Florence, South Carolina
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Florence is a city in and the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. It lies at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95 and is the eastern terminus of the former. It is the primary city within the Florence metropolitan area. The area forms the core of the historical Pee Dee region of South Carolina, which includes the eight counties of northeastern South Carolina, along with sections of southeastern
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 39,899, making it the 10th-most populous city in the state. Florence is one of the major cities in South Carolina. In 1965, Florence was named an All-American City, presented by the
National Civic League The National Civic League is an American nonpartisan, non-profit organization founded in 1894 as the "National Municipal League”; it adopted its new name in 1986. Its mission is to advance civic engagement to create equitable, thriving communit ...
. The city was founded as a railroad hub and became the junction of three major railroad systems, including the Wilmington and Manchester, the Northeastern, and the Cheraw and Darlington.


History

The City of Florence was chartered in 1871 by the Reconstruction government and incorporated in 1890 following the 1888 creation of Florence County. Prior to its charter, the city was part of one of the original townships laid out by the
Lords Proprietors A lord proprietor is a person granted a royal charter for the establishment and government of an English colony in the 17th century. The plural of the term is "lords proprietors" or "lords proprietary". Origin In the beginning of the Europe ...
in 1719. The area was gradually settled through the late 19th and early 20th century. Early settlers practiced
subsistence farming Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements. Planting decisions occ ...
and produced
indigo InterGlobe Aviation Limited (d/b/a IndiGo), is an India, Indian airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest List of airlines of India, airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 64.1% domestic market ...
, cotton,
naval stores Naval stores refers to the industry that produces various chemicals collected from conifers. The term was originally applied to the compounds used in building and maintaining wooden sailing ships. Presently, the naval stores industry are used to ...
and timber, which were shipped down the
Great Pee Dee River The Pee Dee River, also known as the Great Pee Dee River, is a river in the Carolinas of the United States. It originates in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, where its upper course, above the mouth of the Uwharrie River, is known a ...
to the port at Georgetown and exported. In the mid-19th century two intersecting railroads were built, the Wilmington and Manchester, and the Northeastern. General William Harllee, the president of the W & M, built his home at the junction, and named the community "Florence", after his daughter.


American Civil War

During the
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
, the town was an important supply and railroad repair center for the Confederacy, and the site of the Florence Stockade, which held between 12,000 and 18,000 Union
prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
. Over 2,800 prisoners died of disease and were buried there. The burial ground adjacent to the prison became the Florence National Cemetery after the war and now has expanded.


Early 20th century

After the war, Florence grew and prospered, using the railroad to supply its cotton, timber, and by the turn of the century, tobacco. During the 20th century the economy of Florence came to rely heavily on the healthcare industry, driven by two major hospitals and a number of pharmaceutical plants. Industry grew, especially after World War II, when Florence became increasingly known for textiles,
pharmaceuticals Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...
, paper, and
manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...
, in addition to agricultural products. Florence also has a budding theater scene, starting with creating the Community Players in 1923. Over the years, the theater troop had several names, such as the Pinewood Plays, the Little Theater Guild, and eventually, the Florence Little Theater Guild. After a fire that took their original performance home at the Pinewood Club, the troop used spaces like the YMCA, high school gyms, and the Army Air Base movie house to perform. In 1968 the first Florence Little Theater was built, but in 2008, they built a new Florence Little Theater due to a need for more space where it is still being used. In 2023 the Florence Little Theater celebrated 100 years of performances opening with The Sound of Music.


Downtown revitalization

In 2010, the city of Florence began a massive redevelopment of Downtown Florence. The city has completed several notable projects and has several more planned. The Downtown Redevelopment District was originally a seventy square block area encompassing some in the heart of the City of Florence, but now has added over 100 more acres of the Timrod Park area with its historic homes. The redevelopment of Florence has even created a new branding effort, to include new city department logos (not to be confused with the city seal) way finding signs and repainting of water towers. The historic downtown district running from the central business district toward the McLeod Medical Center, features a number of historic buildings that have been rehabilitated. The redevelopment started with the $18 million Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation Library, and today now has the new Florence Little Theater, some 60 new apartments and the Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center which opened in September 2011, as well the new Florence Museum of Art, Science & History which opened October 11, 2014. New office space has emerged from once abandoned buildings, and a police substation was added on once crime-ridden Dargan Street. Special efforts are being aimed at the downtown area, which was once the center of the city's activity but remains dormant after retailers and shoppers left for suburban malls. The goal is to re-establish Evans as a vibrant commercial and residential corridor, and five blocks of Evans Street will be streetscaped.


