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You know perfectly well that certain posters here look for any excuse to deride Columbia, almost as if tearing down one SC city makes another SC city look better by comparison. But the truth is that neither Columbia nor Greenville are NYC or LA or London or Paris or Chicago. Heck, if we're just basing these things on the presence of national chains, they're not even greater Detroit or Cleveland.
And I'm sorry: "One of the world's best cities"? I don't mind boosterism, but don't you think that's just a little bit divorced from reality? Greenville's a perfectly nice place, but let's start with trying to be the best city in, say, the region. That alone is a pretty tall order. But getting there can't be achieved through tearing other cities down so fully that you're best by default.
If a city like Greenville aspires to be top-of-the-heap, its citizens need to stop worrying about what Columbia's doing and start worrying about what some of the cities they want to emulate are doing. Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.
SC cities need to work together to improve the overall positioning of the state as a whole. Otherwise, it's just a pi$$ing contest... and one that no one else is watching. I want Greenville AND Columbia AND Charleston to succeed. Heck, I want Sumter and Orangeburg and Florence and ALL the cities in SC to improve. A rising tide is perfectly capable of lifting ALL boats, and the truth is that you should WANT other cities in SC to succeed because you NEED them to succeed. It's not a zero-sum game.
Your post is a bit off base here.....
Let me fill you in......
- Greenville does NOT want to be any other city nor does it want to be top of the heap....no emulation needed.....Greenville wants simply to be the best Greenville can be, and thank God, Greenville seems to succeed at that, judging by most vistor's love of the city.
- No one is tearing down Columbia, but simply pointing out weakness (Innovista failure, lack of shopping, lack of corp headquarters, can't keep or land a low cost airline, homeless problem, quiet Main Street, the joke of local government, the infighting with Lexington County, etc, etc). I moved to SC from out of state....picked Greenville after looking at Greenville, Columbia and Charleston. I would really like to have a state capital city I could be proud of. I would love to see Columbia step up its game and simply be the best Columbia can be....sorry, but most outsiders looking in fail to see that. Yes, you are indeed correct, I want ALL SC cities to succeed, but, Greenville has succeeded no thanks to the Midlands.
- If you think this is a Greenville/Charleston/Columbia pissing contest, you are wrong. Columbia loses when stacked up to numerous other cities in other Southern states (Knoxville, TN / Greenboro, NC / Huntsville, AL / Little Rock, AR / etc, etc. It is simply about the fact that Columbia needs to get on the ball and add some wins to its reputation sheet. Hopefully it will.
Last edited by gsupstate; 08-09-2010 at 09:35 AM..
I'm sorry, the only reference I have is that it was stated in the newest issue of Outside magazine. The article was '25 Dream Towns'.
*Ah, I found it online and now see that it says 'three *consecutive* JBF award-winners'. My mistake. But, still, a pretty neat feat!
Here's what they wrote:
Quote:
POPULATION 659,191
MEDIAN HOME PRICE $217,900
HOMETOWN HERO Ever since founding his eponymous surf shop with his dad in 1965, Tim McKevlin has been a tireless advocate for surfers' rights.
THE LIVING: Water is a way of life for Charlestonians: The city is surrounded on three sides by the Cooper and Ashley rivers and Charleston Harbor. And while some four million people visit each year to experience this graceful, 340-year-old city's sweet- tea hospitality, Charleston is more than a charming southern belle. It's got top-notch restaurants, including three consecutive James Beard Award–winning chefs (the only other town that shares this distinction is New York City), a thriving arts scene in the Design District on King Street, and a robust economy: The unemployment rate is well below the national average, while the cost of living remains surprisingly sane.
THE SURFING: With half a dozen annual contests and a stoked crew of local surfers, the Charleston area, especially Folly Beach, is home to one of the East Coast's most vibrant surf scenes. The water remains warm enough to trunk it for about seven months a year, and though the continental shelf sucks some of the power out of the waves, it's consistently rideable and occasionally epic (like when hurricanes brush the coast). Two of the most popular spots are the Folly Beach Pier, which works on all swells, and the Washout, where the waves break with more power. When it's flat or too windy to surf in town, you can stand-up-paddleboard in the surrounding marshes and sounds.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD: Folly Beach (pop. 2,412), a six-mile-long barrier island, is the closest beach to downtown Charleston (15-minute drive) and has the best surf. It's also more easygoing—and affordable—than the other nearby island communities.
- Greenville does NOT want to be any other city nor does it want to be top of the heap....no emulation needed.....Greenville wants simply to be the best Greenville can be, and thank God, Greenville seems to succeed at that, judging by most vistor's love of the city.
