Aiken, South Carolina

mrc7sjsc

I am moving to the Aiken area soon (26th). My husband starts work in Aiken on the 21st and we'll be in a hotel until the following weekend when we'll leave SC, drive to Madison, AL pack up a moving truck and move everything to SC in an apartment or rental home I hope to find the week of the 21st. Does anyone in/from SC have any advice for me on area, apartments, churches (I am a christian. Denomination isn't as important to me as Christ. That being said I am a long time member of a Southern Baptist Church and I'd like to be at a church that supports IMB Missionaries as my brother and sis-in-law are missionaries, or will be, with the IMB - Southern Baptist), local activities, restaurants, stores, outdoors? I've been looking at Apts. online in North Augusta and Augusta as well. Should I drop any of these locations right off the bat? Thanks for your much appreciated advice!

sctiger

Welcome!  I grew up in Aiken (live 2 hours away in Greenville now) and my parents and ILs still live there.  It's a great place to live and raise a family.  I don't know much about apartments, but there is a good one on Whiskey Road near the Fairfield Inn, and then there's Trotter's Run on the southside which I've heard is good.  I would stay in Aiken over N. Augusta and Augusta.  The southside is the most popular residential area.

Here are some recs:

churches: I grew up going to First Pres.  I ended up leaving the Pres. church and became Episcopalian.  The Epicopal Church used to be good but it going through a rough time right now.  St. John's Methodist is good church.  We have a lot of Baptist churches.  First Baptist is downtown and has a large, active congregation.  It, along with Millbrook Baptist (on the southside) are traditional.  Cedar Creek Church is very popular and is contemporary.  

Shopping: The mall is awful, but Augusta has a really nice mall that people go to, and Columbia is an hour away.  There are some really nice shops downtown that I love going to.  There are also shopping centers with Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Old Navy, Target, and the like.

Restaurants: Downtown has some good restaurants.  New Moon Cafe and Stoplight Deli are very popular for lunch and have great sandwiches and salads, and New Moon is popular for breakfast and coffee.  There's also the West Side Bowery, Up Your Alley, The Aiken Brewery, and Tako Sushi, as well as a scattering of smaller places.

That's all I can think of right now, but I know I'm missing stuff.  If you want to know anything, just page me!  I can even give you my e-mail if you don't want to talk on the board.  I love talking about Aiken, so I don't mind at all!

mrc7sjsc

Thanks so much! I am busy packing up the last of our apartment today with DH's help and we'll be to Aiken by Monday. I am sure I'll have more questions as the search begins and we get used to the area. Thank you so much! You've given us lots of good information!! I am excited about the move. As much as people crack on Alabama, I love it and I was slightly apprehensive about moving to South Carolina, but that's long gone. Now I am just excited.

The only problem now will be getting used to another set of Tiger fans (I'm used to LSU and Auburn, not Clemson - I'm AU all the way). We're still in football country, but not SEC football, so maybe it won't be too brutal on us, as Auburn fans. We'll see.

 

THANKS AGAIN!!!! 

sctiger

Clemson Tigers are the best tigers!    You'll probably notice that even though Clemson and the yucky Gamecocks are dominant, there is still a good number of people who root for other, out-of-state teams, so you shouldn't feel too out of place!

Again, if you need anything, just ask!

dianamcu

I currently live in Aiken County (in Warrenville - the valley area) and practically grew up here.

If your husband is working in Aiken, I suggest living in Aiken.  And I highly recommend not living in Augusta, unless you look in Columbia county. 

I couldn't tell you the first thing about the churches in AIken.

What's your cost range on apartments?  Where will your husband be working?  We rented a place behind the mall for $750.00/month which was very, very roomy.  It's probably more expensive than most places, but it was a quiet neighborhood with the lawn maintenance performed by the HOA.  Plus it's in walking distance of the mall, target, and several  small shops.

Brandy2512

Just wanted to pop in and say that I will be an Aiken newbie myself in late December/ early January. DH is there now, but I need to finish up my last semester at school. Unfortunately, I can't really offer any apartment info, as we are looking for a house. There seems to be plenty of places to rent in Aiken though. Friends of ours rent and have not had a problem, other than finding a place that allows their 2 dogs. We will be church-hunting ourselves once we both get down there.

mrc7sjsc

Thanks to all for the help! I am enjoying Aiken! My husband and I looked for a 3 bedroom apt with not much luck so we are renting a lovely house instead! I am glad that we had a hard time finding an apartment. We are still looking for a church. My husband works second shift. He is working Saturdays right now so it's hard for me to wake him Sunday for morning services or sunday school/small groups. Most churches have no night services, which is understandable, but not helpful. I think I've convinced him that we could get to bed right after work and have enough sleep for church and possibly sunday school! Anyway, thanks again!