AC Repair in Summerville, SC

A South Carolina town is “booming” with jobs — and people interested in moving there, a new report finds.

So much so, the town now ranks as the nation’s No. 1 hottest suburb. Summerville, near Charleston, topped a list of places where job growth and desirability are “well above national averages,” according to a Nov. 19 news release.

But Summerville wasn’t the only place in the Palmetto State to earn a high spot in the rankings. Conway landed at No. 2, and Bluffton was No. 6.

“The coastal South reigns supreme for its suburbs where people want to move in, and where far fewer residents considering a move-out,” the website moveBuddha wrote in its report, adding that all the top 10 places are within about a two-hour drive from beaches.

To create the list, the moving resource website studied more than 500 cities across the country. It narrowed the places to suburbs, defined as “any city in each metropolitan region that was not the single, primary (first) city listed in a ‘metro’ name,” a spokesperson told McClatchy News via email.

Using search data from its website and figures from the U.S. government, moveBuddha discovered that 43 suburbs met the criteria of having year-over-year job growth “better than the national average” and a high ratio of people interested in moving in compared with those wanting to leave. Each of those suburbs also was evaluated for home values based on Zillow real estate data, results show.

Summerville, a roughly 25-mile drive northwest from Charleston, is home to about 50,000 people. It reigned supreme after it was found to be the most attractive suburb, with a ratio of “3.76 people searching to move in for every resident looking to leave.”

“Summerville’s popularity among prospective movers may be due to the incredibly strong job growth in the metro area — 4.2% between August 2023 and 2024,” moveBuddha wrote. “Known for its red-brick historic district, farmer’s market, and community events like the Flowertown Festival, Summerville is also one of just three suburbs in the top ten with an average home value under $400K.”

Two other South Carolina towns ranked among the nation’s “booming” suburbs, putting the Palmetto State in a tie with Florida for having the most cities in the top 10. Also joining Summerville on the list were Conway — in the Myrtle Beach area — and Bluffton, near Hilton Head Island.

“The Charleston area’s popularity boom is benefiting the local economy,” moveBuddha wrote. “Between May 2023 and 2024, South Carolina added over 5,500 construction jobs to manage the growth. But the 80K+ jobs added in total point to an economy that’s fueled by more than just construction, helping establish South Carolina as a prime destination for new residents.”

After Summerville and Conway took the top spots in the rankings, here are the nation’s other top five “job-magnet” suburbs:

SUMMERVILLE — Summerville reminds Nico Romo of what Charleston used to look and feel like 15 years ago.

The city of more than 50,000 is growing, with another 47,000 residents expected to move to the area by 2030. But its leaders are approaching those changes thoughtfully, Romo said.

“They want to continue developing the area without destroying it,” he said.

Part of that work includes restoring historic buildings like the one at 117 W. Luke Ave., home to Romo’s new wedding venue and café.

Food

The Kersey House will open in January with a daytime menu of French-inspired cuisine. Romo, owner of popular local restaurants NICO Oysters + Seafood, Bistronomy and Laura, hopes to host his first private event at the 300-plus-person capacity venue shortly after.

Renovations of the 112-year-old property were led by Christopher Karpus of Karpus Design, who worked to maintain and accentuate the structure’s historical features.

“You want to really show as much respect as you can for what has been,” Karpus said. “That’s why you invest in a property like this.”

Romo hopes to capitalize on the flourishing wedding industry in the Charleston area, the second-most-popular destination to get hitched in the U.S. The two-story Kersey House features a ballroom, bar and brand new kitchen on the first floor, where Romo’s team will prepare food for weddings and other private events.

Guests are greeted by two large verandas and a tribute to his wife's side of the family, the Kerseys. The venue's four grand parlor rooms feature original heart pine floors, fireplaces and other special design details.

The second story, framed by a wraparound porch, is home to bridal suites, where members of the wedding party can change and freshen up. The inside of the home can hold about 100 guests. Outside, a covered area with azaleas, hydrangeas and its own bar expands Kersey House’s capacity to nearly 400, Romo said.

Important to the chef was maintaining the character of the building, whose renovated rooms are named after members of the Kersey family. Karpus helped him achieve those goals while bringing the property up to present day building codes.

“The challenge (was) connecting all of that together while maximizing the use of the property,” Karpus said. “It was kind of a puzzle really.”

The café side of the business, which will open 11 a.m.-8 p.m., brings a new lunch and dinner option to Summerville. Its opening menu will feature French onion soup, a pickled shrimp salad, baked escargot with brioche, a croque monsieur and a signature burger with white cheddar. Larger plates include steak frites, mussels, duck confit and risotto with bay scallops.

