What do you like best about Columbia? (Oran, Madison: apartment, crime)

[gimme it]

What don't you like about it?

[aragx6]

I liked the parks and all the indie restaurants downtown.
I loved some of the pretty old houses down off of Stewart and the like.

I didn't like that they tried to call downtown "The District" that's just stupid!
And I didn't like some of the "town/gown" aspects of college town life.
All the stupid Wal-Marts driving out the local guys and the good grocery stores.

[Northwoods Voyager]

Great restaurants and malls for shopping. Parks are good, also. Agree about WM and the negative affect upon Mom & Pop type of establishments. But all and all, Columbia has so much to offer and is a very good city in the middle of the state. Location, location, location.... Just had to type that here. lol

[Inoxkeeper]

Missouri Tigers Football!

[stepka]

The downtown area is one of the best in the U.S., despite the influence of Wal-Mart. It's very walkable and lively and lots going on. Well, okay, I haven't lived there in a number of years, but last time I was down there it was still pretty nice.

What made me glad that I moved from there though is the growth. Several years ago they rated it as the number one place to live in America, and that ruined Columbia I think--too many new housing developments and sprawl out into my favorite countryside areas made it a lot less livable for me. I did like what they did to my mom's neighborhood by Fairview though--they made a really nice park area where she can walk and she sees a lot of deer all thru the year.

[dpgtfc]

Like: Parks, Bike/walking trails, variety of restaurants

Dislikes: Bikers near the university constantly running stop signs and other acts of reckless and illegal biking.

[Clipperlover]

Likes: A lot of bang for the buck in terms of cultural events (concerts, plays, art/museums). Because of high student population that doesn't have a lot of money, good selection of low to mid-priced rental, retail and entertainment options. Eclectic mix of retail and restaurant offerings. Great downtown area--good for pedestrians. Very good schools. Safer than an average city in the U.S.; most parts of the city are safe. Very reasonable cost of living. Diversity. Good downtown area for pedestrians. Much more interesting than most cities of the same size. Solid non-industrial work base that isn't as prone to fluctuations as in other cities.

Dislikes: Feels more crowded and rushed than similar cities of the same size in Missouri (or elsewhere). Growing pretty fast--people who lived here 20 or even 10 years ago may not like the "newer, bigger" Columbia. Large student population is a problem at times. Some traffic on city streets during drive time (8-10 a.m., 4-5 p.m.). More property crime than most cities of this size.

[Hillman]

I use to like trying to close down all the Bars But that was about 25 years ago.

hillman

[dkk4f2]

Good: Beautiful and green, lots of biking and walking trails and parks, great downtown, quite diverse for such a small town (and for Missouri), lots of interesting places to eat, lots of events, speakers, etc. at MU

Not-so-good: Since it's definitely a college town, it's hard to find an apartment without loud kids late at night (maybe I stayed in the wrong place), the roads were not made for the amount of traffic the town has - it can be a pain to get somewhere during busy times and it takes longer to get from one place to another than it seems it should

More good than bad for sure!

[cyrano]

Good- Ragtag Cinema, the Missouri Theatre (amazing renovation), good hike/bike trails, my great neighborhood (Old Southwest), much of it very walkable, a public library that would be the envy of a town twice its size, a downtown that's improving as it changes from a market town for the local farmers to an area that primarily serves the college community, wonderful multicultural aspect (most of the world's major religions well represented here, nice selection of international cuisine), usually someone intelligent to talk to at parties even if they can be snobby.

Less good-- the town's leadership is ingrown almost to the point of inbred, too much focus on the people whose families have lived here for generations as if this were some sort of fiefdom, too much behind-the-scenes control by power brokers, and worst, a failure to take advantage of the economic engine that the University of Missouri could be. This town could be another Madison, another Iowa City, Boulder-- heck, maybe even an Austin-- but it won't be. That's too bad, because it could be the best place in the midwest if the genie were let out of the bottle.

I for one would put up with some more traffic if the standard of living were raised for everyone here, and that's what happens in places that thrive economically. I lived in Austin. I've spent substantial time in Madison and Iowa City. Heck, even Lawrence is thriving in a way Columbia can only dream of. The pieces are there but I'm pretty sure it won't happen, and 10 years down the line, we'll be asking why it didn't. Opportunities don't hang around indefinitely.