Lake Murray- Lexington or Irmo (Columbia, Chapin: how much, house, neighborhoods)

[Scots]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but my wife and I are trying to understand the Columbia area for a possible move next summer. I think we have a grasp of some of the neighborhoods in the city we like but we're also drawn to Lake Murray. So some questions--

Is one or the other (Lexington or Irmo) of the lake better for any reason? Does one of the two towns have more going on? Is one an easier commute than the other to downtown? Does one or the other side of the lake have better subdivisions or communities? Is one more conservative than the other (we're not)?

There seem to be lots of nice lakefront homes on both sides but the way they're advertised it seems like there is some assumption that you would want either Irmo side or Lexington side, but we can't figure out why that would be. For us, if we decide against living downtown, a nice house on the lake within easy shot of downtown where we would both work would be wonderful.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by Scots

Sorry if this has been asked before, but my wife and I are trying to understand the Columbia area for a possible move next summer. I think we have a grasp of some of the neighborhoods in the city we like but we're also drawn to Lake Murray. So some questions--

Is one or the other (Lexington or Irmo) of the lake better for any reason? Does one of the two towns have more going on? Is one an easier commute than the other to downtown? Does one or the other side of the lake have better subdivisions or communities? Is one more conservative than the other (we're not)?

There seem to be lots of nice lakefront homes on both sides but the way they're advertised it seems like there is some assumption that you would want either Irmo side or Lexington side, but we can't figure out why that would be. For us, if we decide against living downtown, a nice house on the lake within easy shot of downtown where we would both work would be wonderful.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

I'd take a look around the 2 towns to see which one appeals to you. The commute would probably be about the same from both towns and Irmo is probably a little less politically conservative than Lexington, but the city of Columbia is much more liberal than either one. Aesthetically I don't see any difference from the 2 sides of the lake.

[Nelson Homes Lexington SC]

I have lived on both areas but not on the lake. Lake Murray is a big lake and depending how much you want to spend determines how much closer in to town you will be. From the IRMO side I-26 is the main highway into Columbia. From Lexington there is more ways get into Columbia from I-20. For commuting purposes, Lexington has more options. Irmo does have Harbison Shopping Area but it does get crazy during Christmas time. I worked in that mall and traffic gets crazy. Lexington has enough stores that you don't need to venture out to Harbison. Lexington has a Best Buy, Lowe's, and Krispy Kreme so what else do you need? Both have good schools, but I maybe more partial to Lexington 1 schools since my wife is a school teacher here. If learning a language for kindergarten age kids is a priority for your, Lexington 1 has the language immersion program where they start learning Spanish or French from kindergarten on to high school.
Both are good areas so it all comes down where you find that next home. Good Luck

Nelson Bermas
Lexington SC REALTOR
EXIT
NelsonBermas.com

[jlboney]

The communte to town from the lake would be about the same either way. Irmo will have more shopping and dinning than that side of Lexington, but both have very nice communities that will be comparable to one another.

[ranger17]

for what it's worth, when we relocated here ( and knowing the lake was a major part of our decision so living in Columbia itself was out ), we chose the Chapin area instead of Lexington. We moved from a smaller burb back home, and for us this area gave us what we wanted here and was similar to what we had in WI. As for schools, it is in part of a highly regarded district so that's covered. The short drive into Harbison area ( or Columbia for that matter ) doesn't bother us at all, but we thought Lexington just was a bit to much like already being in the city for us. Just an opinion...

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by Nelson Homes Lexington SC

Lexington has a Best Buy, Lowe's, and Krispy Kreme so what else do you need?

You're kidding, I hope, lol.

[Scots]

Originally Posted by waccamatt

You're kidding, I hope, lol.

This does raise the issue of convenience. Is one or the other area better for day-to-day needs like a grocery store, convenience store, drug store, restaurants, etc?

[ranger17]

i'd say all areas cover those needs. There is at least 1 chain pharmacy and grocery store within 5-10 minutes of any location you'd likely move to. Both Irmo and Lexington areas have plenty of both national and local/regional restaraunts. There is a brand new design WM supercenter between Chapin/Irmo; and Lexington has a Target and Wm as well.

We spent 8 days down here last Sept, scouting the area for a possible relocation. The time was well spent; I'd highly suggest a good visit, where you can spend "real" time checking out the city, the burbs, plus do some of the activities you'd do if you did live here.

[LexingtonDad]

Is one an easier commute than the other to downtown

When we were looking to buy a couple of years ago this was an issue for me. My highly unscientific research decided that Lexington had the easier commute to downtown. This was primarily due to the many different routes you could take if one of the other was backed up. The neighborhoods I looked at in the Irmo area pretty much made taking I-26 into town the easiest route and that can be slow go some mornings.

If you want an idea on traffic patterns check out the DOT web cams at the different times of day you would be commuting.

[Scots]

Originally Posted by LexingtonDad

When we were looking to buy a couple of years ago this was an issue for me. My highly unscientific research decided that Lexington had the easier commute to downtown. This was primarily due to the many different routes you could take if one of the other was backed up. The neighborhoods I looked at in the Irmo area pretty much made taking I-26 into town the easiest route and that can be slow go some mornings.

If you want an idea on traffic patterns check out the DOT web cams at the different times of day you would be commuting.

Thanks, do you happen to have the url for the DOT cameras handy? Also, does anyone know of a website that tracks traffic in these areas in real time? I could then look to see how things look during commuting time.