Retiring in Aiken South Carolina

   / Retiring in Aiken South Carolina #1  

RichZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2001
Messages
1,876
Location
White Creek, New York, Washington County, on the V
Tractor
Kubota 4630 with cab and loader
Due to health issues for both my wife and I, we are faced with the possibility of selling our 100 acre farm in upstate New York, and possibly moving south. We still want rural property, but we are having problems maintaining 100 acres and lots of live stock. We'd like a small place of a few acres, and maybe able to keep a couple of or horses. My wife has been checking out locations on-line and Aiken South Carolina seems interesting. Upstate New York winters are getting hard on us. Is there anyone who lives around there, who can tell me the true info on this area? I have friends in South Carolina who tell me that there is a lot of crime and other issues, but of course, they may live in a totally different area. I'd also like to know if the local residents have any issue with New Yorkers living among them. I've had friends move south, only to find that their neighbors were less than happy with former northerners as neighbors. If we move, this will be or last move, I'm 60 and my wife is 61, so if we move, we'll retire first, and we want a nice place to live out our "golden years". Also, I would appreciate any suggestions for other retirement areas.

Thanks for any info.
 
   / Retiring in Aiken South Carolina #2  
My wife and I just left South Carolina after 25 years of calling it home. Aiken is a beautiful area not far from Augusta, Ga. Very expensive land and small farms. It is South Carolina horse country, and somewhat old school, deep south. Friendly, and polite, but not opening arms to a Yankee. My wife was from Pennsylvania and never did quite feel at home in SC. After raising our kids we moved to SW Virginia, below Roanoke, and bought 80 acres with a house in the middle. My wife loves it here, as I do, and feels very much at home. You won't find a more beautiful place to live than the Blue Ridge Mountains. Very friendly people and very good real estate prices. Don't get me wrong, South Carolina has a lot to offer and is quite a nice place to live. But, we are much happier here. Good luck. PM me if you want more info.
 
   / Retiring in Aiken South Carolina #3  
I'd suggest Florida. Everybody is from somewhere else, and I've found them real friendly. Ocala is a horsey area, I think.
 
   / Retiring in Aiken South Carolina #4  
Aiken is a good small town, especially those interested in horses. Like Steppenwolfe said it is horse country and property can get expensive (at least to those who live here). A lot of wealthy people have built farms here to house their horses during the winter, which has increased the property value for small farms. Also because of this I would say most people in Aiken are used to people living here that are not native to the area. I would say crime is relatively low, but you never know when some crazy person wants your stuff or worse. Winters are pretty mild, but summers can be brutal. Upper 90's in temperature and humidity. All in all I would recommend living here, but I have lived in Aiken all my life so I am somewhat biased.

Dave
 
   / Retiring in Aiken South Carolina #5  
Having lived in SC all my life, I can voice an opinion. Aiken is a small town, and does have a history of having horse farms. But I would suggest Greenville in the upstate. If is much more progressive, and has a lot more to offer than Aiken. It's larger, but still has the small town atmosphere. It is surrounded by rural areas and land is cheap. It is on the I 85 corridor between Atlanta and Charlotte. It is the home of BMW and Michelin's US corporate headquarters so it has a strong economy and a culture more international and diverse than Aiken. It has an incredible downtown with great restaurants, theaters, art and many cultural events. It is near the mountains, close to Asheville NC and also Tryon, which is an much more an equestrian town than Aiken. They are developing a huge equestrian center in Tryon. It's about 30 minutes from Greenville. Historic Charlestown is three hours away and SC has great beaches like Kiawah and Hilton Head. The blue ridge mountains are visible from Greenville. Greenville has won many awards for its phenomenal revitalization.

I think you would find Aiken a little too "old South" whereas Greenville has much more diversity and is welcoming . As far as crime, it's a very safe city with little poverty and a very vibrant downtown. I often walk there from my home which is over a mile away. I also own a several hundred acres nearby where I go play.

I would visit downtown. Stay at the Westin Poinsett and walk around and dine. Then visit northern Greenville county which is at the foothills of the mountains and quite beautiful. Look at the area around Furman university. Avoid the eastern "suburbs" where most newcomers move to as the traffic is worse and it is mostly shopping and bustling retail.

