USC in Columbia, SC (Greenville, North: apartment complexes, rental, crime)

[collegeprsn]

Hi. Can anyone tell me about USC in South Carolina? I have friends that go to USC, but they go to the one in CA. I've lived here in CA my whole life and I am ready to go to graduate school out of state. I would like to know about the weather, housing, government, crime, restaurants, forests or mountains, bugs, and most of all, I would like to know how people in South Carolina feel about CA natives moving into the state. Does anyone have any information on the difficulty level of getting into the USC school of public health? I was considering Atlanta, but the crime made me rethink moving there. Thanks for any help. Oh, and my other option is Albany, NY (in case anyone knows both these cities well).

[anonymous]

Originally Posted by collegeprsn

I would like to know about

the
weather compared to southern California, I would expect the winters to be colder, and the summers to be similarly hot, but far more humid.
housing not sure what you're asking. It's fairly cheap to live in Columbia.
government not sure here, either. The state government is relatively small and efficient, and probably doesn't provide services like California. I never had major problems with the local gov't, but it's nothing special.
crime Don't have numbers, but I'm sure it's above average. There are definitely some bad neighborhoods nearby, but I didn't ever feel unsafe.
restaurants a handful of outstanding ones, but the city as a whole is pretty average.
forests Mostly piney woods, and the neighborhoods are lined with oak trees. There city has national forests and parks nearby.
mountains 3+ hours away
bugs roaches, fire ants, spiders, etc., bugs thrive in the humidity
and most of all, I would like to know how people in South Carolina feel about CA natives moving into the state.help yourself, good luck.

[krazymack]

I am from NYC curious to know about USC-Columbia as well. Is the campus accessible via public transportation? In fact, how is public transportation throughout Columbia, SC?

What is the job market like in Columbia? How are the rental rates for 1 bedroom apartment in Columbia? Is there any decent and safe apartment complexes would you recommend?

[GoPadge]

Public transportation is mostly a joke in the South. (At least by European or Northern US standards.) There are exceptions, like Atlanta's Marta or Dallas' DART, but in Columbia all you have available are buses. The good news is that from what I recall most of SCE&G's old bus fleet has been replaced with newer buses.

[collegeprsn]

Are the mosquitos really bad in Columbia? I rarely see a mosquito where I live. Can anyone compare Albany, NY to Columbia, SC? I know they are both capitol cities, but otherwise, I know little about either city. The prices of homes here are pretty high. Does anyone know about the prices of apartments near the USC campus? Also, is there a big selection of stores there? Is the city rapidly expanding? In the city limits here, the population is at least 350,000 and growing. Is there any farming done near Columbia? I am used to farms being right outside our city, but they are rapidly becoming new homes as Bakersfield is moving towards Shafter. I remember watching the television and seeing that Columbia, SC drivers are the worst in the nation. Any comment on this? Is there a community college in Columbia? Any info appreciated, thanks.

[anonymous]

The USC buses can get you around campus, but you might be late to class sometimes. I didn't like taking it. Padge is right, the city buses are a joke.

As far as getting to class is concerned, you can either:
-Live in the dorms, and walk
-Find a close off-campus house/apt, and walk
-Live far off campus, and drive

All are viable options. My senior year, for example, I lived in an old 3br house with a big backyard, about 3-4 miles from campus. We paid $1100/month between 3 people. Before that, I lived in a 2br duplex about 1 mile away from campus, and paid $650 between 2 people. So that was about $300-$400 a month, if you have roomates. I'd guess you'd pay $400-$600 for a one bedroom place by yourself.

[anonymous]

Originally Posted by collegeprsn

Are the mosquitos really bad in Columbia? I rarely see a mosquito where I live. Can anyone compare Albany, NY to Columbia, SC? I know they are both capitol cities, but otherwise, I know little about either city. The prices of homes here are pretty high. Does anyone know about the prices of apartments near the USC campus? Also, is there a big selection of stores there? Is the city rapidly expanding? In the city limits here, the population is at least 350,000 and growing. Is there any farming done near Columbia? I am used to farms being right outside our city, but they are rapidly becoming new homes as Bakersfield is moving towards Shafter. I remember watching the television and seeing that Columbia, SC drivers are the worst in the nation. Any comment on this? Is there a community college in Columbia? Any info appreciated, thanks.

- Yes, there are mosquitos in Columbia. I wouldn't call it bad, but I'm used to dealing with them.

- The city is growing steadily, but not rapidly. The metro area has about 700,000 people; I'm not sure what the city population is. Generally speaking, the city is sprawling north, northwest, northeast of downtown. If you go east or south, you'll hit fort jackson or very swampy land, respectively.

- It depends on what direction you go, but yes, there are farms. That part of the state (the sand hills) produces an extremely large amount of peaches. South and East of Columbia, you'll find mixed-use; cotton, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cattle grazing, turf grass, various specialty crops, etc.

-No, drivers aren't that bad.

[collegeprsn]

Columbia keeps sounding better and better! I will have to go and visit. In April, I went and visited NC- Greenville, Greensboro, and Raleigh. The rain was more than I've ever seen here in CA, but I liked it. Are there many Spanish speakers in Columbia? At my job here in CA, I find I have to use my limited Spanish often, so I am wondering if being bilingual in Columbia is at all important. Are there many historical sites in Columbia? I seem to never run out of questions.

[anonymous]

yeah, you're just full of questions.

If I had to make a comparison, I'd say that Columbia was most similar to Raleigh - but smaller, and with much less new growth. I used to live in Greensboro, NC and IMO it is a piedmont city, similar to Greenville, SC. I've never been to Greenville, NC, but Columbia is a great deal larger.

I don't think speaking Spanish would matter much in Columbia. I've taken about 6 years worth of Spanish classes, and because there's no one to converse with, I've never been able to speak it fluently. I don't have any #'s, but I would guess that there are more Mexicans (or Cubans, Salvadorenos, etc.) than there are "Hispanic Americans" in Columbia.

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by collegeprsn

Columbia keeps sounding better and better! I will have to go and visit. In April, I went and visited NC- Greenville, Greensboro, and Raleigh. The rain was more than I've ever seen here in CA, but I liked it. Are there many Spanish speakers in Columbia? At my job here in CA, I find I have to use my limited Spanish often, so I am wondering if being bilingual in Columbia is at all important. Are there many historical sites in Columbia? I seem to never run out of questions.

I'll answer the historical question. Since we are the state capital, the SC State House is historic and we also have the state museum, a highly ranked zoo and botanical garden and Congaree National Park. The USC Horseshoe (old part of campus) was built starting in 1801 and is very historic. USC had the first separate college library building in the US and it is still in use on the Horseshoe. Living expenses will be much, much less than in California and if you live downtown or close to campus the public transportation is adequate or you can walk or ride a bike. The USC campus is downtown so you can walk to the heart of downtown, The Vista and Five Points (2 restaurant, bar and entertainment areas) very easily from campus.

I have a number of pictures of all of those areas on my website if you'd like to take a look. Good luck.

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