pros/cons of living in Columbia

[g-man430]

I should have never clicked on this thread. I personally don't give a crap which city is more like this that and the other. I like where I live and that's not going to change.

[cory_larousse]

how does the columbia traffic compare with charlotte? also just how miserable are the summers? i've been living in southern new mexico for the last 4.5 years, triple digits very common, have managed to suffer with a car w. no a/c but don't have long commutes and can ride a bike most places. now i'm car hunting and have been telling myself i don't need a/c. how many months of truly miserable summer weather and are we talking 90's, 100's, 90% humidity, 100% humidity..??

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by cory_larousse

how does the columbia traffic compare with charlotte? also just how miserable are the summers? i've been living in southern new mexico for the last 4.5 years, triple digits very common, have managed to suffer with a car w. no a/c but don't have long commutes and can ride a bike most places. now i'm car hunting and have been telling myself i don't need a/c. how many months of truly miserable summer weather and are we talking 90's, 100's, 90% humidity, 100% humidity..??

The average high in July (hottest month) in Columbia at the NWS station is 92 and the average afternoon humidity is 53%. It is hot and humid, but you get used to it and everything is air conditioned. Outside of June - August the weather is pretty nice most of the year. Triple-digit temperatures are rare, but they do occur every so often, but not every summer. I wouldn't want to drive much without A/C, but I'm not a hot weather fan either.

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/...ccd/relhum.txt

[DERBENJ]

Living in cloumbia. Pros: Cost of living is cheap, centered between the beach and the mountains, awesome local resturants, low crime, family friendly place, lot's of nature trails and parks, interstates runs through the city.

Cons: Worn out street and highway signs (especially those on the traffic light posts downtown), City is not well maintained, The city is outdated unlike other SC cities like Greenville, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Lack of side walks. No street lights at the major interchanges. It's hard to see the name of the street you're approaching because there's no street name on the traffic light posts. Lots of unattractive buildings and neighborhoods.

[Columbiadata]

You're not looking in the right places in Columbia or in the other cities mentioned. There are lots of beautiful buildings and neighborhoods and some ugly buildings and neighborhoods in all three cities.

[cyclingdawg]

Originally Posted by DERBENJ

The city is outdated unlike other SC cities like Greenville, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Lack of side walks. No street lights at the major interchanges. It's hard to see the name of the street you're approaching because there's no street name on the traffic light posts. Lots of unattractive buildings and neighborhoods.

I do not exactly consider Myrtle Beach a vibrant city. All Myrtle Beach is a sprawled out suburbia resort. Nothing is close to together and Ocean BLVD has turned in to a beach front ghetto around the downtown area (the old Pavilion area) Ripelys is the only decent attraction left down there and gangsta wanna bees have taken over the strip. Broadway, Coastal Grand, Hard Rock Park and all the other attractions have ruined Myrtle Beach by pulling all of the families away from Ocean BLVD. I grew up going to Myrtle Beach and loved it. The Pavilion, Ice Cream shops, and many great stores once lined the BLVD. This was once a great place until the Hwy 17 sprawl ruined it. They should have modeled Myrtle Beach after Gatlinburg where the new attractions were built in the downtown area along side of the old attractions. Gatlinburg reminds me of how Myrtle Beach used to be. Maybe one day MB can return to its vibrant 80's heyday.

[Ceezer]

Why do people continue to claim Columbia is cheap? $400/mo for a nice 3br apt is cheap. $700/mo for a 1br apt is not.

[lagoon7]

Originally Posted by cory_larousse

how does the columbia traffic compare with charlotte? also just how miserable are the summers? i've been living in southern new mexico for the last 4.5 years, triple digits very common, have managed to suffer with a car w. no a/c but don't have long commutes and can ride a bike most places. now i'm car hunting and have been telling myself i don't need a/c. how many months of truly miserable summer weather and are we talking 90's, 100's, 90% humidity, 100% humidity..??

It's really hot, but cools off in the evening. If you want true misery, move to Florida, where it stays at a constant level of heat and humidity day and night. Yuck.

[lagoon7]

I have a con though. Street signs. Since Columbia does not have a normal grid system, more visible street signs would be helpful. Generally the only signs are little bitty ones at the corners that are hard to see.

[davey123]

Originally Posted by lagoon7

I have a con though. Street signs. Since Columbia does not have a normal grid system, more visible street signs would be helpful. Generally the only signs are little bitty ones at the corners that are hard to see.

I would second this. Wait, I think someone else mentioned this too. So, I guess I will third it

When I first came here, I relied heavily on my GPS system to guide me around. So, when it would say turn right or left on a certain street, I constantly had to look closely to see where the street sign was. Even now when I drive to newer areas for me, I still find the street signs to not be a visible as they could be. This, of course, is very frustrating when you are new to the area. This topic particularly resonates with me because just last week I was exploring the area, and one of my frustrations was the street signs.