Downtown Sumter, stronger revitalization Efforts

[City-man]

Being that Sumter,SC is a satellite city to Columbia, doesn't it, or can it have the potential to possibly produce their own skyline within the next few years?The city needs to know how to use their inner city strength,to increase the chance of population growth and business growth, so they won't loose to these outside cities.If anyone has any pics to put up thats fine. I also want to know how would Sumter look, with certain high-rise buildings in the future too.

[krazeeboi]

Skyline? I doubt it. As of now, it seems as though the area's major economic engine is Shaw Air Force base. I wouldn't be surprised to see it get included in Columbia's CSA within a few years.

[City-man]

Skyline? I doubt it. As of now, it seems as though the area's major economic engine is Shaw Air Force base. I wouldn't be surprised to see it get included in Columbia's CSA within a few years.

I totally agree,i just want to see what others would think.

[Jerseyman4]

Skyline in Sumter?

I believe it when i see it

[sonofaque86]

Sumter will probably be apart of the Columbia metro in a couple of years...Southeast Columbia is growing fast toward Sumter and I from what I see there are alot of commuters from Sumter

[City-man]

I'm surprised, Sumter, has its own MSA

[Mr.Marc]

I'm glad to know that Sumter is on someone's mind other than mine.

A skyline in Sumter? No i don't think so. However, it will be included in Columbia's MSA one day (I just have the ultimate faith that it will).

We do not have the population in Sumter to merit a skyline. I've noticed that Sumter has actually lost residents in the past years. I can remember when our city pop. used to be about 45k. Now it's around 39k.

We have a few buildings but I wouldn't call them skyscrapers nor high or mid rises. Maybe I'll take some pics the next time I'm home and I'll let you be the judge.

[Spartan]

Sumter is the one mid-sized city in SC that remains a mystery to me. Judging by my preconceptions of the place, and others' posts on the issue, I'd say that it won't ahve any true skyline to speak of in the near future. I do know that Sumter has some economic issues, and a relatively small 'metro' population to pull on. I doubt it will get any new towers.... but there is no reason that a quality urban environment cannot develop there. urban does not equal skyscrapers.

[UrbanSoutherner]

I do not think Sumter will be brought into Columbia's CSA or MSA any time in the foreseeable future since the commuter patterns are not that strong (see the SC section at http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen20...mmuting.html#SC). By my rough calculations, only around 8% of Sumter County workers commute into the metro Columbia counties. You have to have at least 15% for inclusion in the CSA and at least 25% for inclusion in the MSA. I do think that Newberry will be brought into the MSA in the foreseeable future (it is already in the CSA). But Sumter has enough of a physical separation and a separate economy that it really will maintain a separate identity for a good while longer in my opinion. The same goes for Orangeburg. Columbia is also not growing as fast in those directions as it is towards Camden and Newberry. There also is not an interstate connection between Columbia and Sumter (unlike with Camden and Newberry), and I think that slows any future integration as well.

Having said that, given the slow rate of high rise construction in the big three, I doubt Sumter will have any more of a skyline than it does now in the future. There is a lot of potential though I think in its downtown area. The old opera house is a great historic building.

I have always wondered how bad Sumter is hurt by not being directly on an interstate. The only other sizable towns in the state that I can think of without an interstate would be Myrtle Beach (and that will change eventually), Greenwood, and Beaufort/Hilton Head.

I also agree that the local economy must be heavily dependent on Shaw AFB. I know Sumter has had a lot of industrial layoffs and scalebacks in recent years.

[Spartan]

I think I read that Shaw is getting a boost in its employees, which should help the region economically, and probably further anchor Sumter's MSA in Sumter.