What will be Columbia's next hot neighborhood? (Lexington, Saluda: townhomes, schools)

[waccamatt]

I don't live far from Columbia College or the Seminary, in fact 4 Columbia College students live in the house next to mine. If you live in a city you're going to live around a diversity of people. In my opinion, the neighborhood around those 2 schools isn't that bad. It would be a shame if either of those schools moved out to the sterile suburbs. I do agree that the public schools in Eau Claire leave a lot to be desired, but I doubt either school would move. If so, I think they're doing their students a disservice. College is not just for learning about a particular major, it's also about learning to live and deal with people from all walks of life and a suburban environment just does not provide that.

[LexingtonDad]

I know you are a "homer" matt but even you can understand that people want to feel safe where they live. And nobody in the North Columbia (Main Street) area feels safe. There are tons of good people in this area and you can identify them by the wrought iron guards on their windows and doors and the blackout curtains they use to hide that they are up. The problem is the people that wander the streets at night looking for opportunity and strike at any weak point they find.

And you mention "sterile suburbs" like it is a bad thing. I kind of like feeling safe in my home. I value my family's safety over any politically correct arrangement.

[Columbiadata]

To each his own, but the sterility of the suburbs is what is wrong with our entire nation.

[davey123]

Originally Posted by Columbiadata

To each his own, but the sterility of the suburbs is what is wrong with our entire nation.

I definitely agree to each his/her own. I was wondering if you could elaborate on the point that you make about "what is wrong with our entire nation?"

[Woodlands]

I have no doubt that there have been things that have happened over the years that have made people nervous about the area..but do not most of CC residents live on campus.. and the ones that dont ...have cars and live throughout the City and not necessarily in the immediate neighborhood around the campus? I am not aware of any major incidents (though I am sure there have probably been property crimes, larceny from vehicles, etc.. which happens at many colleges and universities especially in urban environments). Security on Columbia College is also pretty significant and would not most males that are bent on criminal activites have a problem blending in and moving around unnoticed on campus particuliarly outside of classes/business hours???

Granted.. if a parent FEELS that their child will not be safe at a school then they certainly have a right to remove them from that environment and should take the necessary precautions.. I was not sure if there was some incident or series of incidents that may have actually shook the school/parents and thus causing more interest/conversations on relocation discussions?

[LexingtonDad]

There have been no on campus incidents beyond property crime that I am aware of but the surrounding neighborhoods seem to be a little less sterile than other suburbs. There was a shooting death at the seminary a few years ago but it was gang members after each other and no students were involved. I do believe there are a number of lesser crimes against persons in the area but I don't have any figures to show that it is better or worse than other areas in COLA.

Keep in mind the bit about Columbia College was just a conversation I overheard between 2 people who probably have no say about what could happen. The point they seemed to be trying to make is the campus could move and take it's student body with it. A campus in a growing suburb would likely bring more people into the lucrative evening grad programs and the more rural surroundings would likely make the school more appealing to many parents and their daughters.

[guest25]

Originally Posted by LexingtonDad

I know you are a "homer" matt but even you can understand that people want to feel safe where they live. And nobody in the North Columbia (Main Street) area feels safe.

Um, I live in Hyatt Park and I feel safe. At least just as safe as I would feel in Rosewood or Shandon or Earlewood or Cottontown or any urban neighborhood anywhere. More safe than when I lived in 5 points while attending USC a few years ago (my car was broken into 4 times & was hit in the parking lot 3 times there - I only lived there 3 years!).
This neighborhood is full of tons of amazing people. Yes there are a few drug dealers. Yes, there are some misguided "kids" (who are actually the main problem). But if I moved somewhere like Lexington I'd just have to worry about meth-heads, I wouldn't have an awesome 100 year old house, and I'd have a 30 minute commute to work! I'm a small girl and I've walked my dogs on an almost daily basis for the last 2 years around this neighborhood and I've never had a problem on those walks. The worst we've had is some kids throw a rock through our window last year and some kids trying to break into our house (while we were obviously home - they ran away when my SO pulled back the curtain to the window) this year. One of my coworkers lives in the *country* in Lancaster and their house was robbed just a few months ago. You're not *safe* anywhere. At least here, I've got several good neighbors closeby looking out for me.

On top of all of that, I'm going to get an amazing return on my investment in a few years!

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by LexingtonDad

I know you are a "homer" matt but even you can understand that people want to feel safe where they live. And nobody in the North Columbia (Main Street) area feels safe. There are tons of good people in this area and you can identify them by the wrought iron guards on their windows and doors and the blackout curtains they use to hide that they are up. The problem is the people that wander the streets at night looking for opportunity and strike at any weak point they find.

And you mention "sterile suburbs" like it is a bad thing. I kind of like feeling safe in my home. I value my family's safety over any politically correct arrangement.

As I said before, I live in North Columbia and feel perfectly safe in my home. I also have wonderful neighbors.

[Columbiadata]

Suburbia isn't community-focused. It's not about downtowns and neighborhood schools. Getting back that sense of community this nation once had is what we need. I'm just old enough to remember when downtown was the center of everything in all cities and towns, and you lived in a city, in a town or in the country. I guess I should write a book.

[LexingtonDad]

Originally Posted by waccamatt

As I said before, I live in North Columbia and feel perfectly safe in my home. I also have wonderful neighbors.

I wasn't talking about North Columbia as a whole, I was talking about North Main Street area of Columbia. There are very few places in Columbia I don't feel safe and that area is at the top of the list.