Florence Developments

[krazeeboi]

Now THAT'S a good sign....hopefully more great announcements will follow!

[flotown]

That's great news for Florence and the downtown. I especially like that FMU is making a presence in the downtown area, something I hope will continue.

[jjoshjl]

Finally, a true investment in dt. Hopefully this will help spur other developmetns as well.. My dream (though I know it is a dream) is to see the streets of DT lined with 4 and 5 story buildings with lots of street retail. Much like what you would see in a European city. I doubt florence is ready for tru Mid/High Rises, but a down town the dense with 5 story retail/office/residentul units.. Ah... what a site that would be...

Something like this:

Anyway, i know I am grasping and clawing for soemthing, but you know what. Cities like this in europe have maybe 100,000 people. They jsut know how to make them dense and effective. Dont see why we cant start something liek this is Florence now before land values get too much... Ive dont a lot of little reearch on this and dont see why it couldnt/wouldn't work. But then again, I am not a developer, only a dreamer. As a note, FLorece is slowly getting up there... The MSA is now about 65,000. (the only reason the city population hasnt changed is there has been very little city lines movement and almost NO new residental projects of any kind in the city in a while. So, naturaly , you get very little CITY growth. THis is a case where I think the MSA is more accurate than the City population...

Anyway, like i said, jsut dreaming...

Cheers guys

[Charleston native]

Wait a sec, how is the MSA 65,000 when Florence County itself is over 100,000? Doesn't Florence's MSA include the entire county?

[jjoshjl]

I know... is a little weird but its from the department of labor. Only guess is that southern Floernce County is associated with Georgetowns MSA

anywhere, heres the link

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_2655.htm

[Charleston native]

I know... is a little weird but its from the department of labor. Only guess is that southern Floernce County is associated with Georgetowns MSA...

Or part of Myrtle Beach's...I can see both of those possibilities.

[vicupstate]

The Florence MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) consists of all of Florence County (around 125k). The Urban Area (UA) consists of Florence and it's immediate suburbs (65k).

Georgetown is not big enough for an MSA. MSA requires a county of 100,000 or a city of 50,000. It doesn't qualify under either.

[Charleston native]

^ Thanks, vic. I knew something wasn't adding up. The urban area statistic also makes sense and goes along with what jjosh was saying.

[ROBTEX]

The Florence MSA is now around 200,000 people. The metro area now includes all of Florence and Darlington counties. This gave the MSA a population of 197,256 in 2004, and this ranked #185 in the U.S.

[krazeeboi]

More good news for Florence and the county. Asea Brown Boveri (ABB), the world's leading producer of circuit breakers used in the utility industry, is moving its North American testing lab to Florence from the campus of North Carolina State in Raleigh. The company has had a presence in Florence since 1980. Moving the lab to Florence won't add many jobs to ABB's payroll, but it does indicate the company's commitment to the area.

Being that this company is really high-tech, I think this bodes well for Florence. Hopefully other companies will see that Florence is a great place in which to invest.

[vicupstate]

The Florence MSA is now around 200,000 people. The metro area now includes all of Florence and Darlington counties. This gave the MSA a population of 197,256 in 2004, and this ranked #185 in the U.S.

You are indeed correct Robtex. Personally, I think this decision was a little premature, but I'm sure the census folks use some strict measurement for determining when a new county is added to an MSA.

[Spartan]

I don't know where that 65k figure came from, but Florence's MSA is not that small. The 200k figure is much more accurate. The Census helps determine the MSA's which are based on density and commuting patterns. The White House makes the final decision on it.

[Miesian Corners]

HUGE NEWS !!!

$40 million Performing Arts complex going up Downtown

I knew there were efforts on this, but I didn't realize they were this far along. This is the biggest news in Florence in about a decade I would say.

Plans in place for $40mm Cultural and Performing Arts center Downtown

As an FMC (wasn't a university when I was there) alum, I am thrilled about this news. Now, can we just move the campus downtown?

[vicupstate]

Hello fellow Alum!

It wasn't a university when I went htere either . Class of '86 here.

We have a few other FMC/U alums that post here as well.

[goodbye]

This new performing arts center is awesome news! If the West End and South Main Street in downtown Greenville is an example of what impact a cultural center like this can have on its surroundings, then downtown Florence is in for a mega-boost in pedestrian activity.

[jjoshjl]

another alum here ... more like class of '01 though... Anyway.. im looking forward to seeing some renderings of the new performing arts centre. This will be a great boost to DT.

Cheers

[Miesian Corners]

Hello fellow Alum!

It wasn't a university when I went htere either . Class of '86 here.

