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Rosewood is a good school but not great for the midlands. EL Wright, Lake Carolina, and Brockman are in the top five schools in the state based on 2013 test scores.
Shandon is also not that safe compared to other neighborhoods in the metro area. I would much rather be in the county and rely on the Richland County sheriff's office than the Columbia police dept. I hate to bring up the murder in Shandon when the police were called by concerned neighbors, but since no one answered the door they left. Then there was the police shootout with the young man who followed the paper delivery guy -- that happened in extremely close proximity to one of the larger church preschools. There have been brutal beatings and several shootings in Five Points.
I love the walkability of Shandon, but there are definitely safer options and better schools in the midlands.
I think the kind of parents who live in Shandon would argue that there are better measures of a school than test scores. I don't live there, I actually live out in the 'burbs but my wife and I have agreed that if we move again within Columbia it will either be to Shandon/Forest Acres or to Lake Murray. Your point is taken though, you're absolutely correct that if your only concerns are safety and schools, there are plenty of other (and cheaper) options.
However, I'd just like to point out that murders of non-acquaintances are very rare. Hell if you use murder rate over the past few years, Ascot is probably one of the most violent neighborhoods in the state.
I don't want to jinx the city, but nearly every headline I've seen about violent crime recently has said Richland County deputies were investigating, if not Lexington County deputies. I don't think the significant shift that's taking place is my imagination.
Everywhere is going to have some crime. Heck, a couple of weeks ago there was an article in the Charleston Post and Courier that said Charleston has had five homicides so far this year, "all of them downtown." As in Columbia and the surrounding areas, most of the crime there has been domestic or at least committed by someone who knew the victim.
Like I said, crime is everywhere, so calling out the city of Columbia as being a hotbed of criminal activity compared to the county or other places is misguided. And Columbia has a new police chief who seems to have a few fingers on the pulse of the city.
Most people who live in Shandon don't send their kids to public schools. So schools really aren't an issue. It's location, proximity to shopping and dining, general upkeep and desirablilty are what drive prices sky high in Shandon.
Most people in Shandon do send their kids to public school. Sure, a small percentage utilize the private schools, but let's not get carried away.
Also, home prices in Shandon are not sky high. Many homes in Shandon proper have been listed off and on for two to five years and are just now selling, and those who bought at the wrong time have sold for much lower than what they paid. It is not a perfect real estate market. Just look through zillow and you'll find many examples of people who had a hard time selling.
And while many homes and yards are well-kept, the student rental housing is an eyesore.
When we moved to the area in 2010 from Charleston we did flirt with the idea of in town living. We toured Shandon several times. It was a mixed bag from very nice to shabby often on the same block. It also appeared as safe as any urban area and safer then some we had lived in when younger. Also the age (old) of many of the houses turned me off. All I could see was constant repair/replace. Additionally we wanted care free living as in all is taken care of by an association.
I also had to giggle at some of the outrageous prices some were asking. Many homes were older and in serious need of work but after all...they were in Shandon...LOL
Had we been in our 30's to 50's, Shandon would have been of interest. We decided we wanted new plus we decided against in town living versus deciding against Shandon.
So is it just a matter of exclusivity, since low crime rates and schools aren't necessarily the price driving factor.
I don't live in the area....yet, but I am guessing the area is rather free of section 8 programs, could this be why? It has been hard for me to compile data on this.
I personally would pay a premium to not have section 8 neighbors.
Crime is a problem whether it be in the City or in the County.. both have their hot spots... The City, having more concentrated entertainment districts.. will alway bear the brunt of any crimes in the Midlands associated with Bars and related entertainment venues though the criminals may or may not be City residents. I wish the CPD would merge with the Sheriff's Department and just become Metro Police..I know there is politics involved.. but the position of a few politicos shouldnt outweigh the overall public good. This would put more officers on the street in a more coordinated manner without the technicality of "city limits"..By the way, the City is IN the County so technically the Sheriff's Department can patrol the City Limits though turf and professional courtesy may prevent them from doing so....CPD is slowly getting their act together.. When I was growing up CPD was a good police force and well respected.. Then in the 90s there were a series of police involved shootings of teenagers at night clubs and some other related stuff in yokal bars in the hood that got them on the community's sheet list and they have struggled off an on with leadership, maintaining community support, morale issues, and some abuse of power allegations (depending on who you ask) .... ever since...
Having said all of that.. if you dial 911 from Shandon.. I would think your response time would be pretty good... unless there is a brawl down in Five Points which probably takes them away from the coverage some there would like...
Should the Forest Acres Police Department be dissolved into the RCSD, too?
That would be at their option...Columbia and Richland County has the two largest law enforcement agencies in the Midlands, cover the most area that is bisected with donut holes that are surrounded by the city but in the County.. pockets of crime that straddle the lines of both jurisdictions.. then there is the political thing with coordinated enforcement.. how are resources deployed in areas that are a hot bed of crime in the County, but just across the street from the City Limits? Crime moves fluidly between the two.. but are the two agencies working together to root out the causes/bad actors regardless of where their physical address is...?
Forest Acres is much smaller and does not have nearly the myriad of complicated problems nor crime...that challenge RCSD and CPD. Arcadia Lakes relies on RCSD for their protection as does Blythewood.. so whether they keep their police department or not would be up to their elected officials and their town since they are paying for it... I suspect that they would keep it since the response time in Forest Acres by a FAPD is probably hugely better than a Sheriff Deputy since each officer has to cover a smaller geographic area.. that is probably most important to FA residents. Since residents of every municipality in Richland County pay County Taxes as well. .they would be still entitled to RCSD even if it was part of a Metro Police Department unless there is some legislative action for them to "opt out" which I guess would depend on state statues on whether that is possible or not
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