Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > South Carolina > Columbia area
 [Register]
Columbia area Columbia - Lexington - Irmo
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 04-08-2007, 10:18 PM
 
95 posts, read 432,605 times
Reputation: 58

Advertisements

I would appreciate any info I could get to help me decide about moving to the Columbia area. I am a native Floridian and I have family members who live in Columbia. They all want me to move there. I am concerned that I will have some culture shock.

They all live in the Irmo and Lake Murray area. Most are conservative people and they put up with my more liberal leanings. I am afraid I will be the only liberal in SC.

I am in my 40's with no kids and single. I imagine that the Irmo area is all about the family unit and I will be out of place a a single, middle aged woman.

Oh yeah...how's the job market?

I would love to hear from anyone who has relocated from Florida to Columbia.

Any info would be appreciated.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 04-09-2007, 06:39 AM
 
2,356 posts, read 3,445,343 times
Reputation: 864
The Shandon area of Columbia is a liberal/moderate neighborhood. It's very closely tied to the university, and has a good mix of different ages. Drive down some streets in an election year, and it's democrat signs as far as the eye can see - which is very unusual in SC.

Besides Shandon, Forest Acres is a good area. Bigger lots, more working families and few college students.

You're right about the Irmo area, that's going to be families and suburbia.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-09-2007, 02:14 PM
 
95 posts, read 432,605 times
Reputation: 58
Default Thanks!

I appreciate the imput on the area. Like I said, I know I will be in for an adjustment period...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-09-2007, 05:23 PM
 
5 posts, read 18,683 times
Reputation: 11
Having lived in the St Andrews/Irmo area, I can say that it is not all about families. It is suburban and not urban like Shandon which tends to be inhabited by the more liberal professors from the University of South Carolina which is nextdoor. But that is only because most of them want to insulate themselves from the outside world anyway.

With Columbia (and SC) rapidly growing there are plenty of jobs in any career field you desire. The pay might not be what you have in Florida, but the cost of living is much lower too.

Columbia has become a very cosmopolitan city which has so much to offer everyone, but don’t expect the politics to be very liberal. Most SC Democrats are much more conservative than Northern Republicans even if they don’t admit it publicly.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-09-2007, 05:39 PM
 
95 posts, read 432,605 times
Reputation: 58
Thanks Mountainpilot...
The wages in Florida are quite low. I am a paralegal. As there are no shortage of lawyers in Florida, I am sure it is the same in South Carolina so I hope I will be able to find work there.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-10-2007, 07:42 PM
 
Location: metro ATL
8,180 posts, read 14,774,892 times
Reputation: 2698
I believe Columbia has the largest concentration of lawyers in the state, so you should have absolutely no problem finding something in your line of work.

Being that you are single, in your 40's, and no kids, I would suggest that you look in and around downtown. I think those areas would be much more tolerable for you in terms of your political and ideological leanings, plus the amenities of downtown will be unlike any in the region. You're only blocks away from the university, the Vista, Five Points, Finlay Park, event venues, etc. And you get to be a part of the downtown renaissance that's occurring.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-10-2007, 08:15 PM
 
12 posts, read 55,224 times
Reputation: 20
I've heard that the average pay in SC is about $9/hr. Is this true?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-14-2007, 12:09 PM
 
95 posts, read 432,605 times
Reputation: 58
I don't know about the average wage in SC. What I am finding in my job market in Florida is that you must be bi lingual (spanish) in order to find work in an attorney office. Not only speak Spanish but then be able to live on about $11 an hour. Hard to do!

There are a LOT of non english speaking folks in my area. That is O.K. but it is a shame to have to speak another language in order to work in the U.S. Don't get me wrong. I think it is great when people have language skills beyond their native language but it should not be to the point where you can not find employment if you do not speak Spanish.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-07-2007, 11:55 AM
 
251 posts, read 1,124,347 times
Reputation: 94
If it is of any importance to you, Richland County, the county in which the city of Columbia is located, is considered solidly Democratic. Local governments are dominated by Democrats, many of them liberals. Al Gore won the 2004 presidential election there by a solid majority. There is a joke in SC that the only Red county in SC is Richland. Lexington County, on the other hand is solidlly rabid right wing Republican. There is some validity to the idea that more liberal newcomers seek out homes in Richland rather than Lexington. And if you preferr suburban to urban, there are many such areas in Richland.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:




Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > South Carolina > Columbia area

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top