I haven't posted in awhile, but I read fairly often. I have noticed many threads recently comparing SC's big 3 (Columbia, Charleston, Greenville - not Myrtle Beach since it is still mainly a tourist city). I must confess I am a little confused about all the hostility that seems to develop when the 3 cities are compared - some posters come across as angry if their city is not uplifted and bitter if other cities are. I thought I would throw in some thoughts from a native, in the hopes of healing some egos, while also giving those moving here a little more info. Apologies from the get-go if this is too long.
First of all, let me say that all our big 3 are very nice "small" cities. For being a "small and rural state" SC is very fortunate to have 3 quite different (yet more similar than many think), enjoyable, and steadily growing cities. In fact, for our size, SC may be unique in that regard.
Our big 3 are actually quite similar in some respects. Despite conflicting numbers in direct comparisons between city populations, urban areas, metro areas, or county lines, the "essence" of each of the 3 areas are VERY similar in population. My guess is that if a newcomer was given a one day tour from a native of each city, he or she would come away with a general sense that the 3 cities are in the same city peer group with roughly similar populations and number of attractions. Each simply offers it's own niche for how it provides those attractions, and those are quite different (but not better or worse). They are also alike in that they share similar (but not the same) struggles with poverty, crime, and growth challenges. They share similar weather (overall - i.e. Gville is not going to average winter temps like up North or a mountain-like respite from the heat for example), similar goals for healthy growth, certain aspects of southern culture and position on social issues (relatively speaking - i.e. there is no San Francisco in S Carolina), and very common retail scene. I am always amazed at entire threads being consumed because one city has restaurant "x" and the other's don't, and that somehow proves one of the cities is better/ cooler/ hipper/ has more options, or whatever than the others. The cities share about 95% of the
same chains, restaurants, and hotels, with the rest being different. Each city also has some wonderful unique business. It seems silly to me to focus on the difference of a few tens of thousands of people or a handful of restaurants.
Columbia is a very nice capital city, with well planned infrastructure. It has a variety of industry from government to military to banking to education to manufacturing. It has some great attractions of it's own (like a State University, Museums, a great Zoo, rivers, etc) and lies in the middle of everything with easy access.
Charleston is indeed very historic, with beautiful architecture, a dense walkable DT, lots of culture and art, and pretty beaches nearby. Colleges abound, nice man-made attractions (not cheesy like Myrtle Beach) compliment the natural, and lots of industry and medical opportunities to go along with the military.
Greenville has awesome natural elements in the middle of the city and all around (waterfalls, hikes, mtn overlooks, lakes. etc). Lots of manufacturing opportunities abound with growing medical and retail options. Some very good smaller universities nearby with Clemson on the outskirts, and a downtown deserving of it's attention.
Now, the 3 definitely have their finer differences, but I think we should be proud of those (for the most part) instead of arguing over them. Again, our state is lucky to have 3 quality cities in 3 different planting zones in 3 different geographic areas! The cities do indeed have different "vibes" but they are all good, just in different ways. Yes, I personally prefer to live in one over the other 2, but that doesn't mean it is "better" it just means that it fits myself and my preferences more suitably and I prefer what it offers on a daily basis. It also doesn't mean the others aren't fit to live in or are inferior to the one I live in.
I do want address one aspect that I often see used to bash the cities, and that is the layout of the cities. It usually goes something like this; "Charleston is terrible after you get off the peninsula and is too stuck in it's history", "Columbia, is too spread out and has a dead downtown," or Greenville has a nice tiny downtown but goes to pot right outside of it, it's only one street". In all honesty, there are grains of truth in these statements, but the same grains could be spread on the soil of ANY city in America!
For potential future residents, it helps to know a little of the history of the 3 cities, and the aspects of these cities that people like to harp on become positives. Charleston is obviously a much older city that was laid down before the automobile. It makes sense that the peninsula would develop densely to accommodate pedestrians and pre-vehicle daily life. The areas outside the peninsula are newer and more suburban in nature. There has always been a lot of money in the peninsula and still is, so some of the outlying areas (like any city) simply don't measure up. Charleston is certainly proud of the fact that it's historical (not necessarily all the aspects of it's history), and is one of the few US (southern cities) that has preserved any of it. It is a very fun place to experience! It was one of the principle US cities pre-Civil War, and the one-time capital of SC.
Columbia was a completely planned capital city. The state leaders at that time wanted to plan out the capital as they saw fit in the middle of the state. It has great infrastructure with a grid layout by design, and integrates state offices and the State University with it's large downtown. When the interstates were built, they were built around the city (so as not to rip through it) and a loop was formed. Obviously this will promote sprawl, but will also help form an evenly distributed city with room to densify over the coming decades. It also yields great connectivity to places in all directions.
Greenville is quite a different story. It was neither historic nor planned and "happened" more than anything. It was considered the frontier until a settler traded with the the Native Americans for land over the Reedy River so he could start a grist mill. Over time other mills followed. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries it became an impossible entanglement of mill villages that grew together with no reason or big picture (hence all the disjointed roads with endless name changes today). Some leaders in the teens and twenties developed a downtown for Greenville, but the mill village maze dominated all around. It then declined until it became a ghost town by day and crime lab by night. It wan't until a Jewish immigrant became mayor (Max Heller) in the 70s and had a vision for a better town that things started to change and Greenville started to become a city. In fact, Spartanburg was long considered the principle upstate city. So from that perspective, Greenville is just a baby city by comparison. In the past 40 years, mayors have literally designed Greenville from the center of DT - out. That is why DT is relatively small but very beautiful, while the remains of many defunct mill villages lie around the edges with years of decay and misuse. There have been some positive progress on reinvigorating some of these areas, and they are starting to see the fruits.
For people looking to move to SC and trying to decide which city or area is for them, I advise you to visit each city, think about what natural attractions you prefer, which "vibe" you like best, and learn a little about the histories and people of each city. All 3 are very nice small southern US cities and if you have the right attitude, would make a good home. Good luck and I hope you find a good home here in SC even if it is one of our smaller towns. For those of us residents, I hope we can remember that we are all one state and that we are lucky to have the amount of diversity, options, and really cool attributes that we have - no matter the city.
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