Before You Relocate to Columbia (Charleston, Greenville: transplants, college, centers)

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by TNRyan23

Thanks for being honest about that...

My wife and I can cross USC off our list of schools we're looking to apply to.

The confederate flags he's speaking of are not at USC in any way, shape or form. You might see a few in rural areas, just like you would in Tennessee.

[HopDude]

Originally Posted by waccamatt

The confederate flags he's speaking of are not at USC in any way, shape or form. You might see a few in rural areas, just like you would in Tennessee.

Did you forget about the flag in front of the state capitol? I'm just saying.

Truth is, I originally said that "tongue in cheek" but you will certainly see more Confederate flags in places like Cayce, W. Cola, Lexington, etc.

[waccamatt]

I didn't forget about the one at the confederate monument - the one the city of Columbia sued the state to get rid of, but if you're talking about residents with flags you won't see them in Columbia, only occasionally in places like South Congaree, Swansea and Pelion. The vast majority of people in Columbia don't want that flag on the state house grounds.

[TNRyan23]

Originally Posted by waccamatt

I didn't forget about the one at the confederate monument - the one the city of Columbia sued the state to get rid of, but if you're talking about residents with flags you won't see them in Columbia, only occasionally in places like South Congaree, Swansea and Pelion. The vast majority of people in Columbia don't want that flag on the state house grounds.

That's good to hear, I've always heard that, Like Mississippi, South Carolina had issues with the removal of the flag. Honestly, with the exception of a monument that the SCV put up outside of Nashville, You really don't see the confederate flag much in Middle Tennessee. Obviously it's around but you don't see it as much as you'd think.

[sigourney79]

I know I'm coming into this late, but as someone who's lived all over the U.S., and in Columbia for three years, I look back on that time as pretty golden. I'd say Columbia is a place you appreciate more after you leave! I agree with the comments that the natives are polite, but not truly friendly, and that there isn't a whole lot to do right in town AND don't complain about any inefficiency or incompetence if you want to keep people being civil to you. However, the location is ideal for exploring lots of places up and down the Carolina and Georgia coasts, and there's surprising variety in food, arts/crafts and music. If I hadn't worked for a creepy ad agency president (you may know the one!), I think I would have hung around.

BTW, the Zoo is the BEST. Love it.

[sandlapper]

Originally Posted by HopDude

I think the question Columbians need to ask themselves then is; why does this city somehow not equal the sum of it's parts? What's missing here? Because there apparantly have been lots of others who have taken away the same impression.


BTW; been to EdVenture and we found it just mildly interesting. Aside from "Eddie" the gargantuan grade schooler, which is the centerpiece of the exhibit, much of the rest is kind of ho-hum. Discovery Place in downtown Charlotte is much, much better and well worth the trip.

True dat. The Napolean exhibit last year was actually something worth seeing.

No, this is the "Columbia's a Mediocre Place To Live" thread. Nobody here said it was horrible.
I know I said I was done, but I jes can't hep mahsef (as James Brown put so well). This place is addicting - and fun.

I guess what I don't understand here is why Columbia is any different in this aspect from any of its other peers in the southeast. People don't like Columbia fine, I'm okay with that I won't go crying to mama. But I don't see how Columbia is supposed to be any different from any other city in its peer group with its positives (quality of life) and negatives (local and state govt.)? I mean I've been to a lot of cities all over this country not as many as some can proclaim obviously but to quite a few and as far as Columbia goes it is pretty much on par with its peers. Now comparing it to Cincy, Atlanta, LA, Portland, Chicago etc. would be silly but I pretty much figured that would be obvious to most people?

Nope and I feel that the "Things to hate about Columbia thread" would be a lot more appropriate. I'm sure there are others who would agree.

[sandlapper]

Originally Posted by moparboy

One thing I respect about this state, compared with my native NY, is how much the people love it. White. Black. Etc. The people love their state. despite some of its problems and whatnot.

I'd put a flag sticker (that uniform crescent thingy with the Palmetto tree) on every vehicle I own, but, I'm not a native. The people here are proud of their state, as they should be. You see the flag, everywhere, and rightly so.

