Town file
Summerville, South Carolina
Summerville, South Carolina is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 492, "Murder Moves In" (11 May 2024).
- Town
- Summerville
- State
- South Carolina
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 492
- Approximate location
- 33.006, -80.179
Episode 492 / 11 May 2024 / 70 min / express
Murder Moves In
"James says they are heading down south to Summerville, South Carolina, in southeastern South Carolina, about 30 minutes from Charleston." about 0:03:00
The case: Murder of Jordan Brooke Lum (April 2, 2017). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2024
- Population
- about 50,000
- Median household income
- $64,507 a year
- Median home value
- $355,200
History, in brief
- Summerville is located on a pine-forested ridge. about 0:05:00
- It was first inhabited in the late 1700s by people coming from the low country. about 0:05:06
- Settlers came inland for refuge from the summer heat, mosquitoes and disease. about 0:05:14
- Plantation families lived there from May to September each summer. about 0:05:25
- In the last decade of the 1800s most of the downtown was destroyed by fire. about 0:05:45
- A huge earthquake in 1886 also damaged the town. about 0:05:49
- The town was rebuilt and then burned to the ground again. about 0:06:01
- The Congress of Physicians in Paris declared Summerville one of the world's two best places for treating lung disorders. about 0:06:31
- It stayed a bedroom community and did not reach 6,000 people until the late 1970s. about 0:06:55
- The population doubled in the 1980s and has grown sharply over the last 20 years. about 0:07:03
- The town has two mottos: the Flower Town in the Pines and At the Heart of It All. about 0:04:17
- Summerville claims to be the birthplace of sweet tea. about 0:09:42
The reviews read out
5 stars
"A charming and quaint town whose historic areas should be preserved; it is getting overcrowded and the roads need improving."about 0:07:09
3 stars
"It is boring and there is not much to do unless you have a job."about 0:07:43
2 stars
"Very disappointing: traffic noise, bad roads and strip malls reminded the reviewer of poor Florida beach towns; they prefer a stronger community feel and will keep looking."about 0:08:34
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- James Island, South Carolina23 miles
- Coward, South Carolina72 miles
- Socastee, South Carolina82 miles
- Conway, South Carolina87 miles
- Nixonville, South Carolina94 miles
- Riceboro, Georgia115 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.