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We moved to a suburb outside of Atlanta a year ago. I've never adjusted. We'd been in VA which wasn't perfect, but which was home. Our current suburb is very "cookie" and we've had a hard time making friends.
My kids are 12 and making friends seems to get harder as they get older. Not sure why. They're both very friendly albeit young: still into Lego and young stuff. They're definitely not "12 going on 16."
There's a job for my husband in Lexington. Dh isn't thrilled w/ his job, but he's also hesitant to leave the known for the unknown. Lexington/Columbia sounds more like our town in VA: small, no traffic etc. Atlanta is huge, tons of scary traffic.
Also Lexington is closer to our friends in VA making visiting a whole lot easier. Plus it would be close to friends in Atlanta that they really care about. We could easily visit Atlanta four times a year w/ no problem.
Does it sound crazy to move again? I'm just not happy in our current suburb. One boy likes his theater and piano and the other boy hasn't liked a teacher yet. (He's a nice kid: not generally difficult, but is particular at the same time.)
We love the library, taking the dog to the dog park, the beach (always), travel, playing at the park, being with friends.
From GA, Lexington looks very sweet and Columbia looks beautiful. The job would be with the Lexington Medical Center. Have you heard good or bad working for them? He'd be in IT.
We'd rent at about $1900/month. Lexington is just a 3.5 hour drive from our current home so we can easily visit and get a feel before we do anything. We've only been in our current suburb a year now, but I'd rather move before we get too attached. Let me know if you think I'm wrong.
Lexington Medical Center is actually in West Columbia unless their I.T. Department is in a different location. Come check out the area and see which part of the metro appeals to you. Traffic is nothing here compared with Atlanta.
Lexington Medical Center is a good place to work. They are in transition of leadership now, but not a huge change. I think it can be hard making friends anywhere though, but the Columbia area seems to be better for that. Renting at 1900 a month is quite a bit in Columbia, so you could really live wherever you wanted.
Lexington can be more church-centric, which can be good or bad for people, but Columbia has a lot of choices as to what you are looking for. I would suggest that you come to visit first.
Lexington Medical Center is a good place to work. They are in transition of leadership now, but not a huge change. I think it can be hard making friends anywhere though, but the Columbia area seems to be better for that. Renting at 1900 a month is quite a bit in Columbia, so you could really live wherever you wanted.
Lexington can be more church-centric, which can be good or bad for people, but Columbia has a lot of choices as to what you are looking for. I would suggest that you come to visit first.
Thanks Jordo06! Could you recommend some towns/neighborhoods that would be just a 20 min. commute for my husband, but is safe, kid-friendly, old trees etc.
This is an awful question: I've heard Columbia talked about in very negative terms. I can't even write what I read. Anyone can come up with negatives about a town they don't like for one reason or another. . . but is Columbia okay as a small city?
Does it have nice parks, restaurants, get Broadway shows?
You cannot go wrong with Lexington. The school system is very highly rated. There are plenty of quality rentals well within your budget and it could be a very easy commute.
Thanks Jordo06! Could you recommend some towns/neighborhoods that would be just a 20 min. commute for my husband, but is safe, kid-friendly, old trees etc.
This is an awful question: I've heard Columbia talked about in very negative terms. I can't even write what I read. Anyone can come up with negatives about a town they don't like for one reason or another. . . but is Columbia okay as a small city?
Does it have nice parks, restaurants, get Broadway shows?
Thanks again!
Alley
Yes, Columbia is a nice smaller city. Like most places, it has its pros and cons, but the former definitely outweigh the latter.
You'd probably be horrified to know what many people say about Atlanta, too. Don't let the opinions of Internet trolls affect your decision.
Lexington is a very nice suburb of Columbia. The schools have a wonderful reputation, and by all accounts the quality of life is very good. The downsides are mostly related to the recent, rapid, development in the area. Traffic tends to overload the main roads during rush hour, and the housing stock trends newer.
The main location for Lex Med Center is within a 20 minute drive of Downtown Columbia, Irmo, Lexington, & Ballentine. In all of those areas, you'll be able to find great schools and activities to involve yourselves in.
I think you'll find that the Columbia area is full of very friendly folks and a excellent place to raise your family.
And your comment about your son being interested in piano and theater reminded me of the new magnet school that opened up recently in Rich-Lex 5. Spring Hill High School has 5 programs, and one of them is an "Entertainment Academy". http://www.lexrich5.org/files/91530/...%20%281%29.pdf
Also, Columbia does have all the trappings of a bigger city that you may be interested in. The South Carolina Philharmonic is here, as are numerous theatre groups. The Columbia City Ballet is excellent and the Koger Center and Township Auditorium host many theatre and musical performances. There is a good restaurant scene, and it is expanding. There are nice parks (including the state's only national park) in the area, with plans to renovate the signature downtown park and to build a destination water park. You also have Lake Murray at your fingertips as well as tubing and whitewater rafting on the three rivers that flow through the area. There is seemingly a festival every weekend.
I've lived here for a decade and am never bored. Columbia's attractions and amenities aren't self-advertising the way, for example, Charleston's are, but there is a lot to offer around here. I moved here for school and stayed because I like being here.
With the exception of rush hour, most all of the attractions in Columbia can be reached from Lexington within 1/2 hour. From Lexington Medical Center (LMC) to downtown Columbia is all of 15 minutes and two major ways to get there.
From the bottom half of Lake Murray one could be to LMC easily within less than 45 minutes during the height of rush hour and less than 30 minutes in non-rush hour and probably within 20 minutes at 10pm.
This is a much smaller and much easier area to get around in especially compared to Atlanta. Traffic in all of the Columbia area is sissy traffic compared to Atlanta.
We are originally from the Atlanta area, lived in Columbus, OH for 4 years, and moved to Lexington 4 months ago.....we absolutely LOVE it here! Much better than Atlanta, and doesn't even compare to Ohio. Everyone is friendly, we've made more genuine friends in the 4 months here than we did in 4 years in Ohio. Schools are awesome (my kids attend private school, but the public schools are great too). And I love the small town feel, yet there's plenty to do, shopping, etc. You may hear from some people that traffic is bad here too...don't listen, lol! It's not even a fraction of Atlanta traffic, I assume they've either been here for a really long time, or have always lived here.
You should definitely visit. We knew the first time coming to Lexington, this is where we wanted to live, and never leave! And we could choose absolutely anywhere to move!
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