Geography

Florence is located in the coastal plain of South Carolina. It is in the northeastern part of the state and the northern part of Florence County. The average elevation above sea level is around . Jeffries Creek is a tributary of the
Great Pee Dee River The Pee Dee River, also known as the Great Pee Dee River, is a river in the Carolinas of the United States. It originates in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, where its upper course, above the mouth of the Uwharrie River, is known a ...
and is the main waterway that flows through the city, passing south of the city center. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.38%) is water.


Climate

The climate experienced is
humid subtropical A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between la ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Cfa'') of the type found in the
deep south The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion of the Southern United States. The term is used to describe the states which were most economically dependent on Plantation complexes in the Southern United States, plant ...
, especially far from the coast. Autumn, winter and spring are mild, with occasional winter nights below freezing but rarely features extended cold and rigorous conditions. Florence's summers can be very hot and humid. The city, like others in the
Southeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, ...
, is prone to inversions, which trap
ozone Ozone () (or trioxygen) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic molecule with the chemical formula . It is a pale blue gas with a distinctively pungent smell. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope , break ...
and other pollutants over the area.


Demographics


2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 39,899 people, 15,624 households, and 9,671 families residing in the city.


2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 30,248 people, 11,925 households, and 7,882 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 13,090 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 50.0%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 46.0% Black or African- American, 0.18% Native American, 1.16% Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.21% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino people of any race were 0.76% of the population. There were 11,925 households, out of which 30.2% had children living with them, 41.9% were married couples living together, 20.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.03. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,388, and the median income for a family was $42,250. Males had a median income of $35,633 versus $23,589 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,336. Of the population 19.3% and 15.3% of families, and 28.2% of those under and 15.9% of those 65 and older, were living below the poverty line. Florence is the central city of a
metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
with a total population of 205,566 (2010 US census), including the entire populations of Florence and Darlington counties. However, in the more detailed 2000 Census data, only about 54% of this metro was urbanized, consisting of the urban areas Florence (2000 pop.: 67,314), Hartsville (14,907), Darlington (12,066), and Lake City (8,728). The remainder of the Florence metro is considered rural.


Religion

Like other midsize cities in the southern United States, Florence's population is largely dominated by Protestantism, the largest group being the
Southern Baptists The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Ch ...
, followed by the Methodists. The rest of the population are distributed among other Protestant denominations as well as the
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
and
Greek Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Christianity in Greece, Greek Christianity, Antiochian Greek Christians, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christian ...
es. The Greek Orthodox Church holds a large Greek Festival annually in September. There is one
Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish religious movements, Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its Jewish ethics, ethical aspects to its ceremo ...
synagogue in Florence, Beth Israel Congregation. There is also a small
Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...
.


Government

The city of Florence has a council-manager form of government.
City council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
members are elected every four years, without
term limit A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potential for monopoly, w ...
s. The council consists of seven members (three from districts and three
at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...
), as well as the mayor. The council responsible for making policies and enacting laws, rules and regulations in order to provide for future community and economic growth. The council additionally provides the necessary support for the orderly and efficient operation of city services. Florence holds elections for mayor every four years, alongside national Presidential elections. Mayors serve as a member of the city council, without term limits. The council appoints a
city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...
to serve as chief administrative officer to run the day-to-day business of the city and to serve at the pleasure of the council. Current members of the Florence City Council:


