About HERE Florence

Florence, South Carolina sits at the heart of the Pee Dee region, a city built on the promise of crossroads commerce and grown into one of the state’s most dynamic mid-sized communities. Founded in 1853 as a railroad junction and incorporated in 1890, Florence takes its name from Florence Henning Harllee, daughter of the Wilmington & Manchester Railroad’s first president. That spirit of connection — of people, goods, and ideas moving through — has shaped everything about the city ever since.

Today, Florence is home to roughly 40,200 residents and serves as the economic and cultural hub for Florence County and the broader Pee Dee. The city earned its affectionate nickname, the “Magic City,” through decades of steady growth that seemed to arrive almost overnight against the backdrop of the rural South Carolina Lowcountry. With a gross metro product of approximately $12.5 billion (2023, BEA), Florence punches well above its weight for a city its size.

Healthcare anchors much of the local economy. McLeod Regional Medical Center — a 517-bed Level II Trauma Center — and MUSC Health Florence, a 310-bed Level III facility, together employ thousands of Florentines and draw patients from across the Pee Dee and beyond. HopeHealth, a federally qualified health center, extends care to underserved populations throughout the region. Florence County School District One serves approximately 16,300 students across 26 schools, and higher education is represented by Francis Marion University (FMU Patriots, NCAA Division II, Conference Carolinas) and Florence-Darlington Technical College.

Culturally, Florence offers more than its size might suggest. The Florence Center — a 10,000-seat arena — hosts concerts, sporting events, and community gatherings that draw crowds from throughout the region. The FMU Performing Arts Center brings theater and music to the city, while the annual SC Pecan Festival, held on the first Saturday of November, draws more than 50,000 visitors and stands as one of the signature events in South Carolina. Florence After 5, a beloved downtown series, keeps the energy alive through warm-weather evenings.

Sports fans have plenty to cheer. The Florence Flamingos play summer collegiate baseball in the Coastal Plain League. Darlington Raceway, home of the Southern 500 and one of NASCAR’s most storied tracks, is just about ten miles away — close enough that race week is a civic holiday. Florence Motor Speedway in nearby Timmonsville rounds out the motorsports scene.

The city’s neighborhoods each carry their own character. Downtown Florence has seen meaningful revitalization, with locally owned restaurants, galleries, and gathering spots alongside historic architecture. West Florence, South Florence, North Florence, East Florence, Windsor Forest, Timrod Park, and Ebenezer each offer distinct residential options ranging from historic bungalows to newer subdivisions. The REALTOR Association of Greater Pee Dee and the Greater Pee Dee MLS (GPDMLS) serve the local real estate market.

Getting here is easy. Florence Regional Airport (FLO) offers commercial service, Amtrak’s Silver Meteor and Palmetto trains stop at the Florence station, and the city sits at the junction of I-95 and I-20 — one of the most strategic interchanges on the East Coast. That same junction brings Honda of South Carolina (based in nearby Timmonsville) and a steady flow of logistics and manufacturing investment to the region.

HERE Florence is your local guide to all of it — business news, public safety updates, sports coverage, community events, neighborhood profiles, and the everyday information that keeps Florentines connected to the city they call home. We cover the Pee Dee with the care it deserves.