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I know this probably an absolute apples to oranges comparison, but I thought I'd garner some opinions. My wife and I are starting to lean towards getting out of this cold weather in about a year and getting back closer to family in the South. We will likely be buying a single family home, right around 200k, and would like to have a more 'burbs like place (yard, picket fence, etc.), but without being way out from the city. We're planning to have kids shortly after moving. I will be continuing my medical residency as a fellow and my wife is an occupational therapist, so the job thing will not be as big of an issue as it is for many.
Things we enjoy doing: Walking our dog, kayaking down rivers, going to the movies or a nice dinner once a week, going to a show of some sort every few months, and maybe fitting in a sporting event a couple of times a year.
My initial thoughts: It seems like Columbia is a very laid back, more college-ish town (kind of like Gainesville, FL). However, you do have to drive outside of town to do things on the weekend a lot. Atlanta appears to have more going on, but you trade off for a significantly greater amount of traffic and crime.
Weather isn't really a factor for us, as we're both originally from Tampa, FL (which is why you can see that Pgh weather is a minus for us). I'd prefer to have a 30 minute or less commute each way most days if possible, but the true threshold is at 45 minutes each way.
Atlanta dwarfs Columbia in every aspect. Columbia defintely is warmer than Atlanta in the winter, and much hotter in the summer. Columbia is a nice growing town good for a family, but Atlanta has so much more to offer.
Both cities have plenty of things to do outdoors within reasonable driving distances from their central areas.
If you live in the Northern burbs of Atlanta you have access to the city as well as quick access (45 minutes or so) to the North Georgia mountains with several smaller artsy-type towns, hiking, Lake Lanier, etc. In Atlanta you are a minimum of 4.5 hours from any coastal areas, but the Chattahoochee River does run through the burbs and you can kayak on it. You do have a MUCH larger increase in traffic and certain types of crime compared to Columbia, but of course this depends on what area of town you live in, route to/from work, etc. Housing options, retail shopping, restaurants will be in a much larger selection in Atlanta. Atlanta is a political and religious mix, with pockets of everything from ultra liberal to ultra conservative throughout the metro area.
Columbia has things to do as well, and is only a 2 hour drive from Charleston SC and which is a very neat city to do tons of touristy things in, as well as several beaches. If going to a coastal area regularly is important, this is something to consider. Traffic is obviously lower there, as are certain crimes. Columbia is traditionally a more "Southern", homogeneous, and conservative city than Atlanta.
The activities you listed: "Things we enjoy doing: Walking our dog, kayaking down rivers, going to the movies or a nice dinner once a week, going to a show of some sort every few months, and maybe fitting in a sporting event a couple of times a year."... honestly, can be done in either city. So you have to factor in the other things/location of each for your choice.
IMO, a college town is a great place to live and raise a family. The cultural activities a college draws often rival offerings of a much larger city, without the traffic/hassle. Having a "home team" competing in so many different sports is fun and a great family outing, again minus the traffic/hassles and exorbitant costs of pro sports. This will sound corny, but to me college towns possess a soulful vibe (lots of active brain cells?) that seems to give these smaller towns the energy of a bigger city. I think for the phase in your life that you're entering, Columbia has the better fit. Good luck!
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