Small town appeal with a metropolitan flair
Aiken truly has it all: the perfect location, outstanding schools, award - winning healthcare facilities, cultural arts, and year-round recreational activities, including equine activities. It’s no wonder many people looking to relocate or retire end up settling here. And loving it.
“I can’t think of anything that we don’t have that somebody would want,” says Aiken city mayor, Fred Cavanaugh. “We have so many things to do here. It depends on what the person wants to get involved with. I’ve never had anyone tell me we don’t have anything around here for them.”
Aiken’s residents are just as diverse. “The variety of people is interesting—we have people from all sections of the country, and this is an intergenerational community,” says June Murff, who, six years ago, retired after twenty-one years as the Aiken Chamber president. “This contributes a lot to a community when you have many different ideas and people willing to express them.”
Location
Aiken is ideally located and accessible to major interstate highways and airports. The beach and the mountains are within driving distance, and in three hours, one can be in Charlotte, Atlanta, Charleston, or Savannah. Aiken’s residents have the best of both worlds—they can enjoy big-city life without having to live in a large metropolitan area.
For those who enjoy history and culture, Aiken sits right in the center of the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor—one of twenty-seven corridors in the United States. “The idea of the corridor,” says Murff, “was to get people off the interstates and onto the back roads of South Carolina and find out what the state is all about. To learn about our traditions and culture, the festivals, the food. People can drive from small town to small town and explore—it’s perfect for day trips.”
The climate is another plus; Aiken’s residents can enjoy the change of seasons without prolonged severe weather.
Education
Education is extremely important to the citizens of Aiken. The county has a variety of schools to choose from—public, charter, and private—which continually report strong tests scores.
For the tenth year in a row, U.S. News & World Report ranked the University of South Carolina Aiken one of the top three public baccalaureate colleges in the South. USC Aiken ranked second for 2008. For retirees looking to continue their education, USCA offers the Academy for Lifelong Learning. Associated with the university’s Continuing Education program, the Lifelong Learning program offers classes and events to those over fifty-five.
“It’s for people who want to stay involved and keep learning,” says Murff. “A lot of times, college towns are a plus for retirees, one of the things they rate when looking for a place to retire. Libraries are also important, and we have a very fine library system here.”
Aiken Technical College offers a variety of programs for students, such as engineering technology and nursing. It also contributes immensely to the community’s workforce.“Aiken Tech does wonderful things in training the workers for new businesses coming in. They adapt so quickly and are able to meet the demands of our business community,” says Mayor Cavanaugh.
Healthcare
In March 2007, The Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence ranked Aiken Regional #1 in the state for treatment of heart attacks, heart failure, and pneumonia. With over 120 doctors and 123 beds, Aiken Regional Medical Centers offers outstanding services to its patients in a variety of specialties, including the Cancer Care Institute, the Cardiovascular Institute, and the Joint Pain Center, to name a few. In addition, to being home to one of the best hospitals in the state, there are eight additional hospitals located throughout our region, the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA), many of which are renowned nationally for their areas of expertise.
Cultural Arts
Steeped in history and culture, Aiken offers an assortment of cultural events guaranteed to satisfy anyone’s palate.
The Aiken Center for the Arts, located downtown, regularly rotates gallery exhibits and offers art classes for teens and adults. The Washington Center for the Performing Arts and the Aiken Community Playhouse are both located downtown and offer a selection of productions and concerts. USC Aiken’s Etherredge Center puts on quality productions. The city also has a symphony and a community band.
Aiken has a variety of festivals, such as the Aiken Bluegrass Festival and the Chamber’s Aiken’s Makin’ Arts & Crafts Festival, which attracts 35,000 people to Aiken’s historic downtown.
Recreation
Life in Aiken revolves around recreational activities. The list is extensive: tennis, golf, camping, hiking, equestrian activities, and a myriad of sporting activities provided by the parks,recreation and tourism department.
The city has ten neighborhood parks, which include playgrounds, trails, and tennis courts. Soccer and baseball tournaments are regularly played at Citizens Park. The 2,000 acres of Hitchcock Woods – the largest urban forest in the country – has trails to walk or ride on horseback.
Aiken is best known for its equine activity. Nestled in Thoroughbred Country, equine events occur throughout the year. The Aiken Triple Crown, the Aiken Fall Steeplechase, foxhunting tournaments, horse shows, and polo matches. Played in Aiken since 1882, polo is still enjoyed at Whitney Polo Field, famous for having the longest continuous period of play than any field in the country.
We invite you to come explore Aiken and discover for yourself the way life is meant to be. Because if you’re lucky enough to live in Aiken … you’re lucky enough.
Arts Passion
If you enjoy plays, concerts, dance recitals, art exhibitions and other cultural exhibits, you’ll enjoy Aiken. The arts scene here is a vibrant one. Residents passionately support the visual and performing arts, which thrive year-round and involve a variety of cultures. Artists and performers not only from the region, but from around the world consider Aiken a dynamic and sophisticated arts venue.
The University of South Carolina Aiken’s (USCA) newly built 100,000-square-foot Convocation Center is slated to become one of the region’s prominent entertainment facilities that features everything from Ringling Bros.-Barnum & Bailey circus performances to internationally known music stars.
