Welcome to Camden!

We launched our magazine July 2015 and just published our 57th issue of Camden Living.
In our first issue we had a little fun with Tips for Newcomers © copyright.  Enjoy!

Most people know Camden is South Carolina’s oldest inland city… 
Here are a few fun tips for those new to town. ©

There is no place on earth like Camden.

If there is one single thing you learn here, it is how to get along.

We have odd hours. Some places are closed on Mondays, Sundays and Wednesday afternoons. Sometimes they close for a funeral.  Sometimes they close for vacation.  Sometimes they close just because they can.  We still shop, eat, go there.  It is just part of the ‘Camden way’.

It seems everyone is related. Or, they have a road or something named after them.

Camden takes ‘it’s a small world’ to a whole new level. We know each other's likes, dislikes, favorite color, birthday, kids’ and pets’ names and favorite charity. You can even go to Traders and they know what most of your friends like to drink, making for easy gift shopping.

Which brings us to there are NO secrets in Camden.  It seems everyone knows everyone’s business. Not in a bad way, people are just curious and interested. And they feel compelled to share what they know in a generous spirit, they would not want you to be left out of the loop. Should you find yourself the current town topic, never fear, pretty soon something else will take your place.

No one cares about your name; they want to know “where did you buy?”  Oh, you bought the old so-and-so’s place. Directions are given like this, “you pay your taxes in the old Belk building, down the street from the old…” And when people ask where you live it goes something like this, “I live over on the other side of hunt country, down the road from JoJo and Ann.”  No last name needed, everyone knows JoJo and Ann and how to get to their house.

Our population grows in the winter when snowbirds head south.  This has been going on for decades.

Camden has ties to people all over the world.

Lose your dog? We have a Facebook page for that and when JoJo lost one of his hunting dogs, he put signs up saying Lost Dog, Call JoJo and everyone knew what that meant.

Camdenites are multitaskers.  We are full of volunteers. And they don’t just volunteer at one place, you might see them two or three places.  We are full of non-profit organizations and people and businesses always step up to help.

The longest delay you might find here is the traffic light at the center of town.  It lasts forever!  You may as well relax and enjoy the scenery.  You can wave to your friends as they pass by, watch people go in and out of the post office or balance your checkbook.

SLOW DOWN.  We actually let people go ahead of us. There is no horn blowing and finger waving.  One reason for this is you probably know the person and if not, you’re going to run into them at the grocery store or somewhere eventually.  If you witness someone doing that, check the mirror and make sure it’s not you.

Many of our roads are unpaved and we like it that way. We know the motor grader operator’s name and that he likes cookies.

We are on ‘Camden time’. Not too fast, not too slow, just right.

Culture abounds here. Trying to describe that to a friend, I told them our people are like the “Who’s Who of Whoville”. Whether you are well read, well traveled, or have never been off the farm, we have culture that will blow your mind!

There is much to do here.  Most of it is free, a concert in the park, self-guided historic tours, watching a horse show.  Most of what is not free is for a good cause.

It is customary to leave work early to attend a cocktail party.  And we are never late to a cocktail party.

Horse people schedule events between feeding times.

Horses are not allowed on the sidewalk.

The train runs through town a lot, it’s part of our charm.

Shop owners really appreciate your business.

There are all kinds of ways to get involved.

Hope you like pine trees.

Camden is like one big social event. People are kind, friendly, curious and generous to each other and newcomers alike.

          Welcome to Camden Living!