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The local college football team is a perfect metaphor for how this town thinks; they never win a title, but the locals worship them as if they were Gods. Standards here are so low that people don't know the difference.
You also see the famous SC logo EVERYWHERE. After living here for two years, we're asking ourselves, "Proud of what?". There is almost nothing in Columbia to brag about.
Now, don't get me wrong. Most of SC is beautiful. The people are friendly, though not in a warm way, just polite and hospitable. You can strike up conversations easily - just don't veer into politics or anything controversial.
An anecdote that now seems to perfectly sum up the "no there there" phenomenon of Columbia goes like this...
After we moved here I used to ask neighbors or co-workers, "What is there to do here?". And they would always say, almost without exception, "Well, you can go to Myrtle Beach, you can go to Charleston, you can go to Charlotte, or Hilton Head or even Asheville."
Huh?
"So, why do people LIVE in Columbia?"
"Well, it's close to Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Charlotte, Hilton Head and Asheville!"
Okay, I exaggerate you say.
Maybe. But not much.
In the end it's what you make of it. But Columbia is not a place to live if your standards are high and you like progress.
Of course, there's some stuff here but not much. Nothing that could be described as real "big city" stuff. And nothing much really ever happens here, either. I've traveled all over the world and lived in several different parts of the country and I can honestly say that this is THE most boring place I've ever been.
For some people that may be just what the doctor ordered. I'm not saying it's a BAD thing, just not for us. We can't wait to leave.
Whatever you do, if you move here DON'T complain about anything. People will just give you a polite smile as they quietly judge you and then never really speak to you again.
The local college football team is a perfect metaphor for how this town thinks; they never win a title, but the locals worship them as if they were Gods. Standards here are so low that people don't know the difference.
You also see the famous SC logo EVERYWHERE. After living here for two years, we're asking ourselves, "Proud of what?". There is almost nothing in Columbia to brag about.
Now, don't get me wrong. Most of SC is beautiful. The people are friendly, though not in a warm way, just polite and hospitable. You can strike up conversations easily - just don't veer into politics or anything controversial.
An anecdote that now seems to perfectly sum up the "no there there" phenomenon of Columbia goes like this...
After we moved here I used to ask neighbors or co-workers, "What is there to do here?". And they would always say, almost without exception, "Well, you can go to Myrtle Beach, you can go to Charleston, you can go to Charlotte, or Hilton Head or even Asheville."
Huh?
"So, why do people LIVE in Columbia?"
"Well, it's close to Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Charlotte, Hilton Head and Asheville!"
Okay, I exaggerate you say.
Maybe. But not much.
In the end it's what you make of it. But Columbia is not a place to live if your standards are high and you like progress.
Of course, there's some stuff here but not much. Nothing that could be described as real "big city" stuff. And nothing much really ever happens here, either. I've traveled all over the world and lived in several different parts of the country and I can honestly say that this is THE most boring place I've ever been.
For some people that may be just what the doctor ordered. I'm not saying it's a BAD thing, just not for us. We can't wait to leave.
Whatever you do, if you move here DON'T complain about anything. People will just give you a polite smile as they quietly judge you and then never really speak to you again.
Save complaints for this forum.
I wouldn't say there is 'nothing' to do here. Try living in a northern or midwest town from December through March, then you'll really see what it's like to have nothing to do. The weather here is great w/the exception of right now through August - about 6-8 weeks a year. Our society is so lazy any more, that they have to be constantly entertained by others and can't find fun things do for themselves. There are rivers here that provide opportunities for rafting; Lake Murray provides plenty of water recreation opportunities; there is Conagree National Park & Sesquicentenial for nature lovers; there are some nice parks like the Riverfront one and out close to us is a great 16-tennis court Southeast park that also has a lake and walking trails. There is the Village at Sandhill for people who love to shop. I wouldn't consider all those things nothing to do - I'm sure there are other places that I just haven't come across yet. You can consider me a 'simpleton' if you want, but I can enjoy a day taking a jog on the nice trails along the river near downtown; or even just walking the dogs around the neighborhood enjoying the abundance of sun. If you must be entertained by others, there is Riverbanks Zoo & Garden - one of the best in the country; I know there are quite a few museums and art galleries downtown, and there seems to be plenty of night-life opportunities if you're into that scene downtown and around 5 Points. While USC may often be mediocre - you do have a chance to see one of the best conferences in the SEC (this coming from a Big 10 guy) in the country and the other schools like Florida & LSU come to town.
