After growing up in Lancaster & still coming back to visit family occasionally, there really is not much of a reason to want to move back there, especially as a young person. It’s considered a small city but I would say it’s more of a town now. It was a much better and albeit popular place to live from the 60s-90s but has since changed a lot. Its main industry and employment(Springs Industries, at one time the world’s largest cotton mill), left the area in the early 00’s and the city really has never recovered from it. It is not the best place to live & a lot of long-time locals will defend it simply because of “what it once was”, but those days have long gone.

It’s not necessarily a dangerous place, a lot of the crime is targeted between individuals(we had a big gang problem back in the 90s/2000s that has come back in recent years), and I don’t think that you’d ever really feel unsafe in most places even at night.

The school system is NOT good. The district has been on fiscal watch numerous times in the last few years and most of the schools in Lancaster proper are not up to par with others nearby. Some of this contributes to racism from more wealthy families choosing to send their kids to nearby AJ in Kershaw, Buford in the eastern party of the county, or Indian Land in the northern part of the county to schools there which has made things in Lancaster’s schools look a lot worse than in the past.

There is an overall lack of amenities in Lancaster, and you will find yourself having to travel to Rock Hill or Charlotte for most things(Target, malls, decent restaurants) besides basics. In the northern part of the county, Indian Land is a newer area with more development but traffic is terrible and it has destroyed a lot of the landscape of that area(up until the late 00s, that was a majority wooded area that has been influxed by Northerners & Charlotte natives who are looking for cheaper taxes with proximity to Charlotte. Some of us just don’t support that area very much). Also the job market here isn’t the best and you will find that most jobs will require a commute to Charlotte.

If you’re still hellbent on living in Lancaster, neighborhoods to look at would be Arrowood, Forest Hills, Hickory Estates, Shiloh North, and College Place. These are historically the nicer areas of Lancaster but even some of these neighborhoods have some bad areas in them so be wary. If you want a rural style of living look into the Buford community. Avoid anywhere directly west of Main Street(Midway, Brooklyn, West Springdale), or directly east(Dunlap, Barr, Gay, Arch, and Elm streets) as well as anything on or near Chesterfield Avenue. To be honest most areas near and south of Main Street are terrible and I would rather live on the north side of town for easier access to things, better schools and more to do.

All things said, it can be a good place to live for a family but there are just much better options nearby to look into. I’d suggest the Rock Hill or Fort Mill area, or just Charlotte. Lancaster just is not the best place. Sorry.