Looking for some advice on where to settle next (Columbia: theater, schools)

[sleath]

Hello everyone,


I posted a similar thread on the U.S. General forum, but did not get a lot of suggestions. So here I am posting it in the individual States sections we are looking at. Hope you can add a few more suggestions.

In a nutshell, we are looking at FL, GA, SC, and NC—mostly because of it being on the East Coast and the weather. We previously lived in Europe, SoCal, and Oregon and loved all of those places for what they are. Now the “globetrotting” continues. Work and schools are not an issue. We are in our thirties—not retirees yet—but can take our work wherever we go.

What cities/areas meet the following criteria from your point of view?
(if you have lived in Europe, SoCal, or Oregon, please try to compare your suggestion; that would help tremendously since we have not spent a lot of time in the South East … but will do soon)

WEATHER:
mild winters, i.e., not long stretches below 50F; sunny and green throughout the year--we understand that requires rain and/or humidity
CULTURE:
a place that offers live music gigs on a regular basis and has interesting cafés, libraries, etc. to hang out, performing arts theaters would be a plus; a place that encourages going out on a spontaneous note
SIZE:
having lived around LA, we try to avoid major cities and the bad traffic; anything between 50,000 and 300,000 inhabitants is fine (bigger if it is simply irresistible); too small and you generally have to drive more than half an hour to do things, which discourages spontaneous activity; proximity to an airport would be a plus
SURROUNDINGS:
beach or inland is both fine with us; we enjoy the beach, but we also enjoy the hills, mountains, and rivers; as long as nature can be enjoyed and is not taken over completely by concrete and asphalt

[g-man430]

Sounds like you would like Columbia then. Located right between the mountains and beach. They have entertainment districts downtown like Five Points and Vista downtown which have live music.

[Skyliner]

Lots of European immigrants have come to the Upstate region and enjoy living here. There are virtually endless options for the sponaneous enjoyment of nature in the foothills and mountains. For a wide variety of cultural and economic opportunities, the small to mid-sized city of Greenville is centrally positioned as the hub of life in the region. Spontaneously "going out" is precisely what many local residents enjoy most about Greenville because there is always something to see and do, whether leisurely, formally, recreationally, or culturally based. Several local theaters play host to an intriguing array of performing arts, including regular national tour stops.

[ranger17]

we picked the Columbia area after doing much research ourselves ( moved from WI this Feb ). We left due to the harsh winters, so didn't want to deal with any winter which for us ruled out NC ( still some snow ). We love to boat/swim/fish, so that ruled out FL for us ( among reasons being gators in waterways ). We came from the Madison area in WI, which was the state cap and college town, a couple hundred k for population. Columbia matched that. Neither of us like the big city life, so didn't need to be near Atlanta, Charlotte, or any of the larger FL cities. We are in our 40's but are already empty nesters and were able to bring our work with us so we also had flex in our choices.
For us, we get many of the things to do here that we enjoyed back home, only in a warmer climate. It's a couple hours to the ocean, a couple to the mountains. There is an airport here; not bad when i've flown to Chicago, but most other trips we drive up to Charlotte to save $$ ( 1:45 drive time ).
While the "perfect" place will vary for each person, we have here a spot that gives us nearly everything we wanted ( this after 40+ yrs in WI ). So i'd say it's at least worth some time researching...

[g-man430]

Oh and Greenville isn't bad either. Very nice downtown with several live music venues also.

[NS_Highlander]

They are ocean cities, but Charleston and Savannah have that cosmo feel you want. You are not really close to any mountains, but these cities have a nice feel to them.

[amiddleton16]

Bluffton! Close to Savannah downtown & HH beaches. We love it here. Affordable and very close to beach.

[Lone Star Rooster]

Sounds like any of the larger cities in SC (Greenville, Columbia, Charleston) would be a good fit for you.

My nod would go to Greenville--it's just a tad milder in the summer than elsewhere in SC, generally not that expensive, plus the surroundings (mountains nearby, etc.) are really nice. Columbia has the advantage of a large university right in the center of town, and of course Charleston has the history plus good nightlife/restaurants in its favor.