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Resident Stories

The people already here.

Nineteen residents of Cheraw, Hartsville, and Walterboro on why they stayed, why they came back, and what a small South Carolina town actually offers someone thinking about moving South.

The short version: the people who thrive in these towns describe the same three things — a commute measured in minutes, a distance between "having an idea" and "doing it" that is remarkably short, and neighbors who notice when you're not around. Below, in their own words.

Every story here belongs to a real resident, collected by each community's Project Hometown SC team. Full interviews live on the community sites — Cheraw, Hartsville, and Walterboro.

Hartsville · Darlington County

Stories from Hartsville.

A college town with a Fortune 500 headquarters, a downtown that stays better than 90% occupied, and a public high school ranked among the best in the country.

Hartsville

The public STEM school Niche ranked #1 in South Carolina.

Danny Dorsel · SC Governor's School for Science & Mathematics
296 students in grades 11–12, tuition-free and residential. The school reports 100% of its residential students go on to college, and the vast majority of faculty hold a doctorate.

Ranked #1 public high school in South Carolina and #4 nationally by Niche (2025). A tuition-free public residential STEM school with a six-week graduate-level research requirement. Dorsel moved from Atlanta to raise four children here.

Read the full story →
Hartsville

The veteran who turned a furniture store into downtown's living room.

Curtis Lee · The Riparian
A 20-year resident who converted the old Kimbrell's Furniture building into a mixed-use space — now operating 10+ years.

Built The Riparian as a social club for civil discourse and collaboration along the recreational trails, in a downtown running better than 90% occupancy.

Read the full story →
Hartsville

The chamber president who traded a 45-minute commute for seven.

Murphy Monk · Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce
500 chamber members in a town of about 7,000 — and a seven-minute commute instead of forty-five.

Relocated from Charleston. Points to walkability, affordability for remote workers, and Charlotte's airport at about 1 hour 42 minutes.

Read the full story →
Hartsville

The foundation head who came home after living abroad.

Brianna Douglas · Byerly Foundation
Leads a foundation distributing roughly $1 million a year into local economic development, education, and social needs.

Moved back to Hartsville to raise her children after living overseas; attended Coker University in town.

Read the full story →
Hartsville

The boutique owner who bet on a small-town main street.

Chrissy Peach · Raised Down South
"Hartsville supports Hartsville."

Open since 2015 and expanded into jewelry, hats, and gifts — built on repeat customers and a downtown that kept growing around her.

Read the full story →
Hartsville

The civil rights activist still asking what he leaves behind.

Dr. Alvin Heatley · Butler High School alumnus
"All I want to do is make sure that this community is better after I'm gone."

Took part in the 1961 sit-ins as a senior at South Carolina State College and was jailed for civil disobedience.

Read the full story →
Hartsville

The volunteer keeping a 1909 school's legacy alive.

Sheila Squire · Butler Heritage Foundation
24 years preserving Butler High School, founded in 1909 — an 802-person gymnasium and a 234-seat auditorium still in community use.

Recent grants include $748,000 federal and $500,000 state. Heritage week draws ten events; she's Butler Class of 1977.

Read the full story →
Explore Hartsville & apply →
Cheraw · Chesterfield County

Stories from Cheraw.

A historic river town — the birthplace of Dizzy Gillespie — building a new hospital at a time when rural America is losing them.

Cheraw

The council chair helping build a new hospital when rural America is losing them.

Mary Anderson · County Council Chair
"At a time in health care when there hasn't been any new rural hospitals built since 2000… that's a hard ask."

County council chair, state association president, and hospital board member — pushing a rural healthcare project against the national trend.

Read the full story →
Cheraw

The nurse who started at 16 and opened her own clinic.

Natasha Williams · Williams Health & Wellness
"I believe I am the first African American woman to open a medical practice in Cheraw."

Worked her way from patient care assistant at 16 through CNA, RN, BSN, MSN and a Doctorate of Nursing Practice — then opened a holistic primary care clinic.

Read the full story →
Cheraw

The officer who put a mentor in every school in the county.

