SANTEE, S.C. — The Town of Santee continues to grow, according to county leaders. Since 2023, 447 people have moved to Orangeburg County. 122 of them now call Santee home.
Destiny Profit and her family moved from Eutawville to Santee. She says their new home has a lot to offer.
“We moved here last year around September," said Profit. "And we came here for the houses ... were very pretty and the environment is very pretty, and also we like the lake and stuff. We go there sometimes.
Billy Partin lives in Sumter but has been working in Santee for three years. He says he believes part of the migration is from opportunities in South Carolina.
“There’s just so much opportunity there, getting ready to put couple of luxury hotels here for the tourists. They’re big on golf here and just everything, just a really great area to come and visit," said Partin. “South Carolina is a free state, so to speak, you know, we don’t have a lot of COVID policies and rules and stuff like that. The taxes are moderately good here, and you know, it’s a right to work state, and I just really feel there’s a lot of growth, a lot of tremendous opportunity here.”
Orangeburg County Council Member Johnny Ravenell says Santee’s proximity to the Volvo and Boeing plants makes it a great commuter town.
“I’m a strong advocate for industrial growth, and we got 11 industrial parks in the county, and that means jobs, so when we’re talking about jobs and housing, it all fits in as one," Ravenell said. “People are migrating in the area because its close proximity to the job site, and this is a great place to be because of the fact that we got boating, fishing, hunting ... a lot of recreational activities, so what a better place to be than in the Santee area.”
According to the 2020 census numbers, 802 live in the Town of Santee. That's down from the 963 residents the town had in 2010.