Las Vegas transplant (Columbia, West Columbia, Welcome: middle-class, rentals, home)

[4BigRu]

I may be transferring from Vegas in January. my wife and kids are following in March. We are an interracial family (I am Polish, Puerto Rican, Jewish and my wife is Black, we have 2 girls 13 and 10). What neighborhood would you recommend, what schools. I make about 32000 per year after tax and benefits. We will be renting. Thanks in advance for the info. My job is located on 101 corporate blvd. West Columbia.

[waccamatt]

What do you like being close to? Do you want to be within walking distance of bars and restaurants or more of a suburban or rural location? Welcome to Columbia.

[4BigRu]

We would like to be near places with family activities so my wife and kids dont go crazy with boredom. They are not as excited about our relocation as I am. Most importantly we want to feel safe and comfortable like everyone else.

[jlboney]

Try the Avenues in West Columbia. It would keep your family close enough to down town that they would be a short drive to Riverfront and Finley Parks, the State Mueseum, Riverbank Zoo, and other attractions.

[lisake]

Originally Posted by 4BigRu

We would like to be near places with family activities so my wife and kids dont go crazy with boredom. They are not as excited about our relocation as I am. Most importantly we want to feel safe and comfortable like everyone else.

We've been very pleased with the abundance of family activities in the area. My daughters are younger than yours, but we're never at a lack of ideas for things to do (it's festival season right now). I highly recommend a membership to the zoo, a great bargain at only $69 for a year-long family membership. They're probably a little old for EdVenture (children's museum), but they may like the Museum of Art and the State Museum (much better than the typical state museums I've been to).

Will you be sending your daughters to public schools? I imagine many of your daughters' activities will be tied to school and the friends they make there. I'm not familiar with the suburban schools, as we just moved here a few months ago and focused our home and school search inside the city. I would recommend Rosewood, Brennen and Satchel Ford Elementary Schools in the Richland 1 school district. I've also heard good things recently about A.C. Moore and its fine arts program. Crayton and Hand seem to the the best middle schools in the district, while Flora and Dreher are the top high schools (both named to Newsweek's top 1500 high schools in the nation).

I'm sure it will be even harder on your girls moving in the middle of the school year. What kinds of activities are your daughters interested in? Hopefully they can find something that they can jump into right away to feel connected to their community and peers.

Rosewood sound like it would be a good fit for you. It's a very diverse, middle-class neighborhood with lots of rentals. There are sketchy areas on the perimeter, but you would be in a good school district.

Best of luck to you and your family.