Economy

During the latter part of the 20th century and early 21st century, Florence's economy was transformed from being based largely on rail and farming into a diversified economy as the major commerce, finance, rail and trucking services, health care, and industrial center of the Eastern Carolinas. There are over nine foreign affiliated companies and fourteen
Fortune 500 The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune (magazine), Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States Joint-stock company#Closely held corporations and publicly traded corporations, corporations by ...
companies in the region. The gross domestic product (GDP) of the Florence metropolitan area was $6.8 billion, one of the highest among MSAs in the state. Milken Institute 2008 Best Performing Cities Index showed the Florence MSA as the 5th largest gainer in their evaluation of the top 124 small metropolitan areas in the United States. The report ranks U.S. metropolitan areas by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth. The components include job, wage and salary and technology growth. Florence has blossomed into a strong center for medical care, with four major medical providers McLeod Regional Medical Center, Medical University of South Carolina Hospital, Regency Hospital and
HealthSouth Encompass Health Corporation, based in Birmingham, Alabama, is the nation's largest provider of inpatient rehabilitative services, offering facility-based care through its network of 166 Rehabilitation hospital, inpatient rehabilitation hospital ...
. The growth of these providers has led to the transformation of the Florence skyline over the last 10 years, with development for demand with multi-story high-rises as well as community relation projects. With such a strong medical community several companies have their global, continental, or national headquarters in Florence, including GE Healthcare manufacturing operations (
MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and rad ...
manufacturing),
TRICARE Tricare (styled TRICARE) is a health care program of the United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the fede ...
, a supplemental insurance company that serves the
US Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except ...
and its civilian employees, and
Assurant Assurant, Inc. is a global provider of risk management products and services with headquarters in Atlanta. Its businesses provide a diverse set of specialty, niche-market insurance products in the property, casualty, extended device protection, ...
, a real property and personal insurance company. The city also serves the
pharmaceutical industry The pharmaceutical industry is a medical industry that discovers, develops, produces, and markets pharmaceutical goods such as medications and medical devices. Medications are then administered to (or self-administered by) patients for curing ...
, with a Patheon pharmaceutical manufacturing facility and research and development center for Patheon API Services. Florence also serves as the financial and service hub for the Eastern Carolinas, with many financial and professional management institutions invested heavily within the city. Companies with regional operations and headquarters include
Truist Financial Truist Financial Corporation () is an American bank holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company was formed in December 2019 as the result of the merger of BB&T (Branch Banking and Trust Company) and SunTrust Banks ...
, Monster.com, Otis Elevator,
CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of track, it is the lead ...
and
Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with a significant global presence. The company operates in 35 countries and serves over 70 million customers worldwide. It is a systemically important fi ...
. Florence has operation headquarters for
AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...
and is the southeastern headquarters of Duke Energy Inc. Florence has benefited from being located at the intersection of
I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...
and
I-20 I20, I 20 or I-20 may refer to: * Interstate 20, a highway in the southeastern United States * I-20 (form), a United States government document that provides supporting information for the issuance of a student visa or change of status * I-20 (rap ...
, approximately halfway between New York City and Miami, Florida. The city is located east from the state capital Columbia, west from
Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the " Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. It ...
, north of Charleston, and southeast of
Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...
. This has allowed Florence to remain competitive and bringing in and sustaining major manufacturers such as, General Electric,
Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
,
QVC QVC (short for "Quality Value Convenience") is an American free-to-air television network and a flagship shopping channel specializing in televised Shopping channel, home shopping, owned by QVC Group (formerly Qurate Retail Group). Founded in 19 ...
Distribution Center and Otis Elevator.


Education


Public schools

The Florence Public School District One is the governing body of the public schools in the area. , the district has an active enrollment of 14,500 students, attending a total of 20 schools, including 13 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 3 high schools serving the City of Florence, Effingham and Quinby areas. The school system also supports an alternative school for middle and/or high school students, a vocational career center, and an adult learning center. The district and its schools have been recognized as being among the state's best with numerous awards, including the Palmetto's Finest Award.


Private schools

* All Saints' Episcopal Day School (PK–6) * Florence Christian School (PK–12) * Maranatha Christian School (PK–12) * Montessori School of Florence (PK–6) * The King's Academy (PK–12) * Saint Anthony Catholic School (PK–8) * Trinity Collegiate School (6–12)


Higher education

Facilities of higher education in and around Florence include Francis Marion University and Florence–Darlington Technical College. Francis Marion University is a public university located in Florence, while Florence–Darlington Technical College, located in Florence, also operates satellite campuses in Hartsville, Lake City and Mullins.


Library

Florence has a
public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...
, a branch of the Florence County Library System. The Florence County Public Library has a room, the South Carolina Room, dedicated to South Carolina history and genealogy.


