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I haven't been in Columbia very long, but it just feels really strange to me. You'd think, that being the capital, it be the more developed than other cities in the state. However, it just feels kinda empty to me. Form what I've heard, there's a lot of hate on Columbia comparing it to Greenville and Charleston. I haven't been to Greenville, but I've read a good bit on both Greenville and Charleston and it just seems strange to me they completely destroy Columbia in terms of amenities, general perceptions, jobs (this is where Columbia really sufferers IMO). Overall, it seems that Columbia is completely uninviting except to retirees and USC students.
I've heard the argument about the historics of Charleston and the convenient location of Greenville, but there has to be more that that. Any ideas?
yeah Greenville and Charleston are far superior to Columbia.
In the case of Charleston, it is a combination of it's historical position, architecture from the past, on the ocean, and it has a huge gentrification that has been ongoing for a long time.
Greenville is a much prettier area naturally than Columbia and it was built as a textile center so there was a large technical and business know how that has been transferred into other industries, the city has brilliantly developed downtown, and it also is gentrifying.
Columbia has the capital and USC so it should thrive and to be fair, it doesn't suck it just isn't keeping pace with Charleston and Greenville more because Charleston and Greenville are separating themselves.
Ah, the NCAA tournament. It was held at BSW Arena not too long ago and is scheduled to go there again in the coming years. Carolina had a good run that season. So I don't know that it's arena being larger and centrally located is what landed it. It seems to move around.
Remember that Greenville got the tournament last year only because of the HB2 debacle in NC where it was originally scheduled to be held. But I was mentioning the tournament as a win for CLA in a general sense, especially since this will be only the second time it will have been held in Columbia. Also, hosting the tournament was a major reason CLA was built as large as it was to begin with; it's one of the largest on-campus arenas in the country.
yeah Greenville and Charleston are far superior to Columbia.
In the case of Charleston, it is a combination of it's historical position, architecture from the past, on the ocean, and it has a huge gentrification that has been ongoing for a long time.
Greenville is a much prettier area naturally than Columbia and it was built as a textile center so there was a large technical and business know how that has been transferred into other industries, the city has brilliantly developed downtown, and it also is gentrifying.
Columbia has the capital and USC so it should thrive and to be fair, it doesn't suck it just isn't keeping pace with Charleston and Greenville more because Charleston and Greenville are separating themselves.
This is an extremely subjective analysis. Atlanta is a city I could unquestionably say is "far superior" to Columbia, not Charleston or Greenville especially, and personally I try not to say that one city is superior to another but that one city may excel in certain things more than another. You mentioned Charleston's geography, history, and architecture as reasons that it is "superior" to Columbia but I've seen people use those same factors to argue that Asheville is "superior" to Charlotte, which I find preposterous myself.
When you look at things comprehensively and over a longer period of time from an objective standpoint which includes several key metrics, you'd be incorrect. As a matter of fact, your post reiterates what has been said throughout this entire thread--Columbia's branding/marketing is wanting. There was never really a pressing need for that in Columbia historically since the region's economy is largely supported by the institutional fixtures of state government, USC, and Fort Jackson and not as much by declining industries that hollowed out the regional economy (or natural disasters like Hugo). The 90's was a very pivotal decade in all of this which is when BMW came to the Upstate and Charleston was reeling from Hugo and experienced the closure of the naval base--yet in terms of growth that decade, Columbia posted the strongest numbers in one or a few categories without really even having to "do" anything. Columbia needs to excel at branding/marketing to remain competitive, but not to essentially remain alive. Greenville has excelled at such to an extent that people seem to regard it as the Piedmont version of Charleston and that it is among the top tier of Sunbelt cities (which includes Atlanta, Charlotte, the Triangle, Nashville, the major FL and TX cities, etc.) in terms of growth; it's almost like a modern-day "New South" commercial campaign that resulted in an influx of industry to Atlanta right after the Civil War.
Remember that Greenville got the tournament last year only because of the HB2 debacle in NC where it was originally scheduled to be held. But I was mentioning the tournament as a win for CLA in a general sense, especially since this will be only the second time it will have been held in Columbia. Also, hosting the tournament was a major reason CLA was built as large as it was to begin with; it's one of the largest on-campus arenas in the country.
Cool, cool. But it's coming back to BSW too. The women's tournament will be there again this year.
Honestly, Greenville is so freaking conservative, you couldn't pay me to live there. I love Charleston - to visit, but prefer living in Columbia.
Greenville is becoming fairly diverse, because it is growing quickly. On the flip side I don't care for extreme liberalism either. So you pick your poison. They're both extremes and go too far with stuff.
