With Orangeburg County near the top of the state’s unemployment percentages, near the bottom in educational and health measures and on the wrong end of too many other indicators, I recently began to wonder why we continue to live here. We do have choices. Within the past couple of months, a series of positive indicators about Orangeburg started to come to mind and I began to list them. A brief explanation of each item follows with Web sites for some.

1. Pinckney’s Produce at Holly Hill – Fresh-from-the-local-farm seasonal produce comes from Clemson agronomy graduate Pinckney Thompson and his family farm. CSA (Community Sustainable Agriculture) is a relatively new movement in this area that seems to have begun in California. Eating produce freshly harvested from a nearby farm gives consumers a healthier product, supports local industry and saves energy and shipping costs. With the help of his father, popular retired veterinarian Dr. Jody Thompson, Pinckney rewards members of his CSA with a weekly box containing a “treasure trove” of vegetables and fruits during two 12-week periods in the spring/summer and late summer/fall seasons.

2. The new aquatic center being built by the county raises the quality of life in Orangeburg. It makes year-round swimming for fitness feasible. Its St. Matthews Road location puts it in the center of the city and county for the convenience of citizens county-wide. http://thetandd.com/articles/2009/04/13/news/13654700.txt

3. “Orangeburg’s a few minutes from everywhere” – This, from a Toyota dealer’s ad on TV, refers to our geographic accessibility to most every location in South Carolina and beyond. With two interstate highways (I-26 and I-95) intersecting in the southeastern corner of Orangeburg County and a third (I-20) just a few miles to the west, we can easily travel to any destination. We’re four hours by car from Atlanta, eight hours from D.C. and halfway between New York and Miami. The Charleston airport is an hour south; the Columbia airport is 45 minutes north. From Columbia, it’s 50 minutes by air to Atlanta, and Atlanta offers direct flights to most major world cities.

4. Tourville’s enterprises – In addition to Zeus Industries, a major Orangeburg employer, Frank Tourville with his family and staff continue to perpetuate businesses that raise the quality of life in Orangeburg. Their Four Star (or soon to be) restaurant and gourmet shop, Four Moons resembles a big city duo. Buckridge Plantation, 4 miles south of town, is an idyllic setting for celebrating life occasions and holding retreats. And most recently, with Tourville’s acquisition of the Orangeburg Country Club, a tired property is being brought back and upgraded to a world-class golf course and clubhouse.

5. City water -- Tap water dispensed by the Department of Public Utilities is rated tops in South Carolina. With the Edisto River flowing through town, Santee lakes to the east and other tributaries, we have an abundance of good water for drinking, irrigation and recreation.

6. The blood bank at the Regional Medical Center, I’m told, has a higher standard for the blood that is accepted than blood banks in nearby cities. Led by the late Dr. John Shippey Jr., the pathologist who oversaw RMC’s blood supply for years, a patient here can know that unwanted pathogens are not being unknowingly infused at a time of critical need. www.thetandd.com/articles/2009/09/24/opinion/doc4abae4ce6e6d2299304309.txt

7. The Family Health Centers – With the subject of health care being front and center on President Barak Obama’s domestic agenda, we have accessible, affordable primary health care available locally. Individuals pay according to a sliding fee scale, based on income, with the poorest not being turned away. (Disclosure -- This writer is a member of the FHC’s community board of directors.)

8. Orangeburg pianists – George Darden, Del Rae, Mac Frampton, Ruby Morgan and Dr. Edward Graham are professional artists at the keyboard, all with Orangeburg roots. They have built careers performing or teaching.

9. Edisto Gardens – Others come from far away to enjoy what we often take for granted. With the new Veterans’ Memorial flanking the opposite corner from the Chamber of Commerce headquarters, the entrance to Edisto Gardens has a vista from U.S. Highway 301 that portends the beauty of the flowers. The boardwalk invites exploration of the longest black water river in the country.

10. The Orangeburg Municipal Airport – With intersecting runways long enough to handle most jet aircraft, this facility invites busy executives, entertainers and politicians to Orangeburg. An omni on the property makes pilot navigation convenient. And it’s a good place to learn to fly without worry about excess air traffic.

11. HBCUs – Claflin University is Orangeburg’s shining star on a hill. With a first-class physical facility and top national rankings in academic fields, the students are the main focus here. Next door, South Carolina State University has a larger student body and seems poised to begin progressing again after years of short-termed leadership. It’s hard to imagine any other two entities that could contribute more economic impact and educational talent to Orangeburg.

12. Orangeburg County Library – With the meager budget the library receives to serve citizens Paula Paul and her staff maintain an attractive, pleasant space that goes a long way toward creating an atmosphere that helps raise the average educational level in our community. The bank of computers is in constant use for accessing the Internet. And the books are carefully selected with a mix of best-sellers and classics interspersed with research-oriented materials. Interlibrary loans are a specialty of these experienced librarians for helping patrons obtain requested books and microfilm not regularly on site.

Now, possibly, you’re wondering why something else equally as good was left off this list. That’s intentional to give you an opportunity to make a list!

Joy W. Barnes, an Orangeburg Realtor, is co-author with the late Earl M. Middleton of “Knowing Who I Am – A Black Entrepreneur’s Struggle and Success in the American South.” She and her husband, George, have lived in Orangeburg since 1965.

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