The opening of Kersey House marks a return to the event space for Romo, who worked for Patrick Properties Hospitality Group for more than a decade. During that time, he launched the kitchen and culinary programs at Lowndes Grove, the group’s Wagener Terrace wedding venue. He also helped curate philanthropic events, which he intends to make part of the programming at the Kersey House.

Nico Romo Hospitality Group isn’t the only Charleston-based, restaurant-focused hospitality company to recently step into the wedding space. The forthcoming wedding venue at 94 Stuart St. in Charleston is a new concept from the minds behind Bodega, Uptown Social, Share House and the upcoming neighborhood tavern By The Way.

ORANGEBURG – Summerville quarterback Jaden Cummings sat on the Green Wave bench, crutches by his side, looking up at the scoreboard and wishing for a different result.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock at Willie Jeffries Field and the Dutch Fork players stormed the field, Cummings could only shake his head and wonder what might have been if he’d been able to play the entire game.

Cumming, who was knocked out of the game with a knee injury in the first half, did all he could to will the Green Wave to a victory.

It just wasn’t meant to be.

Sports

Maurice Anderson rushed for 146 yards and three touchdowns and Ethan Offing added 252 passing yards and two more scores to lead Dutch Fork past Summerville, 35-21, in the Class AAAAA Division I championship game at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium on Dec. 13.

It was the ninth state championship in the past 12 years for the Silver Foxes (12-0) and the third straight title.

The Green Wave (12-1) were playing in their first state title game since 2007 and the first one since legendary coach John McKissick – the nation’s all-time winningest high school football coach – retired.

“You train your whole life to get to this point in your life,” said Cummings, who threw for 2,300 yards during the season and signed to play football at Dartmouth next fall. “I’m so proud of my team and the way they stepped up. You feel helpless on the sidelines, but I was doing everything I could to help everyone out and keep their spirits up.

Prep Sports

“Super proud of the whole team, the coaches, everyone. We had a great season. We battled every game, and we overcame so much adversity this year.”

The Silver Foxes rolled through their regular season schedule – the closest game was a 24-14 win over Irmo – and had faced little resistance in the playoffs outscoring its three opponents, 118-28.

The Green Wave gave the defending champs all they could handle.

“We had some opportunities that we let squander away,” said Summerville coach Ian Rafferty. “We forced a turnover that we didn’t capitalize on and then we let them off the hook when we had them at the 10-yard line late in the first half. We had our chances. That’s a resilient group of teenagers over there.

“They could have easily laid down and they didn’t. We don’t make any excuses around here. We fight and we fought them until the end and make it a four quarter game.”

When Cummings went down midway through the second quarter, back-up Cooper Kafina entered the game and finished with 173 passing yards and one TD.

“Obviously losing your senior quarterback is going to make it difficult,” Rafferty said. “I thought Cooper came in, made some nice throws and gave us a chance to get back into the game.”

It took the Silver Foxes all of four plays and 72 seconds to get on the scoreboard.

Dutch Fork took the opening kickoff and marched 76 yards for the TD with Anderson scoring from eight yards out with 10:48 to play in the first quarter.

The Silver Foxes’ TD was set up by Offing’s 63-yard strike to KJ Smith that put the ball at the Green Wave’s 10-yard line.

Summerville answered on the ensuing possession as Cummings found sophomore Jaiden Kelly-Murray for an 18-yard TD on a fourth-and-14 play to give the Green Wave a 7-6 advantage with 5:36 to play in the first quarter. Kelly-Murray finished with 152 receiving yards and two TDs.

Summerville extended its advantage to 14-6 on Jayvyn Williams’ 43-yard TD run on the second play of the second quarter.

Williams, who had 133 rushing yards, found a crease on the right side of the formation, eluded a Silver Foxes’ defender, and then raced untouched into the end zone.

Offing’s 19-yard TD pass to Boykin Bickley and the two-point conversion tied the game at 14 with eight minutes left before halftime.

The Silver Foxes regained the lead on Williams’ second TD run of the first half – this one a bruising 8-yard romp – to put Dutch Fork ahead 21-14 with under two minutes to play before intermission.

The Silver Foxes pushed their advantage to 28-14 on Offing’s 20-yard TD pass to Bickley with 7:34 left in the third quarter.

Down two touchdowns, the Green Wave kept battling.

Summerville back-up QB Cooper Kafina, who replaced starter Jaden Cummings in the second quarter, found a wide open Kelly-Murray behind the Sliver Foxes defense for a 77-yard bomb that cut the lead to 28-21 with 6:28 to play in the third quarter.

Anderson scored his third TD on a 38-yard run with 1:14 to play.

ORANGEBURG, S.C.

The Dutch Fork football dynasty rolls on.