We have a few other FMC/U alums that post here as well.

another alum here ... more like class of '01 though... Anyway.. im looking forward to seeing some renderings of the new performing arts centre. This will be a great boost to DT.

Cheers

1987 here. Lived in the horrific Patriot's Place. Please tell me they have been leveled!

Edited January 31, 2006 by Miesian Corners

[vicupstate]

^^ Nope. They did do a major renovation job not long after you left though. It looked better on the outside, but they did nothing with the interiors.

That Trailer Park, The Oaks, next to Patriot Place (aka The Woods) is gone however.

I graduated in '86. What did you major in, we may have met.

I lived in the Village one semester.

[mcashlv]

HUGE NEWS !!!

$40 million Performing Arts complex going up Downtown

I knew there were efforts on this, but I didn't realize they were this far along. This is the biggest news in Florence in about a decade I would say.

Plans in place for $40mm Cultural and Performing Arts center Downtown

The Bruce& Lee Foundation are to be applauded, they really put their money where their mouths (& hearts?) are. But it's a waste of money. The new library is an ugly monstrosity, for that kind of money they could have hired a great architect and had something really special. A performing arts center? Why? FMU already has one, and Florence has a new auditorium or something similar. Nothing is going to save Florence, destined for a slow, abysmal decline into the third world.. A better investment would be to fund emerging technologies at FMU and Tech. Perhaps a nanotech assembly lab at FMU, or advanced fabrication techniques at Tech....or just give the money to me.

[goodbye]

A performing arts center? Why? FMU already has one, and Florence has a new auditorium or something similar. Nothing is going to save Florence, destined for a slow, abysmal decline into the third world..

I refer you back home to Greenville. The Peace Center for the Performing Arts is a prime example of the kind of positive impact a cultural center can have on a downtown in SC. Remember how desolate South Main Street and the West End were before the early to mid-nineties? Now that part of town has become the main cultural hub of downtown, even though Heritage Green (on the other end of downtown) has the County Art Museum, the second largest Library in the state, future Regional History Museum, Greenville Little Theatre, future Children's Museum, and BJU's satelite Museum and Art Gallery. That shows some real power! Spartanburg is also building a new cultural center while it already has a performing arts center and a large auditorium in downtown. These things are important to the vitality of any progressive city.

Florence certainly is not destined to die a slow death. It is the kind of mentality which says that, that will allow it to die. You have to be forward-thinking to pull a city out of the grave (I'm not suggesting Florence is there).

[krazeeboi]

I absolutely agree Skyliner!

Also, Florence's potential gives it the ability to be the cultural and economic hub of its region, the Pee Dee, like Greenville is for the Upstate, Columbia for the Midlands, and Charleston for the Lowcountry.

[jjoshjl]

All I realy want to say is this...

Without cultural centers like this, how are the various populations suppose to learn about each other? How are people of differant races learn about the history and culture of other local races? How are people suppose to respect what can be art that they might now otherwise see as art? How are people suppose to come togather as a community? There are so many advantages to ahving a cultural center. This is far mroe important than ANY other possible imporvement to Florence. Without culture, why would any one WANT to move there. It is culture that has driven us for 1000's of years. it will continue to do so more than any other economic factor you can think of.

I know many of you will be like 'dude, your a little over board' but no, im not. A people with out culutre is destined to be over run by something else.

So, I say... good job florence... Thank you for spending the money for a premium library. Thank you for trying to get the arts center built... Keep up the good work...

Cheers

[rbensen1]

I visited Florence in October and also felt that it was bound for better times. This news helps to bolster that opinion.

[thebarb20]

good afternoon guys:

I agree that the two arts centers in florence are a step in the right direction. I also agree w/ a previous poster about the library not lookin as good as I would've hoped. I would've been cooler imo to have something closer to the street and maybe a bit higher to help add some height to the downtown area.

Florence is going to continue to have issues with community development with rate of young people exiting the town for better jobs. I am one who really believes in the town and would love to help it become a better place, however, if i'm not here its not going to matter what i think.

I'll always believe until the workforce can gain more diversity that we'll be mired in the situation that we are in. Like I've said before QVC sounds nice but it's not going to add to the quality of life in the area.

The companies from the north typically move lower paying jobs here to take advantage of a lower-cost non unionized workforce that works hard. It's unfortunate that the knowledge based jobs aren't coming at the same rate.

I too am an FMU grad. I really wish they could get more connections w/ industries for job placement. It seems to be non-existent except for a few of the professors that have tried to help me.

With that in mind, looks like I'm going to end up in Wilmington soon.

[vicupstate]

I leaved in Wilmington for a few months back in the '80's. It is a cross between Florence and Savannah. Small regional city but with some history to it.