Healthcare

McLeod Regional Medical Center is a 453-bed non-profit medical center located on a campus in downtown Florence. The hospital complex in downtown contains the Cardiovascular Institute, the Center for Advanced Surgery, the Cancer Center, and the only specialized pediatrics unit in the northeastern portion of South Carolina. It encompasses acute care facilities, such as McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, McLeod Medical Center in Dillon, McLeod Medical Center in Darlington, and also operates campuses all over the Pee Dee region of South Carolina. The Medical University of South Carolina Florence, formerly Carolinas Hospital System, a regional healthcare facility with 420-beds, serves eight counties in northeastern South Carolina. Regency Hospital opened in Florence in July 2001. It is a 40-bed Long Term Acute Care (LTAC) hospital located on the fourth and fifth floors of the Cedar Towers, at 121 Cedar Street. Regency, with its corporate office based in Alpharetta, Georgia, has 20 hospitals nationwide, and continues to aggressively grow throughout the country. McLeod Regional Medical Center and MUSC Florence are the first and third largest employers in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina.


Transportation


Highways

* is a four-lane freeway that enters the city from the northeast, and exits southwest. The highway leads northeast to
Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-Ameri ...
, and southwest to
Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...
. * is a four-lane interstate highway, which enters the city from the west and has a terminus in Florence as (David McLeod Blvd ). Interstate 20 leads west to Columbia, then on to
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
and ultimately
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. * is a north to south route through the downtown area. The highway crosses Interstate 95 northwest of the downtown area and leads north to
Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...
. To the south it merges with US 301 and eventually leads to Charleston. * enters the city from the west at Interstate 95, then merges with David McLeod Blvd at Palmetto Street, and finally exits east of the city at the junction with Freedom Blvd. The road leads southwest to
Sumter Sumter may refer to: People Given name * Sumter S. Arnim (1904–1990), American dentist * Sumter de Leon Lowry Jr. (1893–1985), United States Army general Surname * Rowendy Sumter (born 1988), Curaçaoan footballer * Shavonda E. Sumt ...
and east to
Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...
. * offers another northeast to southwest route through Florence. Entering the city merged with US 52 as South Irby Street, it then forms a crescent-shaped bypass around the downtown area as Freedom Boulevard. US 301 then merges with US 76 east of downtown Florence, and exits as such.


Mass transit

The Pee Dee Regional Transportation Authority (PDRTA) is the principal agency responsible for operating mass transit in greater Florence area including
Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...
, Marion, Chesterfield, Dillon, and the Lake City area. PDRTA also operates routes to Columbia,
Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the " Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. It ...
and
Sumter Sumter may refer to: People Given name * Sumter S. Arnim (1904–1990), American dentist * Sumter de Leon Lowry Jr. (1893–1985), United States Army general Surname * Rowendy Sumter (born 1988), Curaçaoan footballer * Shavonda E. Sumt ...
. PDRTA operates express shuttles, and bus service serving Florence and its immediate surrounding areas. The authority was established in June 1974; it is South Carolina's oldest and largest RTA. PDRTA began operations serving the six-county Pee Dee region of Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Marion, and Marlboro Counties. The PDRTA has provided transportation for more than 15 million passengers, and transports approximately 2,457 people daily. It operates services with 165 vehicles ranging in size from transit, intercity buses, and trolleys to lift-equipped vans and goshens.


Air

The city and its surroundings are served by
Florence Regional Airport Florence Regional Airport is three miles east of Florence, in Florence County, South Carolina, United States. The only scheduled flights are American Eagle to Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. Facilities The airport covers and has ...
(
IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is an airline trade association founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff conferences tha ...
: FLO;
ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...
: KFLO), which is located east of downtown Florence on US 76. The airport itself is serviced by American Eagle to Charlotte and is the second busiest airport in the region behind Myrtle Beach International Airport. It is located an hour west of Myrtle Beach.