The Silver Foxes captured their third straight championship and ninth overall with a 35-21 victory on Friday over Summerville in the Class 5A Division I title game at S.C. State’s Oliver Dawson Stadium.

All nine of Dutch Fork’s championships have come since 2013. The title is head coach Tom Knotts’ 16th of his career. He won seven championships in North Carolina before taking over the Dutch Fork program in 2011.

Dutch Fork’s nine state championship tie them for sixth all-time in state history with Clinton, which won the 2A championship on Thursday. Knotts’ nine state championships in S.C. are one behind former Summerville’s John McKissick and Willie Varner’s 10 titles.

“There was a good foundation when I got here. We just needed to take it over the top, and I think we have done that,” Knotts said. “The climb to the top of the mountain is much easier than staying on the top. We got to find ways to innovate and keep them motivated.”

Knotts will find ways from Friday’s game to keep the team motivated. He admitted he wasn’t pleased with how his team played near the end of the game with several penalties but said “They will be addressed.”

Dutch Fork battled through all kinds of challenges last season in wining the title, but this year’s championship largely happened more in dominant fashion. The Silver Foxes wrapped their fifth perfect season and used a record-setting defense to do it.

“All summer we’ve been putting in that work to not go 0-3 again, not go 10-5,” Dutch Fork running back Maurice Anderson said. “We wanted to do the season undefeated and finish. It feels great.”

Dutch Fork recorded a school-record six shutouts and had given up just 73 points coming into the championship game. The 94 points given up this season ties the school record mark set in 2020, which was done in just 10 games.

Quarterback Ethan Offing threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns on Friday. The junior Clemson baseball commit missed last year’s title game with an injury but shined in moments against the Green Wave.

Anderson rushed for 146 yards and three touchdowns. It was Anderson’s fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season.

Summerville, which was making its first title appearance since 2007, tested the vaunted Silver Foxes in every way. Dutch Fork trailed 14-6 in the second quarter after Jayven Williams’ 43-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter.

But Dutch Fork answered when Offing hit Boykin Bickley on a 19-yard TD pass. Bickley finished with seven catches for 149 yards.

“We have good chemistry together, and it paid off,” Offing said of Bickley. “He’s a great player. College coaches pick him up. He is dynamic.”

The Silver Foxes took a 21-14 lead on Anderson’s 8-yard run with 1:53 left in the second quarter.

Summerville played much of the game without starting quarterback Jaden Cummings, who left the game with an apparent knee injury near the end of the first quarter. The Dartmouth signee and North-South all-star selection came into the game with 2,329 yards and 30 touchdowns.

Cummings had an 18-yard pass to Jaiden Kelly-Murray to put Summerville up 7-6 in the first quarter.

Cummings was replaced by junior Cooper Kafina, who played well in the senior’s absence. Kafina hit a wide open Kelly-Murray on a 77-yard touchdown pass to cut Dutch Fork’s lead to 28-21 with 6:28 left in the third.

Summerville got the ball back on its own 20 with 7:07 left and a chance to go down and tie the game. But Dutch Fork’s Julian Walker had pair of sacks and forced a Green Wave punt.

“We needed to make a play to end that game the way it did,” Walker said. “They were driving down the field on us with big plays, so we were like go make the stop and that is what we did.”

The Silver Foxes sealed it on the next drive as Anderson scored on a 38-yard touchdown run with 2:07 left.

“We knew we were a great team, so we needed to keep fighting and keep playing hard. That’s what we did,” Offing said.

First Quarter

DF —Anderson 8 run (kick failed), 10:48

S — Kelly Murray 18 pass from Cummings (Kelley kick), 5:32

Second Quarter

S — Williams 43 run (Kelley kick), 11:31

DF — Bickley 19 pass from Offing (Westbrook pass from Offing), 8:00

DF — Anderson 8 run (Welch kick), 1:53

Third Quarter

DF — Bickley 20 pass from Offing (Welch kick), 7:34

S — Kelly-Murray 77 pass from Kafina (Kelley kick), 6:28

Fourth Quarter

DF — Anderson 38 run (Welch kick), 2:07

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — DF: Anderson 16-146; Offing 11-22; Johnson 2-11; Smith 1-7. S: Williams 22-133; Kelly-Murray 3-12.

PASSING — DF: Offing 12-23-0 252; Smith 0-1-0. S: Kafina 13-27-2 173; Cummings 2-4-0 33.

RECEIVING — DF: Bickley 7-149; Smith 3-72; Anderson 2-31. S: Kelley-Murray 7-152; Deweese 3-29; Guinn 2-18; Williams 2-2.

This story was originally published December 13, 2024, 5:43 PM.