As for people saying they find being able to go to "Asheville, Charlotte, Hilton Head, Charleston or Myrtle Beach" as a perk, it is. If you live in Asheville, you are 5 hours from the beach, not exactly a day trip, likewise, if you live in Charleston or Myrtle, you are 5 hours from the mountains and over 3 from Charlotte. It is a perk b/c on any given day, I can go to the beach and get there in 2 hours or so; and another day, I can go to Asheville and get there in 2 1/2; then there is Charlotte less than 90 minutes away (and you could even lump in Atlanta which is just over 3 hours) that offer the big city amenities w/out needing to live there and deal w/the traffic jams every single day. Plus, you forgot an important fact, it is much more expensive to live in any of those places than in Columbia, a huge factor for many people! You will pay double for a single-family home in any of the coastal towns you mentioned for what you can get in Cola, and significantly more in Asheville or Charlotte. We moved here a year ago, and have enjoyed the area so far, that's fine if you don't like it, but I think you should elaborate a little more than just making random statements w/out backing them up.
I'm going to wait and see if HopDude passes the troll smell-test. His posts in other forums seem to be discussing much bigger cities like San Francisco, LA, NYC, Denver, DC, etc. As I mentioned in another thread, this may be a case of unreasonable expectations.
Frankly I think he's being a bit kinder than PhillyBound.
As a Chicago transplant by way of Northern Virginia , I will say that as a young family, 90% of things we need/want when we were in larger cities are present in or near Columbia. I honestly would not live I will admit you will have to drive 1.5-2 hours from some truly unique things like Charleston, the beach, mountains, Charlotte's larger/more developed amenities (including a much busier, often cheaper, airport), etc. I suppose Columbians could do a better job selling the city than saying what's 1.5-2 hours from here. My best friend and brother, both of whom have lived in very sophisticated places like Boston, DC, Chicago, Paris, Austin, etc. have liked what they saw in Columbia. My friend even said Five Points reminded him of Austin (not that I would directly compare it to Austin's wonderful 6th street, but his impression was highly favorable). Hopefully we're not one of those cities who has that much of an inferiority complex that we can't get the energy to truly show our city. I would think most Columbians are at least smart enough to mention the zoo, the river, the Vista, Lake Murray, etc. Heck, our zoo and Edventure kids' museum are competitive with cities 5 times our size.
I am only going to touch on two subjects in your post.
-First of all, Carolina Logos are everywhere because we are proud of our state! What is gold to some is bronze to others. I think SC is gold because my family has a history here. It's where I was born and raised, where my family is, and where some of my fondest memories were formed.
-Second, I LOVE MY CAROLINA GAMECOCKS! I cannot stress that enough. Again, some of my fondest memories were watching the football games when I was just a tot. I have attended home games ever since I was a child, a teen, and now and adult. I wear that Gamecock logo with pride. I do not care if they win or loose.
Buckeye, you are obviously NOT a simpleton and I don't want to come across as a snob. I will grant you everything you pointed out in your post. True, there are lots of things to do if you make the effort depending on what you enjoy.
There seems to be a lot of potential here, but I don't believe that Columbia will ever really live up to that potential. Believe it or not, there are lots of folks who do not want change.
I knew I was going to take flak for this post - especially the Gamecock comment! That might of been a cheap shot, sorry.
Okay, before I get royally flamed here let me cover some things I LOVE about living in South Carolina...
1. Low cost of living - I never coulda bought this house in CA
2. Really nice people - a little distant, but awfully friendly
3. Great weather - a little buggy and humid, but mostly good
4. Close to mountains, close to beaches
5. Politics - A Governor who vetoes stupid legislation like cigarette taxes
6. Politics - Jim DeMint (nuff said)
7. BarBQ - Shealy's rocks and Maurices is pretty good too
8. The Vista - Liberty's a great watering hole
9. Family friendly - everybody loves kids here
10. Riverbanks Zoo - Year round pass is the best deal in town
11. Cheapest Gas In the Country!
12. Lots of American flags
13. Lots of Confederate battle flags (it isn't a race thing)
14. Real Americans who speak English (or some variation of it)
15. No graffiti anywhere
Okay, that's it. You guys are right. We love it here!
Can someone please just help us find a decent Chinese joint?
The Red Bowl in the Village at Sandhills is a good Chinese place. Also Inakiya, I think I spelled this correctly. Anyways, there is one off of St. Andrews and one off of Oniel Ct. in Northeast. Hope this in some way helps you like Columbia more.
Egg Roll Chen off Fort Jackson Blvd., by the Kmart and Jersey Mikes. Huge portions of quality food (made to order) at really reasonable prices. This place is an institution
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