moving to Columbia area in 08 (Charleston, Lexington: lawyer, property taxes, condos)

[mustangtiff21]

Originally Posted by waccamatt

LOL, I wouldn't mind a little 4 degrees and snow here. Seriously, it does get cold on occasion, but it doesn't last for as long as up north and it usually warms up during the day.

Are you crazy?!?! They can KEEP the cold up north....maybe...maybe...have some snow on Christmas day and thats enough for me!

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by mustangtiff21

Are you crazy?!?! They can KEEP the cold up north....maybe...maybe...have some snow on Christmas day and thats enough for me!

I love snow, we don't get enough of it to suit me. We usually get a dusting at least once most winters and a 3-6 incher+ about once every 4 or 5 years. I'd be happy if we got a 3-6 incher every winter, though.

[jnick2000]

A nice neighborhood on the outsirts of the City of Columbia (17 miles to downtown) is the Ballentine Area. Milford Park is a beautiful subdivision with a community pool/cabana. Traditional Houses ranges from the low 200's to around 280's. Taxes are LOW! The schools are top rated. Kids can walk to Ballentine Elementary. The other schools are Dutch Fork Middle and Dutch Fork High. The school district is Lexington/Richland 5. AND, only a short trip to beautiful Lake Murray.

Good Luck on your tranisition!

[devilsdcb]

[SIZE=3]Thanks again for the info my youngest is 18 and I think she is going to[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Charleston School of the arts I can’t what to move people up hear are not the[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Same as when I was younger I think the south still has good people[/SIZE]

[phillybound]

there is not even any good vistas, flat as a pancake

[NancyM]

Hi, I'm in NJ and I too am relocating to Columbia, either end of Jan 08 or end of Feb. I'm self employed and still have a few projects to finish here. I'm SOOOO looking foward to moving to Columbia SC.....I looked at some property in Lake Carolina but decided I didn't want to pay the higher regime fee, so I may rent month-to-month at Oakwood until I can find a house to buy.

[waccamatt]

Nancy, that's a good idea that will allow you to get a feel for the various neighborhoods you're considering.

[NancyM]

Waccamatt, I think I will probably miss the snow a little bit too once I'm planted in SC and have been there a few winters. I don't really like the cold much.....I hate when it gets down to the teens so that part I won't miss at all!

One thing I am looking foward to is there seem to be more christian values in SC, maybe not as prevalent in Columbia as in Greenville (I hear Greenville is more conservative).....but I noticed people's patience levels in both Columbia and Greenville were 90% higher than NJ's. I was astounded when I didn't "go" right away at a light when it turned green, that no one flipped me the bird or honked at me. That alone made me wanna move there tomorrow lol!

[deibu]

I've grown up here, and I've gotta say, when I'm behind someone not moving on a just-turned-green stoplight, my immediate reaction is not to honk, but just to think "OK, maybe they'll notice in a second, I'd hate to be rude and honk my horn". If they still don't notice after a few seconds, then I honk quickly, but almost feel bad about it! Not sure if that makes sense but I think that's the mentality of a lot of people here... I have to say though, although it might be pleasant most of the time, there are times when I just wish people would hurry up!

Not sure what denomination you are, how conservative you are, but you'll find most of the surrounding areas of the city very, very conservative. It's changing now, but in SC, even most of the Democrats are still quite conservative. I'm liberal but I still definitely welcome you to Columbia!

[NancyM]

That's my point....you said you "hate to be rude". People in NJ don't think honking or screaming out their window at you is rude. They think they are entitled to the entire road and you have gall being in their way. People here have gotten very arrogant. There seems to be a growing attitude here that the way to get what you need is to threaten, push, and bully everyone around you. So, unless you push back and not cower, you get walked on pretty regularly.

I'm in a non-denominational evangelical church so I'm hoping to find something simliar in Columbia. I know it's changing by you, but hopefully it won't be as bad as NJ for a very very long time. I know everything changes and there's no getting around it....I met a guy from West VA last week. He said he's only been here in NJ for 4 months and he hates it. He is finding himself becoming rude and short fused with people because that's how everyone is with him. He is going back to W VA in 2 months. He said he doesn't like the effect NJ is having on him. He doesn't like being rude. I couldn't agree with him more because I find myself less patient and forgiving since others are so impatient with me all the time. I've have watched 18 yr old girls curse out an 80 yr old man simply because they were irritated that he was taking so long to move out of his parking space. I ended up intervening and telling off the teenagers. People in NJ have grown very cold hearted. Is very sad. Isn't the same place at all that it was even 10 yrs ago.

Everyone here is weary of the grind and struggling to keep pace, so there is alot of impatience and short fused people walking around. It's not just housing and taxes that are high. In Seattle WA, if you need to euthanize your ailing pet, it only costs $25. In NJ, it cost $80. In Seattle, you can rent a luxury car for a week for $126. In NJ, it will cost $136 just for one day with a Rav 4 no frills rental. My Seattle friend got her cat immunized and it cost her about $30 to get rabies and distemper. I got charged $300 for the same shots.

You could spend at least 30k more a yr just living in NJ over other states. I know CA and NY are bad, but NJ has gotten ridiculous. Stats show one needs to make at least 100k a yr here to live like lower middle class.