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I have found Columbia to be a breeze traffic wise. Irmo around Harbison would be the worst I have run into. VAS is awesome. One of the nicest shopping areas I have seen anywhere. We have been living in Lexington while closing on our house in Elgin. I really like both areas. I found the northeast to be a little too tightly packed with houses. That's why we decided on Elgin. We figure we have maybe years before the growth reaches us.
If they wanted to be close to Charlotte, then they'd move to Rock Hill or Fort Mill. To be so "well-traveled" and "cosmopolitan," you certainly seem to be stuck on that overgrown country town with big buildings (I like the city, but that's what it is).
If they wanted to be close to Charlotte, then they'd move to Rock Hill or Fort Mill. To be so "well-traveled" and "cosmopolitan," you certainly seem to be stuck on that overgrown country town with big buildings (I like the city, but that's what it is).
NO, you seem to be mistakend. Columbia, is the overgrown country town with a few big buildings. And you got that quote straight from that ABC report. You're so original... and believe me, if Atlanta, Chicago, L.A. and NYC were closer to Columbia, i would visit them more often too....but unfortunately they are not. So I have grown with CLT, and compared to Columbia to me Charlotte is lightyears ahead of Columbia with nightlife, restaurants, culture, open-mindedness, shopping, sports, big events, etc...
Columbia, is the overgrown country town with a few big buildings. And you got that quote straight from that ABC report. You're so original...
Absolutely not. Just in case you didn't know, Charlotte is commonly described as such...many times from Charlotteans themselves.
So how about I throw Charlotte up against a bigger city, like Atlanta or DC or Boston? All of a sudden, Charlotte doesn't seem so perfect, does it? Similarly, I could compare Sumter to Columbia, but why? The fact is that typically, a bigger city is going to be ahead of a smaller city in several categories simply due to its size (and even then, the smaller city could most certainly have a leg up on the larger city in a few areas--which I think Columbia is compared to Charlotte). When you compare Columbia to similarly sized cities, it fares pretty well in many areas. In other words, make an apples-to-apples comparison. Everyone doesn't want to be in Charlotte, which has worse traffic, crime, pollution, higher taxes etc. than a smaller city like Columbia--but that doesn't matter to you as long as the shopping is great, right? Adults with real world responsibilities consider these things important.
At any rate, this isn't a Columbia vs. Charlotte discussion, which is what you try to make every discussion here out to be.
Last edited by Akhenaton06; 08-16-2007 at 03:58 PM..
There are quite a few options in Columbia depending on the type of home you are looking for (new vinyl vs. older brick bungalow, garage, number of bdrms) and your price range.
A very family friendly area that is often overlooked is the Hampton area. It is a great neighborhood very close to town (Devine Street/Five Points/the Vista) with traditional houses with nice sized yards and lots of trees. Houses range from 200,000 up to around 400-500,000.
One of the most popular places to live is Shandon. This is a quaint neighborhood right in town. You will pay a lot per square foot in this neighborhood, but many believe it is worth it (Houses average around $300,000).
Rosewood is just south of Shandon and is an "up and coming" neighborhood which is much more affordable and has some of the same charm as Shandon (Houses range from $100,000-low 200,000).
The Northeast isn't as close to the center of Columbia, but it has a big shopping center near as many have mentioned (sand hills). First things first, compared to Charlotte shopping, Columbia's shopping is not so good. Most of the homes in this area are much newer than Shandon and Rosewood and you can get more for your money. But some neighborhoods lack the charm of the downtown areas mentioned previously. Lake Carolina is a great neighborhood which I think has some charm and a price range for almost every buyer. It is about 30 minutes to town though.
I have been here for about 10 months, live in the NE around a place called " Villages at Sand Hill" one of the nicest area of town,and not much traffic, easy drive to town, my wife works downtown and it only takes her 30 mins to get to work. Do try to stay away from the Irmo area, it is a nice area, but traffic can really suck around the I-26 / I20 interchange
I completely disagree with that comment, but aside from that,
To the original poster, if you'll give me a price range, desired home features, desired community features I can reccomend a few areas and subdivisions. I am a full time Realtor and very familiar with all of the Greater Columbia area, including Chapin and Lexington. You can also visit my website at www.HoffmanSells.com (broken link) to search some area homes.-Brandon Hoffman, ERA Wilder Realty, Brandon.Hoffman@era.com
why are people arguing over city sizes, and columbia vs. charlotte? that's kinda funny.
i have been living off and on in columbia for 32 years.. i grew up in the st. andrews and irmo area. went to irmo high school and loved it. i went to usc and loved it. people are so friendly in columbia.. i lived in kansas city for awhile and it's just not the same... plus i missed the southern food!! can't beat lizard's thicket for that!
i also love the lake murray area, near ballentine... lexington is nice too. i like shopping at harbison... the traffic is bad over there during rush hour, but i just do all my shopping before or after then!!
I wish realtors would stop advertising on here. Does everything have to be profit driven? The points made about features desired in a neighborhood are great, but they are ruined by the attempt to garner business out of the post.
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