In considering Travel and Tourism - and family vacations - think about the Aikin area on the western side of South Carolina beside Georgia. In a recent National Geographic issue dedicated to the Top 50 Tours the society recommends, one of them is in the Aiken area. The place to stay is the Carriage House Inn in Aiken SC.

The Carriage House Inn

On the guided travel called the Historic Aiken Tour of Downtown Aiken, The Carriage House Inn is one of the stops. It gushes 19th century charm with hardwood floors, antiques, and charming suites built in a rennovated warehouse. The management offers brochures an dother materials for a self-guided tour around Aiken, including a touch-and-smell garden tour. Rooms are reasonably priced for a vacation spot and include breakfast. Golf Packages and others are available as well.

Read more at The Carriage House Inn.

Aiken has always been a place for hospitality and travel. Early on, folks from other parts of South Carolina traveled to Aiken to stay until an epidemic of malaria passed. Moneyed Northerners wintered in Aiken and returned North in the Spring. The sport of Polo has been popular in the area since the early 1880s. Because of all of this, the downtown area has never been allowed to decline like urban areas in large cities. A dedicated development association has seen to it that store fronts stay filled and new businesses come into the area.

The US National Trust for Historic Preservation has named Aiken one of a Dozen Distinctive Destinations not to be missed. Rose Hill is a National historic Estate open for tours, activities, and lodgings and is well known in South Carolina. Shops in Downtown include antique stores, bridal shops, teas-garden shops, wild bird feeder/feed sellers, a tennis and squash shop, real estate professionals, and several others. A number of dining establishments are there in the center of activities.

City of Orangeburg

Over one half of this region's population live in either the Cities of Aiken or Orangeburg (in Orangeburg County). Unlike Aiken, the downtown area of Orangeburg fell into some decay. This occurred during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and culminated in a violent altercation related to civil rights in a local bowling alley in 1968, to which the Highway Patrol was called.

Revitalization of the downtown sectors began in earnest in 2000. At the same town the Downtown development entity instituted the Orangeburg County Community of Character program. By 2005, the City of Orangeburg had won an All-American City Award. The county chooses a different quality of character monthly and asks that residents considerate and try to develop it in themselves and their families. Citizens of the month are named and a character-building program is provided to 9th graders as they begin their high school careers.

Future projects that will create jobs in Orangeburg County include Garden of Hope, Veterans Memorial, a new Recreation Complex, a new City Council building, a new Gym, and new streetscaping downtown. 

1. Retail Salespersons
2. Truck Drivers: Semis, Heavy
3. Maintenance and Repair
4. Team Assemblers
5. Registered Nurses (RNs)
6. Home Health Aides (HHAs)
7. Customer Service Representatives
8. General/Operations Managers
9. Personal and Home Care Aides
10. First-Line Supervisors/Mgrs - Production

Four (4) entries match on both lists above, a better percentage than most metro areas, when considering projections vs. actual job listings on any given day.

Additional Faster Growing Jobs in Aiken - Orangeburg Area

1. Truck Drivers, Light Trucks and Delivery Services
2. Mainstream Elementary School Teachers
3. Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
4. Teacher's Assistants - Classrooms, K-12

1. US Department of Energy (Number One Employer in the State of SC)
2. Savannah River Nuclear Solutions - includes Savannah River National Laboratory - Under US Dept. of Energy as well.
3. Washington Savannah River Company
4. Kimberly-Clark Corporation
5. Owns-Corning
6. Shaw AREVA MOX Services - Nuclear energy production.
7. Advanced Glassfiber Yarn
8. Dixie-Narco, Inc.
9. Carlisle Tire and Wheel
10. ASCO/Emerson Electric

In 2009, Best Boomer Towns™ named Aiken among its 21 Best Places to Thrive for Baby Boomers.

The organization states that if you are a Boomer, you are stylish, active, and resourceful,  searching to reduce stress and increase living, and may seek more fresh air. Aiken is a place that will satisfy those needs.

Aiken is recommended for a lower cost of living than the national average, a high-quality healthcare system, and the Academy of Lifelong Learning that provides free tuition for Seniors to University of South Carolina at Aiken.  

• Aiken Technical College
• Augusta State University - Augusta GA
• Cambridge College - Augusta GA
• Children's Medical College - Augusta GA
• Clafin University
• Kennth Shuler's School of Cosmetology
• Orangeburg-Calhoon Tech
• Paine College - Augusta GA
• Savannah River College - Augusta GA
• Southern Methodist Unviersity - Orangeburg
• Summit Christian College - North Augusta SC
• University of South Carolina Aiken
• University of Georgia - Savannah River Ecology Studies
• Utah Valley State College - Aiken

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