Teresa McDonald, ABR Florence and Lake City SC Real Estate

Mcleod Park offers over 50 acres of recreational fun in the heart of Florence on Santiago Drive. It has many of the common features you find in most parks - picnic areas, nature trails, tennis courts, volleyball court, baseball fields, basketball goals, horse shoes, concession stand and restrooms. But one unique feature that you don't find at other parks is a Skate Park Facility. Skate boarding is a passion of many especially the younger crowd and they now have a place to perfect their skills without using sidewalks and parking lots. So thumbs up Florence to offering this facility that is unique and needed.

Coward may be small but it is home of one of the best barbeque restaurants around. A little over a year now Fat Back's BB-Que has made its home in the little town of Coward. So when you are passing down Highway 52 from Florence to Lake City stop by and enjoy a good ole plate of southern barbeque in their rustic setting. The restaurant mimics an old tobacco barn.

Need a quick birthday gift or wedding gift? Then go to the hospital. What? The Hospital? Yes, one of the best gift shops in Lake City is located at the Lake City Community Hospital. The Gift Nook is located in the front entrance of the hospital. It is open Monday through Friday from 9am – 4pm. The Gift Nook has a variety of gifts for many occasions. It is staffed by the volunteer auxiliary. Not only will you find great gifts there but you will also be helping out the community by supporting the local hospital.

I am a real estate agent in South Carolina and I live in the middle of two towns - Lake City and Florence. The MLS that I am a member of includes both towns. Florence is definitely the larger city with a population of around 30,000 and Lake City with a population of around 7,000. The following stats compare Lake City and Florence sales in the residential market so far this year

(January 2008 - May 2008):

Town Class # Sold % Sold Avg. Price DOM

Lake City RE 9 32.14% $83,811 142

Florence RE 303 45.22% $176,613 88

There has been a decrease in both the volume of sales and the percentage of sales in my area. With the slump in the real estate market I have been working hard on developing my own personal website - www.teresamcdonald.com . The website my office has does not get much attention so I wanted to do a more dynamic site where I can share my quarterly newsletters and other information I pass on to my clients.

Big plans are in the making for the town of Lake City. After hiring two firms to identify untapped potential growth in the city, Lake City now has coordinated the findings and designed a complete revitalization plan. Phase 1 consists of making over the National Bean Market Museum and Town Square, adding a Health Care Campus, revamping existing features of the city, adding a Ronald E. McNair Space and Science Museum, a Visitors Center, a new city hall, markets, offices, and renovating Main Street and Sauls Street. This first phase should totally transform the face of Lake City and the lives of its residents. This is a big task for a small town but the rewards should be great. Revitalization should bring more industry and create more tourism, two of the major goals of the city. Along with the revitalization plans there is also a marketing campaign to promote the many changes that will be taking place in Lake City. Plans are in place and funding will be sought to make the plans a reality. In the near future we will see a complete transformation in the small town of Lake City. Lake City will be one of those small southern towns that northerners flock to for retirement.