One thing lost in these city appraisals being thrown out is the peaks and valleys and growing pains cities go through overtime, it’s not a straight line up. Charleston is currently enjoying a peak as is Greenville. The future however for Columbia is very bright as the city center continues to densify and in 2030 you’re likely to hear a lot of bellyaching about how much cooler Charleston and Greenville were a decade ago. Meanwhile in 2030 tastemakers will widely acknowledge Columbia’s coming of age and turn in the spotlight
This is an extremely subjective analysis. Atlanta is a city I could unquestionably say is "far superior" to Columbia, not Charleston or Greenville especially, and personally I try not to say that one city is superior to another but that one city may excel in certain things more than another. You mentioned Charleston's geography, history, and architecture as reasons that it is "superior" to Columbia but I've seen people use those same factors to argue that Asheville is "superior" to Charlotte, which I find preposterous myself.
When you look at things comprehensively and over a longer period of time from an objective standpoint which includes several key metrics, you'd be incorrect. As a matter of fact, your post reiterates what has been said throughout this entire thread--Columbia's branding/marketing is wanting. There was never really a pressing need for that in Columbia historically since the region's economy is largely supported by the institutional fixtures of state government, USC, and Fort Jackson and not as much by declining industries that hollowed out the regional economy (or natural disasters like Hugo). The 90's was a very pivotal decade in all of this which is when BMW came to the Upstate and Charleston was reeling from Hugo and experienced the closure of the naval base--yet in terms of growth that decade, Columbia posted the strongest numbers in one or a few categories without really even having to "do" anything. Columbia needs to excel at branding/marketing to remain competitive, but not to essentially remain alive. Greenville has excelled at such to an extent that people seem to regard it as the Piedmont version of Charleston and that it is among the top tier of Sunbelt cities (which includes Atlanta, Charlotte, the Triangle, Nashville, the major FL and TX cities, etc.) in terms of growth; it's almost like a modern-day "New South" commercial campaign that resulted in an influx of industry to Atlanta right after the Civil War.
This is an extremely subjective analysis. Atlanta is a city I could unquestionably say is "far superior" to Columbia, not Charleston or Greenville especially, and personally I try not to say that one city is superior to another but that one city may excel in certain things more than another. You mentioned Charleston's geography, history, and architecture as reasons that it is "superior" to Columbia but I've seen people use those same factors to argue that Asheville is "superior" to Charlotte, which I find preposterous myself.
When you look at things comprehensively and over a longer period of time from an objective standpoint which includes several key metrics, you'd be incorrect. As a matter of fact, your post reiterates what has been said throughout this entire thread--Columbia's branding/marketing is wanting. There was never really a pressing need for that in Columbia historically since the region's economy is largely supported by the institutional fixtures of state government, USC, and Fort Jackson and not as much by declining industries that hollowed out the regional economy (or natural disasters like Hugo). The 90's was a very pivotal decade in all of this which is when BMW came to the Upstate and Charleston was reeling from Hugo and experienced the closure of the naval base--yet in terms of growth that decade, Columbia posted the strongest numbers in one or a few categories without really even having to "do" anything. Columbia needs to excel at branding/marketing to remain competitive, but not to essentially remain alive. Greenville has excelled at such to an extent that people seem to regard it as the Piedmont version of Charleston and that it is among the top tier of Sunbelt cities (which includes Atlanta, Charlotte, the Triangle, Nashville, the major FL and TX cities, etc.) in terms of growth; it's almost like a modern-day "New South" commercial campaign that resulted in an influx of industry to Atlanta right after the Civil War.
Yes, my comments are subjective and based on my experiences in the 3 cities and from what I've read as well. One metric that ends up saying a lot is average house prices in the 3:
Charleston - $322K
Greenville - $186K
Columbia - $133K
Clearly Charleston is the most desirable location for people buying houses and I would say that the old architecture of Charleston is a significant factor in that....so many incredibly beautiful old homes in Charleston.
Greenville and Columbia are more similar but you see Greenville starting to separate from Columbia and I have yet to see anything changing that.
I'm not negative on Columbia, I think it's a fine southern city, I just see Charleston and Greenville advancing at a faster clip.
Yes, my comments are subjective and based on my experiences in the 3 cities and from what I've read as well. One metric that ends up saying a lot is average house prices in the 3:
Charleston - $322K
Greenville - $186K
Columbia - $133K
Clearly Charleston is the most desirable location for people buying houses and I would say that the old architecture of Charleston is a significant factor in that....so many incredibly beautiful old homes in Charleston.
Greenville and Columbia are more similar but you see Greenville starting to separate from Columbia and I have yet to see anything changing that.
I'm not negative on Columbia, I think it's a fine southern city, I just see Charleston and Greenville advancing at a faster clip.
Hmm... that seems kind of low even for Columbia. What’s the source? Zillow seem to be inaccurate.
I’m observing around 160k from multiple sources.
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