Another Newbie with relocating questions! (Columbia, Forest Acres: crime, house, job outlook)
Columbia areaColumbia - Lexington - Irmo
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My husband may be transferred to Columbia in the next year. His business is a touch south of the junction between 26 and 77.
About us- early 40's and two elementary age kiddos.
Needs- Good schools and a decent (30 min or less) commute for DH, safe area-
Also- what are the job outlooks for High School Special Ed/ Science teachers? (for me )
Our housing budget would be up to $275,000
Where should I start looking???
And I will probably have a million more questions. Sorry in advance!
What amenities do you like to have close to home aside from the schools? If it were me in that budget I'd choose Shandon. The schools are good with AC Moore, Hand and Dreher and it's very convenient to shopping and restaurants along with where your husband will be working.
AC Moore Elementary gets a rating of 4 on Great Schools, which is a terrible ranking. I believe there are better options in NE Columbia, and Lexington that meet their 30 minutes or less commute requirement. However, as it has been mentioned before, it depends if they want an older home - Shandon or Rosewood Or something 20 years and under - parts of Lexington and NE Columbia as well as any other requirements besides good schools.
Definitely Lexington. Get into Lexington 1 schools, you can find plenty of house for $275,000 with low taxes and lower crime and a great family friendly atmosphere. It can be tough to get a teaching job in that district but if you have experience and can interview well you can get in.
With elementary aged children I would recommend trying to get in either Midway or New Providence Elementary school. Both are top notch.
Forest Acres & the East Columbia area could be doable on your budget but you'll get less house for your money than you will out in Lexington. Flip side is that you're a lot closer to "stuff to do".
Not picky about age of the house (don't want a total fixer upper but don't need brand new construction either). Not knowing a ton about Columbia in general I suspect we would learn more towards suburbia as it is what we are used to but not married to the the idea.
We are currently in the suburbs of Dallas but bc of geography and weather, are looking forward to getting the kids outside- parks, lakes, camping, fishing, hiking, things to do!
Reasonable access to restaurants, shopping
Thanks for the suggestions so far, I will start exploring
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