Red Bank

About 9 miles south of Lexington and 10 miles southwest of Columbia, Edmund is an unincorporated community in Lexington County. "A lot of people in Edmund commute to Columbia for work," says Realtor Nicole Donaghy of Re/Max Purpose Driven, a lifelong resident of Lexington County. "But they live in Edmund because they prefer to live in a rural area. They don't want to be crowded into their neighborhood." It's a peaceful area with lots of newly built real estate and one of the best school districts in the state. Locals take advantage of the area's golf club and nature preserves and enjoy coming together at different intervals throughout the year for county-wide events, like the Gaston Collard and BBQ Festival and the Lexington County Peach Festival. Two-story new American traditional homes with small front yards and large backyards are common here, especially in new subdivisions and planned communities. These projects populate the northern side of Edmund near Red Bank, with easy access to schools and the local shopping center. Most of the new builds have shuttered windows and front-facing garages, and some also feature balconies and front porches. The median list price in Edmund is $275,000, with most listings falling between $250,000 and $350,000 and offering at least three bedrooms . New subdivisions and planned communities in Edmund feature wide roads but rarely sidewalks. For greenery, these subdivisions have a mix of newly planted and mature trees. “Lexington County School District One is known to be one of the best in the state,” Donaghy says. Currently, students attend either Carolina Springs Elementary School, which received a B grade on Niche, or Saxe Gotha Elementary School, which received a B-plus. The district will soon re-zone many Edmund students into its newest elementary school, South Lake Elementary, which will open its doors in the fall of 2024. Older students attend Carolina Springs Middle School and White Knoll High School, both of which received a B-plus on Niche. Lexington County School District One also offers an alternative education program called The College Center, which partners with Midlands Technical College to allow students to earn an associate degree while still in high school. This program benefits students who prefer non-traditional approaches to education. Known for its unusual geology, the 460-acre Peachtree Rock Heritage Preserve is just 3 miles drive from Edmund . It contains layered sandstone formations, buried fossils of ancient marine creatures and towering native longleaf pines along well-kept trails. Near the park's entrance, the only natural waterfall on South Carolina's coastal plain splashes into a small pool. Located within Edmund is Shealy's Pond Heritage Preserve, a 62-acre park on Scouter Creek that's centered around an old mill pond and its surrounding wetlands. The park's west end contains 6 acres of sandhills forested in longleaf pine and turkey oak, and its 1.4-mile round-trip trail attracts people, small mammals and many birds. To spend time on the water, locals head to Hunt Pond for kayaking, paddle boarding and fishing, and they're sure to stay until evening to enjoy the best sunset views in town. Golfers in Edmund join Solina Golf Club, a par-71 course undergoing extensive renovations and rebuilding all 18 greens. At the end of the project, the club will have a newly renovated clubhouse and restaurant in addition to a new shop, locker room and golf learning center. To get their shopping done, Edmund residents head towards Lexington. On the way to Lexington, the town of Red Bank, a 4-mile drive from Edmund, is home to the Shoppes at White Knoll, which has a Walmart, Lowe’s, Dollar Tree and Goodwill. In addition, several local restaurant chains are located here, like Carolina Wings & Rib House and Tokyo Grill. For groceries, residents shop at Publix, Food Lion or ALDI. Edmund also has several family-owned businesses run out of home kitchens, like BKFT Nigerian Cuisine and Catering, which sells home-cooked West African food, and a variety of bakeries, including Bakin’ It Cakes and Sweets, Madi’s Moon Cakes and The Sugar Witch. To kick back and relax, residents like to hang out at local dive bars like Bubba’s Pub-N-Grub , a casual restaurant and music venue in a backyard setting; Charlie’s Sports Break & Games, which is popular among locals for allowing smoking inside; and The Hitch Hiker, a members-only hole-in-the-wall with pool, darts and karaoke. The Lexington area is home to several festivals throughout the year. Each October, the neighboring town of Gaston hosts the Gaston Collard and BBQ Festival. What started as a gathering of home cooks coming together to sell collards as a fundraiser has now added a barbecue competition, amusement rides, carnival games and a parade. October’s a big month in Edmond as nearby Cayce also has a celebration then, theirs being an annual bluegrass festival. Come spring, Cayce hosts its annual Tartan Day South Highland Games & Festival, an opportunity to celebrate Irish and Scottish traditions with live music, traditional dancing and opportunities to compete in Highland athletics. In the summer, everyone heads down to Gilbert on the Fourth of July for the Lexington County Peach Festival, an all-day event at Gilbert Community Park with live music, a parade, a car show, and fresh peaches from local farms. South Carolina Highway 302 passes through Edmund, which residents can travel for 9 miles east to the Columbia Metropolitan Airport and 13 miles to the closest hospital, Lexington Medical Center. This is the highway residents take to get anywhere in the Columbia metropolitan area. With neither public transportation within Edmund nor between Edmund and Columbia, residents here need cars to get around.