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FlorenceStories
Discover the heart and soul of Florence through the experiences, memories, and shared moments of our vibrant community.
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Florence, SC & the Pee Dee Region
Your Community Guide
Front Porch Talk
Real stories about real people — neighbors helping neighbors, newcomers finding home, and the quiet heroes who make Florence great.
Discover the heart and soul of Florence through the experiences, memories, and shared moments of our vibrant community.
On September 10, 2026, residents pressed city leaders in public about the license-plate-reading cameras watching Florence's roads. Inside the $400,000 grant, the city's claimed results, and the new 7-day retention limits.
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System-wide water pressure failures, 48-hour boil water advisories, and one frank admission from the city. Here's what actually happened in 2024 and 2026 — and the nearly $85 million plan to make sure it stops.
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An honest snapshot of Florence right now — what the growth numbers really mean, where the housing market is heading, and the local spots residents actually send people to (not the ones on the billboards).
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Florence isn't torn between being a highway stop and a hometown — it's built to be both. How the I-95 commercial corridor and the historic downtown each do a different job for the city, and why that split matters if you live here or are moving in.
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A single sentence buried in a 481-page county packet started this investigation. From 74 documented sewer overflows to $537 million in proposed fixes — here's what we found, and why the timing matters for Florence's growth.
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Florence home prices are up 9.4% while the surrounding Pee Dee cools — and the number of days a home sits on the market is shrinking. Here's what the local housing data means for buyers and sellers this year.
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The population is climbing, new rooftops are going up fast, and yet the evening options lag far behind the growth. A close look at the entertainment gap — and what could fill it.
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A new kind of egg white is showing up on grocery shelves and it never came from a hen. Here's what's actually going on, what the FDA really did, and where the internet noise gets it wrong.
Read the Story →The historic core is full. Now the growth is reaching north into Oakland Avenue and North Irby, east and south along the medical district, and west into new mixed-use development — with the people already living in those neighborhoods at the center of the plan.
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A trooper who started his career as a Darlington County deputy has just received South Carolina's highest civilian honor. The story of Colonel Christopher Williamson's nearly 40 years of service and the Pee Dee roots behind it.
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Dr. C. Edward "Eddie" Floyd — heart surgeon, longest-serving USC trustee, and Pee Dee champion — died January 15, 2026, at age 91. A tribute to his remarkable life and lasting legacy.
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William H. Johnson grew up copying comic strips by lamplight in Florence. He became one of the most important American painters of the twentieth century — and then the world nearly lost him. His work hangs in the Smithsonian and in a museum a few blocks from where he was born.
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New faces, new places, and big investments landing right here in the Pee Dee. From Jack's Books to Cheney Brothers' $108.5 million facility, here's what's new, what's coming, and what it all means for Florence.
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You have probably walked past a blank wall and not thought twice about it. A new Pee Dee studio just outside Florence would like to change that — printing custom, full-color artwork straight onto the walls of homes and businesses.
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In 1988, Jean and Bill Fryar watched a Florence shelter turn away 20 people with nowhere to go. Instead of driving home, they started something. Thirty years later, House of Hope of the Pee Dee offers nearly 20,000 nights of shelter per year — and the story behind every room tells you exactly who Florence really is.
Read the Story →From disc golf at Mars Bluff to pottery studios downtown, Florence's hobby scene runs deeper than most expect. Discover 9 quiet communities worth exploring.
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Darlington, Lake City, Hartsville, Marion, and Dillon are each building something worth understanding. An honest look at what Florence's Pee Dee neighbors are doing and what it means for all of us.
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It started with five acres of Pee Dee scrubland and a railroad man who named a town after his daughter. Discover how Florence became one of the fastest-rising cities in the South and earned the nickname "Magic City."
Read the Story →Every time you say Florence, you are saying the name of a little girl. The true story of Florence Henning Harllee — the five-year-old whose father named a railroad crossing after her, and the woman who spent a lifetime earning it.
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United Way of Florence County has spent seven decades connecting people, funding programs, and rallying a South Carolina community around the work that actually changes lives.
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Downtown Florence went from 42% vacant to a nationally award-winning Main Street district. Here is the story of how this community rebuilt its heart.
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The people changing lives without recognition – the nurses, teachers, small business owners, and volunteers who show up every day making a difference without seeking recognition.
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After nearly three decades of dedicated public service, Mamie Legette is retiring from her role with SC Works Pee Dee — closing a career that helped strengthen workforce development across Florence and the Pee Dee region.
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The Florence County Library System offers far more than books — from free programs for kids and adults to Check Out SC backpacks for state park adventures.
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Some cities make you prove yourself before they claim you. Florence, SC is not one of them. Here's why this city makes newcomers feel at home faster than almost anywhere else.
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Is Florence still affordable in 2026? Get the real numbers on rent, home prices, groceries, and everyday costs — and see how Florence compares to Charlotte, Myrtle Beach, and Columbia.
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Florence, SC is full of places locals love and visitors never find. Here are 10 of the best kept secrets in the Pee Dee — from roadside BBQ to free hidden parks and a world-class art collection hiding in plain sight.
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Not a tourism guide. Not a sales pitch. The honest account of what newcomers consistently discover after twelve months of actually living here.
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Ranked among the top cities to retire in South Carolina — here is what retirees need to know about Florence, SC before they make the move.
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Why people who leave Florence, SC often come back — the pull you don't understand until you've lived it. A story about what makes Florence hard to leave behind.
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Highlighting people, businesses, and organizations making a positive difference in Florence, SC through service, kindness, and community care.
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All Florence Stories · Sorted by Category
Florence, SC's Two Hubs: How the Commercial Corridor and Downtown Work Together
Commercial corridor & downtown · Florence Stories
Changed Lives Change Lives
House of Hope of the Pee Dee
The Magic City: How Florence Got Its Name
Florence History
The Town That Shows Up: Inside United Way
Community Impact
The Story of Downtown Florence's Revival
2023 Great American Main Street Award
✨ NEWFlorence SC Water Pressure & Boil Water Advisories: What's Happening and Why
Water system & infrastructure · What Florence Wants
✨ NEWPedestrian Safety in Florence SC: Crashes, Sidewalk Gaps and What's Being Done
Pedestrian safety & sidewalks · What Florence Wants
✨ NEWFlock Cameras in Florence SC: How They Work and the Privacy Pushback
License plate readers & privacy · What Florence Wants
Florence Lets You Be From Here
Why newcomers feel at home
What It's Really Like After One Year
Relocation Stories
Florence, SC for Retirees
Retirement Guide
Why People Leave (and Come Back)
Florence's Pull
🌿 Florence LifeFlorence Has a Hobby Culture. Most People Just Haven't Found It Yet.
From disc golf to ceramics
One of Florence's Best Free Resources
Florence County Library
The Best Kept Secrets in Florence, SC
10 Hidden Gems
2026 Cost of Living in Florence, SC
Housing, groceries, comparisons
Florence Is Paying. Are You Getting Yours?
Top-paying employers in the Pee Dee
What Our Neighbors Are Doing
Darlington, Lake City, Hartsville...
The complete Florence Stories archive · hello florence sc · florence south carolina · pee dee region
A Pee Dee family lost everything in a fire. What the community did next is exactly what Florence is made of. After losing their home, they found hope through local churches and organizations coming together.
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