Money magazine researched America’s cities based on a thriving economy, affordability, diversity and quality of life and found one South Carolina city met the test.
And surprise, surprise, it wasn’t Greenville or Charleston.
It was Rock Hill, the city of 75,349 people about 30 miles south of Charlotte. It’s a place where water quality is heralded on its website and which just hosted the American Cornhole League World Championships.
It’s also home to Winthrop University and all a four-year public educational institution brings to a community. And in recent years has provided an affordable community for Charlotte workers. Money points out Fortune 500 companies like Nucor and Bank of America are headquartered in Charlotte.
“But the job market within Rock Hill itself is also on the upswing: Knowledge Park, the city’s buzz-worthy startup incubator and business hub” quoting Charlotte Business Journal as saying the incubator is responsible for “hundreds of millions of dollars in commercial and residential investments.”
Also, York Technical College secured a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to create and sustain manufacturing jobs, Money said.
“Data from Moody’s Analytics shows the Rock Hill job market is poised to grow 7% over the next four years,” Money said.
The magazine called out the area for having a 26-mile network of walking and bike trails and canoe rides down the Catawba River and the city’s restaurant scene.
The magazine mentioned fine dining at The Pump House, which is located on the Catawba River in an actual former pump house that for years moved water to the Celanese textile and chemical plant in Rock Hill. It stood empty for 10 years until it was refashioned as a five story Southern-inspired restaurant, including a rooftop bar and patio dining.
Money also mentioned comfort food at The Dixie Pig, which was listed as No. 81 on Yelp’s top 100 barbecue restaurants in America. Paul Pflug opened the restaurant in 2015. His vibe was funky, quirky with amazing food and superb service. Trip Advisor calls it a great hole in the wall barbecue joint.
Money also praised Rock Hill for having a free bus system, launched in July 2019.
The median listing price for a home is $342,500 — median in South Carolina in June was $390,200, according to Bankrate. The National Association of Realtors put the number at $387,600 in the United States.
Rock Hill’s unemployment rate is 2.90%, compared to 3.6% across the state and 4.3% in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Money list included 50 cities in 31 states, with Arkansas, Florida, Texas and New York each having three.
North Carolina had two — Brevard and Durham — as did Georgia —Thomasville and Atlanta. The magazine called Atlanta “arguably America’s most diverse and welcoming big city.”
Another major city on the list was Detroit, which Money said was likely a surprise for most readers.
“The city has mounted one of the most successful comeback stories we’ve seen in the last quarter of a century. Now, it’s one of the country’s most unlikely boomtowns,” the magazine said. Unemployment is 2.6% and housing listings average $85,000.
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Publish date : 2024-08-09 23:01:00
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