Like many areas of the south, there is an element of lesser educated people but still decent people. Religion is big here, but not required. But unlike most Southern cities, Greenville had progressed from the influx of diverse people, brought here by the industries like Michelin and BMW. So its the new South. Still has the friendliness of southern culture, but growing more sophisticated. Cycling is huge here. George Hincappie, the most famous American cyclist (other than Lance Armstrong) lives here either his French wife. We hosted the US National cycling championships the last few years. When I cycle on the beautiful rural roads north of here, I have seen Hincappie and Armstrong and other international teams training here. We also have a Red Soxs minor league baseball franchise and a cool downtown stadium and also a pro ice hockey team. and Clemson University is nearby.

Tell me more what you are looking for and what you require, and I will be glad to offer my opinion. But In my opinion, Aiken is not that special. It's economy suffered from jobs lost from the downsizing of the savannah river nuclear facility over the last few decades and there's just not a lot there that's appealing to me.

If you are considering SC, Greenville wins easily.
 
   / Retiring in Aiken South Carolina
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Thanks HCJ, we are also considering Greenville. Do you think we could get a nice home on a couple of acres for $150,000 or less. We're moving from a 100 acre farm to retire, so we need at least a little bit of acreage, we're just not used to the suburbs. Is there any small towns, such as Liberty, that would be a nice place to live? Are there any areas that you think we should avoid? How are property taxes in Greenville?

Thanks!!
 
   / Retiring in Aiken South Carolina
  • Thread Starter
#7  
I forgot to ask a very important question...How much does hay sell for? I certainly won't have enough property to produce my own hay anymore, or even have my horses out on pasture all year.

Thanks!1
 
   / Retiring in Aiken South Carolina #8  
My wife and I are in our sixties. We moved to south central KY from north eastern Pa six years ago. We have always felt welcomed in the area and have come acrossed people that have moved here from the north as well as Florida. Last winter was the coldest since we moved here with temps down to the single digits but any snow was gone usually in less than a day. Tornadoes do occour here but usually go south or north of us. We also have horses. Timouthy hay can be a little hard to find because a planting only yields about two years so farmers don't mess with it but there is plenty of fescue and orchard grass, etc. Health services have been excellent.

We first looked at property in the north eastern quadrant of Tenn. but somehow KY realtors picked up on our searching and started sending us info. We decided that our dollars would buy more in KY so we ended up here. One thing I learned about this area at least at the time I was looking is that realtors like to show you their office listings but others on the market not so much. Do a search on real estate in the different counties around the area that you are looking at to get look at what is out there. There is poverty here so along with that, petty criminal acts and drug issues. I think that is pretty much everywhere.

We did not know a single person in this area prior to moving here. I had grown up in PA but lived and worked in several other states before moving back to PA before moving here. So, for me, distancing from old friends and making new ones is something I am used to doing.

Take a trip to visit the places you are considering moving to. Think about what services you need then look for similar offerings online in the area. Visit them, talk to the people. Stop by the local eateries. Strike up a conversation. Let people know what you are looking to do. It won't take long to get a feeling one way or the other about being welcome or not.
 
   / Retiring in Aiken South Carolina #10  
Thanks HCJ, we are also considering Greenville. Do you think we could get a nice home on a couple of acres for $150,000 or less. We're moving from a 100 acre farm to retire, so we need at least a little bit of acreage, we're just not used to the suburbs. Is there any small towns, such as Liberty, that would be a nice place to live? Are there any areas that you think we should avoid? How are property taxes in Greenville? Thanks!!

Liberty is a very small town. Near the university town of Clemson. About 30 minutes to Greenville. As far as price, yes, in the surrounding areas, I think you could get a good house and small acreage for that. As far as property taxes, my house in the city was recently appraised at $580,000. It's assessed tax value is far less. I pay about $2300 a year in property taxes. Of course auto taxes exist. My 06 SUV runs about $400 yearly.

What are your interests? Perhaps what the city offers is not what you are looking for. Liberty is small. Nor much there in terms of culture, shopping, or events. But still not far from Greenville. If you plan to retire and live simply, anywhere around here is good. I would avoid the fast growing areas of east of here where Woodruff Road leads out of town. Just too busy. liberty is the opposite direction. If you want natural beauty look north of Greenville. The Tigerville area is very lovely. Near horse country. It's a strong Southern Baptist area and pretty traditional however. Tell me more about what you like and need.
 
 
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