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Under most circumstances when talking to people I would refer to things in Lexington county as being in Columbia. Referencing a larger geographic area generally makes it easier for someone not from around here to follow. But when someone asks about something as local as a high school I feel it is important to be more specific.
I see Lexington as part of Columbia, why would you say otherwise? Folks in Cabarrus County often say they are from Charlotte unless asked what part of Charlotte. Is it that territorial?
As Lex Dad says..depends on the setting. For the most part most people in the Midlands dont have a parochial mindset OUTSIDE of the Midlands.. which is probably true of most Metro areas. I did find when visiting other parts of the State, particuliarly in College, that when you asked someone where they were from.. some may say "Lexington" because I think there was a general assuption, in state, that people knew where that is. I think Lexington is unique in the Midlands because you have a town, County, and a high school all named after the area.. which makes it easy to sum it all up in one word when referencing where you hail from. Of course, outside of SC its just "Columbia" by most sane people...Im sure even the President of the Springdale Civitans wouldnt hail from Springdale at a convention in DC then be disappointed if people didnt know where it was...
Ironically, when in SC and talking to folks from this area.... I never heard anyone say... "West Columbia", "Cayce", "Irmo", "Blythewood"..they just often said "Columbia" until you drilled down an asked them "what part" then they get more specific and reference the actual towns. Even in the Midlands.. I have NEVER heard anyone say that they were from or lived in "Forest Acres". Though I have heard people say that they lived in "Arcadia Lakes" but I think there is a specific reasons for that....
Last edited by Woodlands; 01-16-2013 at 08:00 AM..
I've always noticed that people seem to use the place name they feel is the most prestigious to use in any given circumstance. Someone from Lexington talking to someone from Richland County about the Richland County elections fiasco, for instance, would probably jump at the chance to proclaim they live in Lexington, while they may be more likely to tell a person from Myrtle Beach, for instance, that they're from Columbia, and just hope that the person doesn't associate Columbia with the Richland County elections fiasco.
I've always noticed that people seem to use the place name they feel is the most prestigious to use in any given circumstance. Someone from Lexington talking to someone from Richland County about the Richland County elections fiasco, for instance, would probably jump at the chance to proclaim they live in Lexington, while they may be more likely to tell a person from Myrtle Beach, for instance, that they're from Columbia, and just hope that the person doesn't associate Columbia with the Richland County elections fiasco.
Right... In my reference to Arcadia Lakes.. Because it is a unique and fairly upscale burg.. most residents say it with pride and to some degree of exclusivity which is fine. If people are trying to up their social standing in the conversation this happens often.. I have talked to people from NE Richland County that make a distinction between NE Richland by saying.. "I dont live in the NE I live in Blythewood" because of the thought that Blythewood is more popular given its recent boom though some may argue that Blythewood is IN the NE. Another example some Lake people. I had a friend that said he bought a house near Lake Murray and I said "oh in Irmo?" and he looked at me in horror and said "NO" the goodside.....LOL
Depending on the person.. I think some people like to hail from a "town" versus a "city" as well because it seems more folksy or more romantic and 'Americana' .. which is why someone from Newberry, Camden, and often Lexington may say so even out of state in addition to the more generic "Columbia"..which they simply use as a matter of orientation and not to say that they are from there...(i.e. I'm from Newberry.. its about X miles/minutes outside of Columbia)
Out of state, I say I'm from "near Columbia." In state, I'll usually say that I went to Irmo HS, since that sounds better than "unincorporated part of Lexington County; if you're coming from Columbia, it's a little before the mall."
I've always noticed that people seem to use the place name they feel is the most prestigious to use in any given circumstance.
I think most people use a name that they think will be the easiest for their audience to understand. If I am talking to someone that I know is familiar with Atlanta I will state that I used to live in Lilburn. If I am not sure they know the area I would state that I used to live in Atlanta. And believe me, if you are seeking prestige you would not promote City of Atlanta residency over Lilburn.
I think most people use a name that they think will be the easiest for their audience to understand. If I am talking to someone that I know is familiar with Atlanta I will state that I used to live in Lilburn. If I am not sure they know the area I would state that I used to live in Atlanta. And believe me, if you are seeking prestige you would not promote City of Atlanta residency over Lilburn.
I'm sure that would depend on which neighborhood in Atlanta you lived in, kind of like comparing the true mansions of Heathwood to anything else in the Columbia metro.
A friend who is a former SC DOT employee says there is a plan for connecting I26 out past Irmo to I77 up around Blythewood. Sort of a northern bypass around Columbia.
He also said there is a plan for a southern bypass from about I77 /I26, out around Lexington then back to I26 out past Irmo. He said Lake Murray presents issues, but that can be solved.
Net result would be a beltway around Columbia but he says do not expect to see either in our lifetimes as the volume of traffic does not warrant the expense, and if anything, the northern bypass will be built first.
He also said there is a plan for a southern bypass from about I77 /I26, out around Lexington then back to I26 out past Irmo. He said Lake Murray presents issues, but that can be solved.
I would be interested in seeing how the route between I-20 around Lexington and I-26 around Irmo would work.
I would be interested in seeing how the route between I-20 around Lexington and I-26 around Irmo would work.
Depends on how they are built.. If they are built as limited access freeways like 277.. then the route from 1-20 to I-26 on the Lexington side could be useful to ease congestion. I suspect that both routes..the route from Irmo to Blythewood most definately.. Will be four lane roads which will continue to facilitate sprawling residential and commercial development. In these cases it may not necessarily be a bad thing if it starts to fill in the gaps between the "forks" being I-20 and I-26 around Lexington and I-26 and I-20 between Irmo and NE Richland. and backfill towards the already urbanized areas. I think the outward sprawl has gone as far as it is going to go and most new suburban development will be infill and back towards the city center on undeveloped land.....
They have already started on the Lexington side.. If you look at the expressway by CAE it runs from Airport Blvd on to Platt Springs Road as an expressway.. The plan is to, at a minimum, connect it from Airport Blvd to I-26 so that there is an expressway directly to the Airport then eventually connect it from Platts Springs Road to I-20 which may be further down the line. I think it was supposed to be an expressway on that end too.. but I think it will likely be, if it gets built, a four lane road because landowners will push the politicians to make it so in order to gain valuable road frontage for commercial and residential development. A limited access highway would only benefit those primarily around the interchanges while a four lane road benefits anyone with frontage....
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