home to a small but well-regarded University of South Carolina campus and a steeplechase association, and is known for its multiple polo fields. Aiken has well over a century of Jewish immigrant history, and a synagogue celebrating its 100^th anniversary in 2021.

o  North Augusta (24,000 people) is on the state line across from Augusta, Georgia and is part of the Augusta metro area. However, housing costs and crime are still moderate and small-town charm and attitudes may be encountered. As for the nearby Aiken, major employers include Savannah River Nuclear Solutions and the military. There is a nearby community of Irish Travelers.

o  Rock Hill (over 75,000 people) is part of the Charlotte, NC metro area, which has raised its housing costs to a level I’d consider excessive, but certainly cheaper than Charlotte. Economic sectors include manufacturing and engineering, retail, telecommunications, banking, health, and education, but many residents commute to Charlotte and there is an express bus connecting the two cities. The Carolina Panthers NFL team is building a major training facility in Rock Hill. There are three colleges, including a technical/ community college. Rock Hill is known for several high-quality, popular annual festivals. It has a limited, but free weekday electric bus service and moderately priced weekday dial-a-ride, and bicycling is supported.

o  Florence (40,000 people) is a historic railroad town whose economy now emphasizes commerce and distribution as well as finance, insurance, health care, retail, and manufacturing. Its economy has been strong in recent years. Florence is home to a small public university and a technical college. There is a bus service that also offers connections to nearby towns and cities. Crime and poverty rates are high; nevertheless, residents usually find the town pleasant.

 

Sumter, Aiken, and Florence have Greyhound service. There is surprisingly good Amtrak service in South Carolina, with three lines and 11 stops, but most of those stops are in places you probably don’t want to live in.

 

Comments

[lincoln_lynx]

Just FYI, the Panthers training facility project in Rock Hill was scrapped.

[next_migration]

Thanks for the update! Too bad for them, though I tend to be of the belief that the less money and material is wasted on elaborate facilities for ball games, the better!