Aiken, South Carolina is a beautiful city nestled in the heart of the South. This charming town is known for its lovely downtown area, great restaurants, unique boutiques and specialty shops, and relaxing parks. The city also offers plenty of outdoor activities, including fishing, horseback riding, and biking. Aiken is an ideal destination for those who want to explore the nature and beauty of the south while still having access to all the amenities of a larger city.
In addition to its natural beauty and attractions, Aiken also has a reputation for being friendly and welcoming. Many visitors report feeling welcomed by the locals they meet while visiting Aiken. Furthermore, many people report that there are many different ways to spend time in this quaint town without ever getting bored or feeling out of place. Overall, reviews for Aiken are consistently positive with many visitors reporting an enjoyable experience from their stay here!
based on 34 ReviewsGet to know Aiken with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Aiken
educational environment - 4/7/2016
The schools in Aiken SC are horrible. I had three grandchildren that attended South Aiken and Aiken High. Drugs and 20 drop-out rate. There is nothing in Aiken for young people to do either. The police and sheriffs are uneducated for the most part and infuse and incite rather than defuse. Ultra conservative. Aiken is at zero growth. Not a place for retirement or youth.
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Aiken's Dirty Little Secret - 3/16/2016
The large (2100 acres) urban forest Hitchcock Woods is smack in the middle of Aiken. Hitchcock Woods is owned by the Hitchcock Woods Foundation, a very well-funded non-profit organization managed by a board of directors. Members of the board use prescribed (also referred to as controlled) burning to manage their forest. Among the directors' goals is restoration of the natural ecosystems of Hitchcock Woods, to a snapshot view of what this region looked like 10,000 years ago. The burn occurs daily, weather permitting, sometimes more than a hundred acres in one day. Burns are scheduled year-round except during Aiken's robust equestrian seasons, March into early April and for a week or so in October. These are also the best fundraising seasons for the board. (Hitchcock Woods supports many equestrian events.) The board does not risk choking out potential donors by burning during Aiken's busiest tourist seasons. Thus, visitors are often completely unaware of the burns.
Smoke
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SRS Site - 1/14/2015
I was in Aiken this past August looking for a farm. My husband and myself are big horse people from New York State. I was shocked to find out about one of the largest Nuclear Waste sites in the USA.
Everyone talks about how wonderful Aiken is for horse lovers, but nothing is said about SRS. I didn't hear a word about it until I left my hotel in Hilton Head. I was thinking, maybe I should be looking there instead. I stayed in Aiken one night and was out of there the next day. What are some of the views and comments about the SRS? Just wondering if I am the only one that is paranoid about it or horse lovers don't worry about
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Retirement in Aiken, South Carolina - 12/11/2014
Retired in 2002 after 36 years in metropolitan NYC. Established three major criteria for retirement community: 1) Low cost of government (taxes), 2)warm winters, and 3) equestrian focus. Spent two years, including 150 days on the road, evaluating all U.S. east coast equestrian communities, from Cape Ann, Mass. to Wellington, Florida. Aiken, S.C. bubbled to the top: 1)very low property taxes (for seniors), and very low state income taxes (for seniors), 2)beautiful winters, and 3) a very wide range of equestrian activities plus a town (Aiken) with a powerful equestrian history going back to the late 19th century. In addition to these three major criteria, Aiken is 4)a beautiful and vibrant little town with 5)the number one small public university in the southeast, University of South Carolina Aiken. Also, 6)the pace of life is relaxed, 7)there are a surprising number of regular cultural events for such a small town (population approx. 30k), and 8)there are multiple fine golf
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Aiken - avoid New Ellenton and omg Graniteville - 6/14/2014
Lived in Aiken all my life - retired now. Glad I live in Aiken, SC. Traveled the USa and world occupationally. I thought about retiring to Florida but Aiken won after the paid professional evaluation. Cheap cost of living and focused on the retirement community, historical significance and horses. The seasons actually change but not drastically too.
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Ready to leave after 10 years, REALLY ready to lea - 5/31/2013
We have been here 26 years and we are trying to move back to the Northeast. We came here for jobs and have had to stay due to the economy. I will try to make this as unbiased as I can.
If you are from the "North", or as they say here, a "yankee", they will never fully accept you.
Southern hospitality is largely a myth. There are some people who genuinely welcome you, but most do not. People here also do not treat their dogs as they should. The shelters are very busy; the dogcatchers are very busy. People do not keep their dogs safe in a fence or indoors.
That southern accent that sounds cute at first will start to drive you crazy. You will get very tired of hearing people use terrible grammar, and the worst part is, you will hear it so much that you almost start to do it yourself. If you have kids and you don't want them to sound ignorant, move someplace else or plan to home-school them. I don't have children but I hear the schools are pretty
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Overall... - 12/31/2012
If you are looking for a small town than Aiken is a pretty good place to live. The climate is not bad either, mild winters and hot summers. The crime is bad in parts of Aiken but not bad in the nicer areas. However, there is just not much to do here. There is only one public dirty pool which I would not go to, one theater, and one very pathetic mall (I don't know if you could really call it a mall). In order to get to any bigger city the drive is 30 minutes (Augusta) or 1 hour (Columbia). There is only one main road in the bigger part of Aiken (the part where most of the stores/restaurants are) and you would not believe the traffic they have on that road for this being a small town. I am still young enough that I want things to do so my spouse and I (and most young people I know) cannot wait to get out of here but if you are just looking for a small town with a relatively mild climate I would recommend Aiken.
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How is Aiken for A family with kids - 8/31/2011
We are thinking about locating to aiken sc and would love some feedback. We have two young boys and were curious if there was much for kids to do here? We currently live in beaufort sc and they dont have anything for kids to do. All they have is Bars and dollar stores. We love the terrain there and Also have interest in a church in Graniteville called CBC of aiken. We also are curious to where the good areas are to live. My husband is an EMT and works nights shifts occasionly so We are def. looking for a good community to feel secure in being by myself with the children. Please if anyone could share their honest oppionnions with us we would greatly appreciate it.
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the good and bad about Aiken - 6/17/2011
I have lived in Aiken for a few years now and have seen quite a bit of change. As someone in their 30s I am mostly ambivalent about living here. I don't love it but I don't hate it either.I could commute to work from Columbia or Augusta but don't dislike it enough to justify commuting. It is growing in terms of businesses and people. The comments about it being an old money horse community and a place for retirees I find to be true but there seems to be a rise in family oriented activities (I don't have kids). There does seem to be a class and racial divide here. Housing is not that cheap relative to other parts of the south but the reason is because a lot of people have chosen to live here and there simply was not a lot of housing. New developments are springing up around the city even in this housing market. I do think some of the population growth is families and "youngerish" people. The town is still very conservative but the economy has forced some progressive changes to
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