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Old 03-13-2014, 05:29 PM
 
Location: Storybrook
124 posts, read 240,768 times
Reputation: 148

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I would love to hear from anyone that has lived in both places and could compare the two. COL, education, amenities, family friendliness, medical care etc...the overall differences. Which one would you choose to live in and why?
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Old 03-13-2014, 10:10 PM
 
235 posts, read 401,150 times
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Default Thoughts about Columbia and Winston-Salem

Yes,
I've lived in both cities. I live in Columbia now. They actually share a lot of good features--friendly people, generally favorable traffic, a love for the arts, and an intense interest in all things green for downtown beautification. Health care there features the awesomeness of Wake Forest plus the immense Forsyth Co. Hospital system, so you are well taken care of in W/S. Columbia is no different, with probably more great hospital choices than we really need. The COL is similar in my view. Amenities are similar, although W/S has no lake access nearby like Columbia. Also, Columbia is situated on a more beautiful geographic setting in my opinion with the undisturbed confluence of the three rivers. In 2014, Columbia is up-and-coming, there's a really sense that the city is finally onto some great urban achievements; Winston-Salem has seen its better days. It hasn't really recovered after the loss of some major industries, including RJR, Hanes, and Dell Computer. Still, I love the personality of the city and its rich traditions. It also doesn't get nearly as hot in the summer there! Shopping opportunities are similar; dining choices are also similar. USC is more big time with college sports compared with Wake, but I dare say you'll have a hard time finding a more beautiful campus than Wake. Overall, though, Columbia gets the nod--it is on the climb and now is a good time to live in the Midlands and help to create the urban lifestyle we all crave--whereas Winston-Salem maybe has peaked. These things are very cyclical so don't count Winston-Salem out!
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Old 03-14-2014, 02:00 AM
 
Location: Storybrook
124 posts, read 240,768 times
Reputation: 148
Thank you daddo61 that was very helpful
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Old 03-15-2014, 02:19 PM
 
202 posts, read 293,317 times
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You get a lot more fall color in Winsten Salem than Columbia and to me it feels a little more urban downtown than Columbia.

I think WS will probably blow out Columbia as far as scenery goes, for most people, due to the more hardwoods and fall color than Columbia which is mostly pines. You won't have much if any interaction with the rivers in Columbia so I thought that was an odd thing to bring up.

Columbia feels more like a college town.

Traffic seems much worse in WS to me.
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Old 03-15-2014, 02:30 PM
 
Location: Columbia, SC
6,830 posts, read 16,488,425 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Esso View Post
You get a lot more fall color in Winsten Salem than Columbia and to me it feels a little more urban downtown than Columbia.

I think WS will probably blow out Columbia as far as scenery goes, for most people, due to the more hardwoods and fall color than Columbia which is mostly pines. You won't have much if any interaction with the rivers in Columbia so I thought that was an odd thing to bring up.

Columbia feels more like a college town.

Traffic seems much worse in WS to me.
The flora in Columbia depends on the section of town you live in. I live on the north side of downtown and there are almost all hardwoods in my neighborhood, while Forest Acres has mostly pines. You obviously don't live in Columbia.
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Old 03-15-2014, 02:33 PM
 
202 posts, read 293,317 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by waccamatt View Post
The flora in Columbia depends on the section of town you live in. I live on the north side of downtown and there are almost all hardwoods in my neighborhood, while Forest Acres has mostly pines. You obviously don't live in Columbia.
Forest Acres actually maybe prettiest area of town. Those arent your average pines.

Do you disagree with me that WS will be seen as more "scenic" than Columbia by majority of pepole simply because it is at base of mountains?

I don't have a problem with scenery in Columbia but for many peole it is a lot more pine trees than where they are from.
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Old 03-15-2014, 02:53 PM
 
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
12,747 posts, read 18,558,385 times
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Pines make a nice backdrop for the abundance of deciduous trees in Columbia and offer year-round greenery and a contrast to the gray architecture of leafless grand trees in the winter, but they are located almost exclusively in the outlying areas of the city. Columbia (Tree City USA for 33+ years) can be proud of its neon green and floral spring colors, its deep green summer canopy and its splendid autumn colors that grace the city about two to three weeks after the trees in the mountains drop their leaves. With about 36,000 college students out of a city population of 131,000+ and a metropolitan statistical area population of about 790,000 and counting, Columbia feels a lot less like a college town than many try to make it out to be, not that there's anything wrong with the college town feel, what with news that places with universities stand to prosper in the new economy. Traffic isn't that bad in Columbia because it is well accommodated by the large, near perfect grid and by streets that have more lanes than the typical city's streets. It was planned that way.
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Old 03-15-2014, 03:02 PM
 
202 posts, read 293,317 times
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I'm not sure if Columbia Data is a person or a tourism cyber robot. Reads like a script almost.

Columbia does have traffic issues due to the 3 rivers limitteding commuter routes, and the prescene of a big lake to the west and a huge military base to the east also impacting how the metro developed. WS traffic might not be as bad across the board but that area around Wake Forest was annoying when I was there last.

I understand the appeal of green all year but I don't think most will agree Columbia wins on scenery over WS.
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Old 03-15-2014, 03:09 PM
 
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
12,747 posts, read 18,558,385 times
Reputation: 3086
I'm a person and I call it as I see it. I only offered a description of Columbia's seasonal colors to refute the notion that it's mostly a pine forest. I don't compare cities as a rule. I only share what I know about my city. You're the one who said Winston-Salem's traffic seems worse than Columbia's. I only explained why that might be the case. That's not to say Columbia has perfect traffic flow all the time; after all it's a city.
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Old 03-15-2014, 03:26 PM
 
202 posts, read 293,317 times
Reputation: 74
Quote:
Originally Posted by Columbiadata View Post
I'm a person and I call it as I see it. I only offered a description of Columbia's seasonal colors to refute the notion that it's mostly a pine forest. I don't compare cities as a rule. I only share what I know about my city. You're the one who said Winston-Salem's traffic seems worse than Columbia's. I only explained why that might be the case. That's not to say Columbia has perfect traffic flow all the time; after all it's a city.
Ok I wasn't disagreeing with you on traffic. I was developing my previous comments on Cola's traffic and admitting that my knowledge of WS traffic might not be comprehensive. I've always wished the military base was located further away from town so Columbia could have developed east through that area.

There is some color in Columbia but the northeast side especially is a lot of pine forest. I agree areas like Lexington around the lake have a great mix of evergreen and hardwood.

I do agree Columbia probably has a better future in store than WS, part of that is WS loses a lot of stuff to Greensboro nearby.
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