The 687-seat Etherredge Center at USCA hosts the annual Josef Hoffman piano competition. Known for its fine acoustics, the theater also holds an annual cultural series featuring traveling theater companies and performers.
Local performers showcase their talent at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Aiken. This state-of-the-art theater is home to The Aiken Community Playhouse, which offers shows ranging from dramas to comedies and musicals.
Dance groups and musical bands perform at community events throughout the year, providing more wonderful opportunities to enjoy local talent. The Aiken Symphony and the Aiken Choral Society are local and regional favorites. There are also ballet, jazz, tap dancing and other performances to keep you entertained.
Several musical events are held outdoors. The Hopelands Gardens Summer Concert Series often attracts large crowds that enjoy the Series’ wide spectrum of entertainment, ranging from various bands to bluegrass groups and from ballet to clogging.
Painting and sculpture enthusiasts have plenty to feast their eyes on. The Aiken Center for the Arts, plus numerous galleries, feature works of local, national and international artists. Art shows and receptions are held throughout the year and feature works of a wide range of media.
Banksia, home of the Aiken County Historical Museum, consists of two joined houses – a wood structure built circa 1860 and a brick structure built in 1931 – totaling 32 rooms, 15 bathrooms and a ballroom. Located on a 3.5-acre site, the museum – once used as a library and college campus – moved into the wood-frame section in 1984 and into the remaining space in 1989. The grounds are being developed into an arboretum and nature trail.
The Immanuel Institute Building, one of Aiken County’s, most historic landmarks, is the site for the Center for African American History, Art & Culture (CAAHAC). The goal of the center is to preserve and present the cultural legacy of the African-American Diaspora and chronicle the many contributions of African-Americans to Aiken and neighboring regions.
Also in the works is a replica of Aiken’s historic railroad depot, the proposed centerpiece of a site memorializing the relationship between the founding of Aiken and the history of the railroad – from the popular legend of a bride whose “hand was given in marriage” in exchange for a railroad stop, to the establishment of the “Winter Colony,” when wealthy northerners traveled by way of personal railway cars to spend their winters in Aiken.
Science buffs will enjoy Aiken. The SRS Heritage Foundation, Inc. preserves the history of the Savannah River Site and interprets to the public the SRS’s role in winning the Cold War. The Foundation focuses on the SRS’s technical and scientific achievements, sociological impacts, and ecological accomplishments.
Word lovers have much to appreciate, too. Each year the university attracts renowned writers during its Distinguished Writers series. Sponsored by the English Department, the event features free public readings by novelists, short story writers and poets.
In Aiken, the arts aren’t just presented, they’re encouraged. Art education classes provide residents with sparks of inspiration that ultimately lead to participation. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to take the creative plunge – be it with brush or musical instrument, with rhythmic feet or dramatic voice – and discover the artist within you.
A Sports Capital
Whether its horseback riding through the countryside, scoring that winning goal in a polo match, knocking in a picture-perfect putt on the golf course, boating on the Savannah River or hiking along a nature trail, Aiken has lots to offer outdoor lovers and sports enthusiasts.
For openers, Aiken is world-class horse country, a reputation that extends back to 1870, when wealthy Northerners interested in equestrian events began settling in Aiken during the winter months. They brought with them their horses and established Aiken as a renowned equestrian center.
Polo was introduced to Aiken in 1882, and for many years Aiken was known as the “Polo Center of the World.” Today, polo is still played in Aiken at the same field where it began, Whitney Field, and the equestrian industry remains strong.
Because Aiken is such a popular polo center, the area is known as “the Newport (Rhode Island) of the South.” Aiken, which is home to 43 polo fields, has hosted the sport’s Gold Cup and the Triple Crown of Polo, an event which will be featured on ESPN for the next two years.
In addition to polo, other equestrian sports thrive in Aiken. These include thoroughbred racing, steeplechase competitions, fox hunting, carriage driving, and others.
Golfers not only have nearly a dozen golf courses to choose from in Aiken County, they also have some local history to deepen their enthusiasm for the sport. Research indicates that the Palmetto Golf Club is the oldest, continually operated eighteen hole golf course in its original location in the Southeast and the second oldest in the United States, with the Chicago Golf Club being the oldest.
The Aiken Golf Club is the first in the nation to offer women’s tees. The west boundary in North Augusta’s River Golf Club features remnants of the world’s longest steam engine, the Best Friend. The annual Masters Golf Tournament is held in nearby Augusta, Georgia. During that time the region, including Aiken, entertains thousands of visitors.
The Savannah River offers all types of water sports, including boating, water skiing and fishing. Langley Pond hosts the Southeastern Regional Regatta, showcasing the region’s top rowing teams.
Tennis, softball, baseball, volleyball and soccer are popular in Aiken and offered by many municipal and county recreation departments. Citizens Field in Aiken hosts local, regional and national sporting events, such as the Dixie Youth World Series, that each year attract thousands of people to the area.
For pedestrian-minded nature buffs, the area offers numerous public parks, walking trails and gardens. Hopelands Gardens, a 14-acre public treasure, features garden paths that wind among century-old magnolia and oak trees. Hitchcock Woods, a 2,000-acre woodland preserve nestled in the heart of downtown Aiken, has numerous trails and paths providing hours of hiking and bird watching.
For those who have a hunger for fun physical activity, Aiken more than satisfies that appetite.
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