How a town of 2,500 people is trying to hold onto its rural identity as it becomes 'inundated' with new residents

Pageland's  motto is "The Watermelon Capital of the World."
(Photo by David Yeazell, The Post and Courier)

It's not easy staying a quaint town when lots of people want to move in. "Pageland, a town of 2,500 people on the South Carolina-North Carolina state line, is changing. As the Charlotte metro area spills over the border, the community has become inundated with people looking for more affordable, convenient housing," reports Seth Taylor Staylor of The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C. "Pageland's population will double by the end of the decade if development continues at the current pace."

That kind of growth provides smaller towns like Pageland economic opportunities, but can also change what was once a close-knit town into something much different. Pageland residents "worry about overcrowded schools, inadequate infrastructure, emergency services stretched thin and the rising cost of living. They worry that the town’s identity will be lost," Staylor reports. Tim Griffin, the town's Chamber of Commerce president, is worrying the town is losing its battle to hold onto its small-town vibe. He told Staylor: “We’ve got to manage our growth. And we’ve got to be very proud of who we are, so people want to be a part of that. . . . It’s scary because what’s coming is unknown to us.”

BestPlaces.net map, adapted

Some longtime residents say the change "isn't necessarily a bad change, but it's a noticeable one," Staylor reports. Robin Usher, a third-generation resident of Pageland, told Staylor, “In the community, just going to the grocery store and not knowing people is new because, for so long, we knew everybody at the grocery store when we shopped. We don’t know everyone now.” Staylor adds, "Officials said Pageland’s growth is largely driven by the housing market in Charlotte — an hour away — bursting at the seams."

Staylor reports, "For much of Pageland’s 115-year history, it’s been isolated by limited economic opportunities and its distance from other cities, Adam Foard, a Pageland attorney who has spent his life in the town said. . . . Now, Pageland’s destiny is very much out of its own hands. What’s more, many of the people moving to Pageland see it as a springboard to urban life in Charlotte rather than a place with a rural lifestyle all its own." Foard told Staylor: "It was not (that) people discovered Pageland and decided that Pageland was a nirvana seven miles across the state line. . . Pageland became acceptable when they could no longer get what they needed over the state line.”

As local services and government struggle to keep up, "Pageland officials voted to approve a substantial impact fee this spring . . . to pay for the numerous enhancements the city will need to keep up with growth," Staylor reports. "The cost to different developments depends on the type of building and the resources it will consume, according to an impact fee study produced for the town. A typical single-family home will be expected to pay more than $8,000 when the building permit is issued and almost $3,000 when the house connects to water and sewer." Shane Sligh, the town administrator, told Staylor, "At the end of the day, we’ve got to be able to provide new residences with the same services that we’re providing."