Yep, I got my flag sticker up here in good ol Kentuck! It just says Carolina on it too, you know just to thumb my nose at all the tarheels I see on the road. LOL.

[ebreezy]

as i look this thing were so many people complain there is not enough things to do in columbia these people are not looking in the right places. if you want the big city life style your just a simple hour and half drive to charlotte and 3 half hour drive to atlanta for me after living in the bay area and los angeles all my life i think i would look forward to living in columbia and live that simple life style and just do fine. when i live in los angeles just to get around town your always stuck in traffic in anygiven day just to get to point a to point b, 2 everything cost way too much to just to have a good time. if you want that life be more than happy. i just wish i get my court date for my disability case and bounce to columbia.

[solibs]

I'm a youngish guy who is married but doesn't have kids and still enjoys going out a few nights a week . . . just so you know where i'm coming from.

I lived in Columbia, W. Cola actually, in '97. It was pretty boring back then but as I was leaving I started to see the seeds of change. My brother lived in Cayce for a few years but moved up here (to Philly) in '04. I used to visit him all the time and was down there most recently to visit friends last year. It's much different than it was 10 years ago. It's still a small city and people shouldn't forget that but it's by no means a backwater or anything like that. There is plenty to keep most people busy if you live in the city or nearby in W. Cola/Cayce and it's really an easy town to get around (the transit is still terrible, though).

I spent '99 in Charleston. I would take Columbia over Chuck anyday. The beach is nice, the peninsula is awesome, I couldn't complain about the weather - but the people are terrible, it takes a half hour to get anywhere, and if you don't have a lot of money you live out in the hinterlands and it's much harder to enjoy the cultural offerings of downtown. I was just there for a wedding in July, spent a week in W. Ashley, and that's my opinion now more than ever.

Someone in the beginning of this thread said something about "northern winters" and "nothing to do" for 3-4 months. If you're talking about Chicago or Minneapolis, ok. But New York and DC are hardly the "it's so cold i'm not going out" kind of cities. It's not like the restaurants, bars and clubs shut down because it's only 40 degrees out. Columbia, imo, has more "it's too hot out" days than a place like Philadelphia has "it's too cold out" days. It's funny, so many southerners think that as soon as you go north of Richmond it's frozen tundra all the way to the north pole. The weather here is no different than it is in Asheville.

[Geechie North]

Originally Posted by solibs

I'm a youngish guy who is married but doesn't have kids and still enjoys going out a few nights a week . . . just so you know where i'm coming from.

I lived in Columbia, W. Cola actually, in '97. It was pretty boring back then but as I was leaving I started to see the seeds of change. My brother lived in Cayce for a few years but moved up here (to Philly) in '04. I used to visit him all the time and was down there most recently to visit friends last year. It's much different than it was 10 years ago. It's still a small city and people shouldn't forget that but it's by no means a backwater or anything like that. There is plenty to keep most people busy if you live in the city or nearby in W. Cola/Cayce and it's really an easy town to get around (the transit is still terrible, though).

I spent '99 in Charleston. I would take Columbia over Chuck anyday. The beach is nice, the peninsula is awesome, I couldn't complain about the weather - but the people are terrible, it takes a half hour to get anywhere, and if you don't have a lot of money you live out in the hinterlands and it's much harder to enjoy the cultural offerings of downtown. I was just there for a wedding in July, spent a week in W. Ashley, and that's my opinion now more than ever.

Someone in the beginning of this thread said something about "northern winters" and "nothing to do" for 3-4 months. If you're talking about Chicago or Minneapolis, ok. But New York and DC are hardly the "it's so cold i'm not going out" kind of cities. It's not like the restaurants, bars and clubs shut down because it's only 40 degrees out. Columbia, imo, has more "it's too hot out" days than a place like Philadelphia has "it's too cold out" days. It's funny, so many southerners think that as soon as you go north of Richmond it's frozen tundra all the way to the north pole. The weather here is no different than it is in Asheville.

.

Please prepetuate the "Northern winters" mythology, it keeps the riff-raff out.