Intercity rail

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's The Palmetto trains 89, 90 and ''
Silver Meteor The ''Silver Meteor'' is a Long-distance Amtrak routes, long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between New York City and Miami, Florida. Introduced in 1939 as the first diesel-powered streamliner between New York and Florida, it was t ...
'' (trains 97, 98) connect Florence with the cities of New York,
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, Wilmington,
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
, Washington,
Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
,
Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...
, and
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
. Additionally the Florence station also serves as the refueling and crew changing point for Amtrak's
Auto Train ''Auto Train'' is an scheduled daily train service for passengers and their automobiles operated by Amtrak between Lorton, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.), and Sanford, Florida (near Orlando, Florida, Orlando). ''Auto Train'' is the only mot ...
service which operates service between Sanford station in Florida and Lorton station Virginia, Passengers may temporarily disembark the train to smoke, get some air or walk their service animals.


Intercity bus

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of Intercity bus service, intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as interci ...
and Southeastern Stages operates a station on Irby Street, in the southern part of downtown, providing Florence with intercity bus transportation.


Sports


Baseball

Baseball has a long history in Florence, dating back to the 1920s when the Florence Swamp Foxes were founded. The minor league Florence Steelers played in Florence from 1948 to 1950. The
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
had a minor league team that played in Florence from 1981 to 1986. Major league players
Pat Borders Patrick Lance Borders (born May 14, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player and current minor league manager. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from to . He was the Most Valuable Player of the 1992 World Series ...
, Jimmy Key, Cecil Fielder and
Fred McGriff Frederick Stanley McGriff (born October 31, 1963) is an American former first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for six teams from 1986 through 2004. Nicknamed "Crime Dog", a word play on McGruff the Crime Dog, he was one of the ...
made stops in Florence during their minor league careers. Florence's Post 1 American Legion baseball team is one of the longest tenured teams in the state, beginning in 1932. Drawing the best high school talent from all over the Pee Dee area each summer, Post 1 has had over 30 players move on the professional ranks, including Reggie Sanders. They have won over 30 league titles and six state championships. They were the host site of the 2008 American Legion State Tournament. In 2012, Post 1 won the South Carolina state tournament and the Southeast Regional and participated in the American Legion World Series in Shelby, North Carolina. Florence is home to the
Coastal Plain League The Coastal Plain League (CPL) is a wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league, featuring college players recruited from throughout the nation. The league takes its name from the Class D level Coastal Plain League which operated in the area f ...
Florence Flamingos summer collegiate baseball team. Relocated to Florence in 1998, the team brings in players from collegiate sports conferences, including the
Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...
and the
Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...
. The team hosted the 2004 All-Star game and Home Run Derby. In 2007, they hosted the Petitt Cup Tournament at their home field. The Flamingos play at the 1,755-capacity Sparrow Stadium at Francis Marion University. The stadium is also hosts some home games for the Florence–Darlington Technical College Stingers baseball team. Post 1 plays its home games at American Legion Field, adjacent to Memorial Stadium, where Florence's three public high schools play their home football games. Carolina Bank Field is a baseball stadium being built as part of the Florence Sports Complex to host the Flamingos starting in 2022.


Football

Until 2009, Florence was home to the
American Indoor Football American Indoor Football (AIF) is a professional Indoor American football, indoor football league, one of the several regional professional indoor football leagues in North America. The AIFL began as a regional league with six franchises on the ...
league's Florence Phantoms, which debuted in the league in 2006. The Phantoms played in the Florence Civic Center. Florence Memorial Stadium is a 7,000 seat football stadium to the east of the city. It is the home stadium for West Florence, Wilson, and South Florence high schools. There was an arena football team too, briefly, but its contract to play at the Florence Center was not renewed.


Hockey

Florence was also home to the Southern Professional Hockey League's now- Twin City Cyclones, who played from 2005 to 2007. This team was part of a two event package in 2004 to replace the now defunct Pee Dee Pride (to be the Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz) from the ECHL. The building was also the home of the South Carolina Fire Ants of Major League Roller Hockey in 1998.