- No one is tearing down Columbia, but simply pointing out weakness (Innovista failure, lack of shopping, lack of corp headquarters, can't keep or land a low cost airline, homeless problem, quiet Main Street, the joke of local government, the infighting with Lexington County, etc, etc). I moved to SC from out of state....picked Greenville after looking at Greenville, Columbia and Charleston. I would really like to have a state capital city I could be proud of. I would love to see Columbia step up its game and simply be the best Columbia can be....sorry, but most outsiders looking in fail to see that. Yes, you are indeed correct, I want ALL SC cities to succeed, but, Greenville has succeeded no thanks to the Midlands.
- If you think this is a Greenville/Charleston/Columbia pissing contest, you are wrong. Columbia loses when stacked up to numerous other cities in other Southern states (Knoxville, TN / Greenboro, NC / Huntsville, AL / Little Rock, AR / etc, etc. It is simply about the fact that Columbia needs to get on the ball and add some wins to its reputation sheet. Hopefully it will.
Yet again you miss my point. You gain nothing by deriding Columbia, and your insults about Columbia neither accurately reflect the many GOOD things about living here, nor do they do anything to improve the negative things you mention time and time again. I don't know what, exactly, you hope to accomplish, but whatever your intent, the way it plays out demonstrates that you A) Have a higher opinion of Greenville than the city might warrant, objectively and that B) you think that making the city more attractive in comparison to Columbia is a good thing for Greenville. I fail to see how it is.
Further, you seem to think that Greenville needs no model for emulation or yardstick for comparison, and then proceed in rattling off arbitrary criteria by which Greenville trumps Columbia, ignoring the fact that your observations are subjective, and further undermining your idea that Greenville is above comparison. If it needs no comparison, why compare it? If it's so far above Columbia, why deride Columbia?
Your answer seems to be "Because you can." Congratulations, winner.
If you think this is a Greenville/Charleston/Columbia pissing contest, you are wrong. Columbia loses when stacked up to numerous other cities in other Southern states (Knoxville, TN / Greenboro, NC / Huntsville, AL / Little Rock, AR
It's time for a look at some objective data here--things that are cited when the overall health of a region is assessed.
Yet again you miss my point. You gain nothing by deriding Columbia, and your insults about Columbia neither accurately reflect the many GOOD things about living here, nor do they do anything to improve the negative things you mention time and time again. I don't know what, exactly, you hope to accomplish, but whatever your intent, the way it plays out demonstrates that you A) Have a higher opinion of Greenville than the city might warrant, objectively and that B) you think that making the city more attractive in comparison to Columbia is a good thing for Greenville. I fail to see how it is.
Further, you seem to think that Greenville needs no model for emulation or yardstick for comparison, and then proceed in rattling off arbitrary criteria by which Greenville trumps Columbia, ignoring the fact that your observations are subjective, and further undermining your idea that Greenville is above comparison. If it needs no comparison, why compare it? If it's so far above Columbia, why deride Columbia?
Your answer seems to be "Because you can." Congratulations, winner.
Whatever man. So off base. Most of my post are simply post from The State....like the one "Columbians Covet Apple and Trader Joes". These are simply about Columbia, not comparing, until local Columbians get mad for a non-Columbian posting.
I hope to see Columbia add some wins to its reputation at some point. I'd like to drive to an instate city for things I can't get in Greenville, instead of going to Charlotte or Atlanta. I'd simply like to have a capital city to be proud of. I'd like to have a cool state capital with "mojo" as one of the previous Columbia posters agreed Columbia was lacking.
Whatever man. So off base. Most of my post are simply post from The State....like the one "Columbians Covet Apple and Trader Joes". These are simply about Columbia, not comparing, until local Columbians get mad for a non-Columbian posting.
I hope to see Columbia add some wins to its reputation at some point. I'd like to drive to an instate city for things I can't get in Greenville, instead of going to Charlotte or Atlanta. I'd simply like to have a capital city to be proud of. I'd like to have a cool state capital with "mojo" as one of the previous Columbia posters agreed Columbia was lacking.
As the old saying goes, "It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."
As the old saying goes, "It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."
Hopefully, Columbia has some local "candles", or hopefully the corporate / retail / airline / tourism progress in nearby sister cities will be a "candle" for Columbia.
Hopefully, Columbia has some local "candles", or hopefully the corporate / retail / airline / tourism progress in nearby sister cities will be a "candle" for Columbia.
On this we can agree. Our proximity to Charleston and Charlotte is, indeed, a positive thing.
On this we can agree. Our proximity to Charleston and Charlotte is, indeed, a positive thing.
It certainly is. Best of luck that some of the positives of Charlotte and Charleston rub off on Columbia. (Fingers crossed).
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