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Very different in size, but which do you prefer? Larger doesn't necessarily mean better, and smaller doesn't necessarily mean more charm.
Criteria:
Architecture
Parks and Public Spaces
Art and Cultural Events
Public Transportation/Traffic
Walkability
Restaurants and Shops
Weather
Surrounding areas and nature
Jobs/Cost of Living
Charlotte wins in sports (unless your a big college football fan)
Criteria:
Architecture - Columbia wins when it comes to the state house and the old buildings from the 20th century and mix from late 20th/early 21st. Charlotte wins when it comes to modern architecture.
Parks and Public Spaces - guess it's up to the person
Art and Cultural Events - Both cities do a Good job. Columbias major universities downtown help.
Public Transportation/Traffic - Charlotte for Transportation. Columbia for traffic.
Walkability - Charlotte
Restaurants and Shops - Charlotte
Weather - basically the same. Columbia is a little warmer in summer
Surrounding areas and nature - Columbia (Lake Murray and the three main rivers with the rapids)
Jobs/Cost of Living - Charlotte (Jobs) Columbia (COL)
Not a fair comparison. Charlotte wins on everything except traffic and COL. Columbia is a great college city, though. Nice zoo (which Charlotte doesn't have), and really neat area's like 5 Points and Finlay Park.
Charlotte wins in sports (unless your a big college football fan)
Criteria:
Public Transportation/Traffic - Charlotte for Transportation. Columbia for traffic.
Jobs/Cost of Living - Charlotte (Jobs) Columbia (COL)
I figured this was the likely situation for these two, so I guess I kind of meant like a combo of the two...meaning, does Charlotte's public transit makeup for its heavier traffic...or in other words, which of the two cities is it easier to get around in.
And same for Jobs/COL, does Charlotte's better Job market makeup for its higher COL?
I figured this was the likely situation for these two, so I guess I kind of meant like a combo of the two...meaning, does Charlotte's public transit makeup for its heavier traffic...or in other words, which of the two cities is it easier to get around in.
And same for Jobs/COL, does Charlotte's better Job market makeup for its higher COL?
Columbia having three major interstates and a beltway with these make Columbia easier to get around...I77 running through Charlotte is atrocious versus all the interstate systems in Columbia. Plus Columbia even has I-126 AND 277 which is a straight shot to downtown where the interstate doesn't cut through the city like 277 does in Charlotte ....take it from a 4 year charlotte resident who was raised in Columbia. Columbias interstate system is far better for the city of its size....
Charlotte wins in public transportation because of the light rail.
Columbia has strong jobs due to the government being located there as well as Fort Jackson army base and USC.
I love both these cities, I live in Columbia and visit Charlotte often, mainly for concerts. Charlotte has exploded for 20 years, it's almost a different city from the 90's, it wants to be big no matter what the cost. Columbia is "plodding" along, and a really nice place to live. I love the lake and the rivers and the people, plus being a Gamecock fan, the University for college sports. We don't get the concerts that Charlotte does, or the NFL. I'm not much of a shopper, so that doesn't matter to me. Along with Charleston, the other city I visit the most, I consider them "the three C's"- Columbia, Charlotte, and Charleston. Rock on.
With the exception of college sports I think Charlotte wins in just about every category. I'm assuming we are only comparing the cites and not the metros. Charlotte has amusement parks, greenways, funky neighborhoods like NoDa, Southend, and Plaza-Midwood to say the least. Southpark and Ballantyne could ro ably compete with Columbia for jobs. In addition to the cultural campus in uptown the funky neighborhoods I mentioned above have their own art crawls, poetry slams, and public arts. If this were to extend into the metros the comparison gets a little wider.
With the exception of college sports I think Charlotte wins in just about every category. I'm assuming we are only comparing the cites and not the metros. Charlotte has amusement parks, greenways, funky neighborhoods like NoDa, Southend, and Plaza-Midwood to say the least. Southpark and Ballantyne could ro ably compete with Columbia for jobs. In addition to the cultural campus in uptown the funky neighborhoods I mentioned above have their own art crawls, poetry slams, and public arts. If this were to extend into the metros the comparison gets a little wider.
I think Columbia is competitive in the Parks and Public Spaces, Surrounding areas and nature, and Art and Cultural Events categories; being the state capital and home to the state's flagship university is a big advantage for Columbia. Weather and walkability are draws. Architecture is subjective, and the rest definitely go to Charlotte.
Last edited by Mutiny77; 06-01-2014 at 08:01 AM..
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