Media

Florence and Grand Strand share a common defined market by Nielsen Media Research in Horry, Marion, Dillon, Darlington, Marlboro, Scotland, Robeson, and Florence counties. The Florence/Myrtle Beach Market is the 103rd largest market in the US as defined by Nielsen Media Research.
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
/
MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV (stylized as mynetworkTV; unofficially abbreviated MNT or MNTV) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its Fox Television Stations ...
affiliate WBTW 13, ABC/
The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
affiliate
WPDE-TV WPDE-TV (channel 15) is a television station licensed to Florence, South Carolina, United States, serving the Pee Dee and Grand Strand regions of South Carolina as an affiliate of ABC and The CW. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which ...
15 and SCETV (
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
) outlet WJPM-TV 33 are licensed to Florence.
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
affiliate WMBF-TV 32 and Fox affiliate WFXB 43 are licensed to Myrtle Beach but also serve Florence. WBTW and WPDE have moved most of their operations to Myrtle Beach and Conway, respectively, due to the Grand Strand's larger population. Florence, along with The Pee Dee Region, makes up the 217th largest radio market in the United States. Cumulus Media and iHeart Media, the largest and third-largest radio station ownership groups in the country, operate radio outlets in Florence. ''The Morning News'' is the largest daily paper published in the Pee Dee, with a readership base extending across several counties. The paper has been in existence since 1922 and is published by BH Media Group, a Berkshire Hathaway Company. The area is also served by several weekly papers, including the ''News Journal'' and the ''Community Times''.


Notable people

;Arts * Blackie Collins, author and knife maker * Graves of Valor, band * The Independents, band * William Johnson, artist * Taft Jordan, jazz trumpeter * Matt Laug, drummer * Trey Lorenz, musician * Philip B. Meggs, author and historian * Gillian Murphy, ballet dancer *
Houston Person Houston Person (born November 10, 1934) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and record producer. Although he has performed in the hard bop and swing music, swing genres, he is most experienced in and best known for his work in soul jazz. He re ...
, musician * Padgett Powell, author * Doug Quattlebaum, Piedmont blues guitarist, singer and songwriter * Ruba Say, musician * Sequoyah Prep School, band * Through the Eyes of the Dead, band * Henry Timrod, so-called "poet laureate of the Confederacy" * Alice R. Ballard, ceramicist ;Entertainment * K. Lee Graham, Miss South Carolina Teen USA 2013, Miss Teen USA 2014 * Mark L. Walberg, television host ;Politics and law *
Beverly Daggett Beverly Estelle Daggett (née Clark; September 9, 1945September 6, 2015) was a Maine politician. Daggett, a Democrat, represented the state capital Augusta in the Maine House of Representatives for five terms (1986–1996) before being elected ...
, politician * Alvin Greene, politician * Charles Weston Houck, judge * William C. James, Marine Brigadier general * Robin Tallon, politician ;Sports * Michael Allen Anderson, professional baseball outfielder *
Buddy Baker Elzie Wylie "Buddy" Baker Jr. (January 25, 1941 – August 10, 2015) was an American professional stock car racing driver and commentator. Over the course of his 33-year racing career, he won 19 races in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the 19 ...
,
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
racecar driver * Ron Barfield Jr., NASCAR racecar driver * Brandon Bostick, professional football player (NFL) * Akeem Bostick, professional baseball player (
MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
) * Harry Carson, professional football player (NFL) * Jim David, professional football player (NFL) *
Fisher DeBerry James Fisher DeBerry (born June 8, 1938) is a retired American football player. He served as the head football coach at the United States Air Force Academy from 1984 to 2006, compiling a record of 169–109–1. DeBerry led 17 of his 23 Air Forc ...
, football coach * Darian Durant, professional football player (
CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest pr ...
) * Justin Durant, professional football player (NFL) * Malliciah Goodman, professional football player (NFL) *
Clayton Holmes Clayton Holmes (born August 23, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He was selected in the third round of the 1992 NFL draft. He played coll ...
, professional football player ( NFL) * Nick Nelson, professional football player (NFL) * Reggie Sanders, professional baseball player (
MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
) * Lawrence Timmons, professional football player (NFL) * Ron Turner, swimming coach *
Cale Yarborough William Caleb Yarborough (March 27, 1939 – December 31, 2023) was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner, businessman, farmer, and rancher. He was the first driver in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships, winn ...
,
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
driver, four-time
Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...
champion


See also

*
List of municipalities in South Carolina South Carolina is a state located in the Southern United States. According to the 2020 United States census, South Carolina is the 23rd-most populous state with inhabitants, but the 11th-smallest by land area spanning of land. South Caroli ...


References


External links

* *
Official tourism website
{{Authority control Cities in South Carolina County seats in South Carolina Florence, South Carolina metropolitan area Cities in Florence County, South Carolina