Southern Living Magazine recently named
my home, Aiken, South Carolina, Best
Small city of the South, it’s an incredible
honor and well deserved for many reasons.
Aiken is a town that has a charming and
bustling down town.  The city has worked
hard to bring a vitality to the downtown
area.  With a number of new restaurants
aesthetic changes and events, on
any given night you can see people 
walking around or gathering to
break bread.  The arts play a
strong role in Aiken too.  A newly 
built community arts center boasts
a full and fun schedule of plays, 
while the presence of USC-Aiken
offers symphony’s for the musically
inclined.

One of the other things that makes
Aiken a great place is that it’s home
to the large urban Forest in the US-
Hitchcock Woods. 
Aiken is known as the “Winter
Colony,” as many wealthy families 
would come down during the winter
and bring their horses. It’s
protected and a part of our community.

Aiken is not without its challenges.