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My husband has been given the option to relocate to the Columbia area for a sales position. What are the best family communities in the surrounding areas? We have two small boys (1 and 3 yrs old). We originally are from Charlotte and enjoy the city- but now that we have kids, we'd rather live in the suburbs. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I hate to see kids 1 and 3 with no choice but to live in the suburbs just because they're 1 and 3. I'd opt for an in-town neighborhood zoned for Dreher High School or A.C. Flora High School if you would like for your children to have the opportunity to enjoy the city as you and your husband have.
If the suburbs are the only way, pick Richland 2 where it's zoned for Spring Valley High School, Lexington-Richland 5 where it's zoned for Dutch Fork High School or Chapin High School, or Lexington 1 where it's zoned for Lexington High School.
Don't worry about high schools when your kids and 1 and 3. Pick a neighborhood with good elementary schools and lots of playmates for the kids AND parents!!
Kids like yards, pets, and friends!! The suburbs are full of young families with professional parents.
I hate to see kids 1 and 3 with no choice but to live in the suburbs just because they're 1 and 3. I'd opt for an in-town neighborhood zoned for Dreher High School or A.C. Flora High School if you would like for your children to have the opportunity to enjoy the city as you and your husband have.
If the suburbs are the only way, pick Richland 2 where it's zoned for Spring Valley High School, Lexington-Richland 5 where it's zoned for Dutch Fork High School or Chapin High School, or Lexington 1 where it's zoned for Lexington High School.
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Hand Middle is supposed to be pretty nice, too. The general area around the school is nice, too.
Not sure which elementary schools feed Hand. I think there are two on Rosewood.
i have to agree with some of the comments, here. Outside of a few, limited, affordable areas, the suburbs of Columbia leave much to be desired.
Wow, I disagree with some of the other opinions, but to each his own. Sounds like the OP wants information on the suburban areas around Columbia.
jennifer: the suburban areas in the Columbia metro are very family-friendly! I can't really recommend specific subdivisions off-hand (and not sure your price point - but there are neighborhoods/subdivisions for all price ranges), but some areas I'd recommend you check out are Irmo - including the Harbison and Kennerly Rd. areas; the Dutch Fork area; town of Chapin; town of Lexington - including around Hwy. 378 and SC-6/Lake Murray area (leading towards Irmo); Northeast Columbia area including around Polo Rd. and Hardscrabble Rd. / Village of Sandhills area.
I think Lexington 1 and Lexington-Richland 5 are usually regarded as great public school districts as mentioned above. I believe some of the schools in NE Columbia are also ranked highly.
Last edited by innovator82; 03-28-2011 at 08:02 PM..
The standards by which SC ranks its schools from worst to best are among the highest, if not the highest, in the nation. By those standards the high schools that were rated excellent the other day in the Columbia area are: Dreher in Richland One; Spring Valley and Ridge View in Richland 2; Lexington in Lexington 1; and Irmo, Dutch Fork and Chapin in Lexington-Richland 5. The elementary and middle schools that feed those high schools should be on par excellence-wise, but I don't remember any specific elementary or middle school rankings.
I am also relocating (in 2 weeks) and maybe you can benefit from my recent experiences as a mom and newcomer to the area all the research I did! I have settled on the NE side of town. I managed to get into the Spring Valley High School zone/North Springs Elementary. I have lived in Atlanta and found the NE side around this area to be comfortable for me. Not as big as ATL, but "city like" with a variety of shopping and housing. Go onto greatschools and look up Lexington and Columbia schools and get the rating for the elementary schools, which are most important for you. You can have great high schoools, but sometimes the elementary feeder schools vary wildly in quality. Read the websites of each school and be sure to read the info on the schools in depth on greatschools. Lexington 1 has excellent schools -Midway and Lake Murray were two that stood out to me in Lex 1 in my investigations of that area, but they also have some poorly ranked ones such as Saxe Gotha and Red Bank. Lexington 5 also has some good schools-Nursery Hill Elementary in Irmo impressed me. I liked Irmo, really nice and again, more of a suburban city feel to it. I didn't like the Lexington 1 area as much as the Richland 2 and Lexington 5 areas, but that is personal preference I suppose. Its really important to drive around a lot and look.
We might be relocating to Columbia as well. I've been doing some research, and am looking at Lex1 and Lex5 schools. We want to be near Lake Murray and near golf, and near shopping, so that's why we've focused on those two. A lot is what you desire in a neighborhood. We want the burbs, after 4 years in DC I am sick of big city and want a safe place for my children to play and run around outside. But that's just me...
I took my child out of private school and moved our household so she could be a part of Midway and we could have an improved lifestyle that is available on that side of town. One of the best things I have ever done.
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