James Dixon · Law enforcement
"Small towns are more neighborly. You get to know people… when you go to Walmart, you might stand there and talk for an hour."

Built out school resource officer and mentorship programs across the county.

Read the full story →
Cheraw

The paving contractor who fronts a band on weekends.

Jeffrey Furr · Furr Grading and Paving
"What I love about this business is it's rewarding. It feels good whenever you're done with a finished product."

Runs the family business during the week and plays in the FGH band on weekends — the kind of double life a small town makes room for.

Read the full story →
Cheraw

The educator who stayed for the town, not the salary.

Ova Brown-Gillespie · Chesterfield County Adult Education
"When I became an administrator, I could have looked for a job somewhere else…"

Runs GED, high school diploma, and workforce credential programs — and chose proximity to her own child over a bigger paycheck elsewhere.

Read the full story →
Cheraw

The couple whose thrift shop became the town's living room.

Trish Leviner · Octobers Own
"When you see your future in black and white, you don't see it as one more day…"

A health crisis became the push to open a shop that turned into a gathering place — and a case study in small-town collaboration over competition.

Read the full story →
Explore Cheraw & apply →
Walterboro · Colleton County

Stories from Walterboro.

The Front Porch of the Lowcountry — an hour from Charleston and Savannah, with the ACE Basin at the back door.

Walterboro

The hometown nurse who now leads USC Salkehatchie as dean.

Dr. April Cone · USC Salkehatchie
"Commencement every year is the big reminder of my 'why' — watching students walk across the stage and seeing their families there."

A registered nurse for 25 years who became campus dean in 2022. Class sizes of about 20 instead of 200–300, with associate degrees and 2+2 transfer programs.

Read the full story →
Walterboro

The designer whose work reaches the world from a Walterboro studio.

Scott Cook · Cook Design Studio
"I would put our design crew up against any design crew. We cater to a different type of client because we care."

Projects across multiple states and internationally. Hires exclusively from the local vocational center — staff tenure runs 16+ years. Ten years on planning and zoning.

Read the full story →
Walterboro

The Georgia native who discovered his roots ran through Colleton County.

Charlie Martin · Wayne Brothers Companies
He attended a high school football game to size up the community — then moved company operations here.

Later learned through genealogy that the first Martin in America was a rice planter in Colleton County.

Read the full story →
Walterboro

The principal who came home to lead the schools he grew up in.

Cliff Warren · Educator
"I was a high school principal for ten years. Even now that I'm retired, I miss the kids."

Grew up in Walterboro, left for college, came back to teach — and oversaw construction of the new Colleton County High School.

Read the full story →
Walterboro

The baker who turned her mom's kitchen lessons into a shop.

Brittney Burket · Sugar B's Bake Shop
A store-bought birthday cake that wasn't very good — and a mother who thought, "I can do better."

Learned to bake from her mother, then opened a from-scratch bakery downtown on the back of steady community support.

Read the full story →
Walterboro

The parent who went from PTO president to the school board.

Sharon Witkin · Colleton County School Board
"'Love thy neighbor' is the root of any community. I love what a small town can offer."

Colleton County serves about 4,600 students across 10 schools. Her husband moved from a larger town and found service here is noticed — and that kids can actually make the team.

Read the full story →
Explore Walterboro & apply →

Ready to talk to one of them?

Pick a community and a resident ambassador will reach out for a real conversation — no pitch, just questions and answers.

Choose Your Community
Where this leads

Three towns are actively recruiting new neighbors.

Each community runs its own program, with its own resident ambassadors and its own application — those community sites are where you apply.

Chesterfield County

Cheraw

Living history on the Pee Dee — a 7,361-acre state park, Dizzy Gillespie's birthplace, and county median home values around $116,200.

Visit the Cheraw site →
Darlington County

Hartsville

A Fortune 500 headquarters, a university downtown, and a public STEM school Niche ranked #1 in South Carolina.

Visit the Hartsville site →
Colleton County

Walterboro

The Front Porch of the Lowcountry — an hour from Charleston, with a 600-acre wild sanctuary inside the city limits.

Visit the Walterboro site →