We have lived in South Carolina for going on 4 years now - not a long time....   moving here from NY to escape the COLD WINTERS and the Snow ....  we looked around the SC and NC area for a few trips and settled on Conway, South Carolina - taken by the Beautiful city - and the Waccamaw River (nowhere near as big as the Hudson )...  

You find things different here in the South- There seems to be DOLLAR stores on every corner - Family Dollar, Dollar General,  Dollar Tree,,,,,,    and not be out done - there are more Churches than Dollar stores,,,, they are in Strip malls - Small venues  maybe once  used to be shops or restaurants and large Stand- alone structures - all that are packed on Sunday mornings...Some are recognizable = Baptists, Methodists, but many many  are not - "The Church of the Blessed Bible" , The church Of the Seacoast, The Rock, The Pentecostal church,  Jamestown Church - I have seen ONE Catholic church and one Jewish temple - SO yea - lots and lots of Churches....   We have Golf-Cars - aka Golf Carts ,,.. these are legally driven on side roads and can cross main roads - they don't seem to require seatbelts or helmets, or anything ... I see children riding on parents laps, and sitting in the back seats of these things by themselves - and unfortunately - there are accidents with them that do not turn out well for the occupants of the Golf-car.

And it's odd to see people riding in the back of pick-up trucks just asking to get tossed out if there is a wreck.....   Nearly every main or sorts main road - has a center lane that is used as a Merge and turn lane...  and oh - did I mention that no one uses turn signals ..... 

There are no Auto inspections,,, none - not for safety items, not for emissions,,, NADA=  now there are requirements that the vehicle has to meet - Lights, tires, brakes etc,, but no one ever checks to make sure that they work....   and at least on the main 501 route between here and the Beach / Myrtle Beach - there is Traffic - now not L.I.E. traffic but traffic,,, and if there is (and there always seems  to be ) an accident - there is no way around the main route - two bridges / 3 lanes  enter and leave Conway on 501 (two lanes)  and Business 501(one lane) - both of these cross the Waccamaw river ,, and to the south of all this is that river - and to date there are no plans to build another way across the Wet land,,,,,  hence - when the accidents occur - you are stuck waiting until it clears as the Traffic just backs up for miles ........

Even though there is a new law - regulating the SQUAT trucks - these are pickup trucks with the Front end raised and back lowered (squatting)  this new law states thtat the front cannot be more than 4 inches higher than the back - frankly when you see these - you have to wonder how they see over the hood !!

Everyone or near everyone calls you Mr or Miss then first name - so MR Mark... 

and I have told folks I go to that its just Mark - and they have said - OH NO = 

"My Momma  would whoop me if I did not call you that ".

There are - as least it seems to me - more folks here that need assistance - with clothes, with food , with housing,   and the good news (if it is good news)  Every one of those churches has a food pantry, a clothes bin, and there are stand alone organizations, and thrift shops that support the same - some actually have refrigerated storage - so you can donate milk and eggs  - dairy products....  and yes - like I'd dare say every southern town and city - there are homeless folks....  It is easier to be homeless where its warm, than where its cold... 

One of the things here is that the population has exploded in the past decades - there are many many housing developments.  and more planned.,....   now - I believe that the influx of people always comes before the gains in infrastructure .   so we are always needing more schools, more/ larger roads, more services, garbage, police, fire, etc...  and let me say that it is rare - at least in the folks I know - that anyone is from here,.....  the Northeast is the main contributor ... with a few folks from other locales,,,  I know one - maybe 2 that are born and raised Southerners -   however - let me tell you that (if you read and believe the posts and comments on the Book of Faces)  those from here have a hatred or maybe its distain for those that have moved here....   Each post on car accident, flooding, housing development, etc - you can't get past 1/2 dozen comments before its all the fault of those who - like us - moved here from elsewhere - and god forbid a person asks "where are the best Bagels". Or Pizza or Chinese food. ???  that is met with many GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM comments .....  I would only hope that those making these comments about who they consider foreigners -  do not use any of the services or businesses that came with the development of the towns and cities,, that they do not have an income that is dependant on that population - builder, electrician , plumber, HVAC,  - that would seem to my hypocritical.