Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Just would like some information on the Blythewood area of Columbia (or is it a seperate town?)---Seems like this particular area is the "place" to be if you are moving to columbia....
How does it compare with the ares of irmo/lexington. I often hear that "you are either a lexington person or Northeast person"...what doesn that mean..seems like the only difference is that the northeast is more of a diversified culture with regards to race and ethincity. Other than that..the school test scores seem about the same, the home prices are about the same, new construction, proximity to major avenues of shopping etc etc.
Are there any NEGATIVES on why someone should NOT move to Blythewood are of Columbia (or Lake carolina or the northeast in general?)---Is one considered more "snooty" or more desired or something?
Supposedly, the commute from Blythewood to downtown Columbia is bad. You're looking at 20-30 minutes without any traffic - which isn't bad. But all roads leading into Columbia can be like a parking lot in the mornings. I suppose you would have the same, if not worse problems in Lexington & Irmo. Blythewood is farther away than Lexington or Irmo.
Particularly with Lexington (and Irmo somewhat), there's a pretty large population of people (high % of rednecks) that were there before Lexington started booming. So it isn't like a 'nice clean suburb', it is more like a redneck town on the lake, that experienced a big influx of people.
Blythewood was basically a tiny crossroads in the woods. So as they've grown, Blythewood has attracted people looking for "country living" of some sort. I think some people's idea of country living is ridiculous - it isn't very country - but I would rather live in Blythewood than Lexington or Irmo.
I wouldn't use the word "diversified" to describe either place - that's not really the defining factor between the two. The northeast area is going to be a lot more country-club-ish than Lexington. The only reason the housing prices are even similar, is because Lexington is on the lake. (that's my opinion, I don't have facts to back it up). But both areas will likely be very cookie-cutter, due to the rapid growth. You won't be moving to an area with a defined tradition or character.
Columbia isn't like Atlanta or Charlotte, living downtown doesn't even feel like a city. Personally, if I were looking to settle down here in Columbia, I'd pick Forest Acres. It's an enormous area, not in downtown but right next to it, without much crime and with good schools.
Northeast Cola is pretty much the same as Blythewood. They sort of run into each other. Someone else may be able to give you some specific details, but I only know the generalizations of the area. Wildewood in particular used to be out in the middle of nowhere, sort of a country-style living like I was referring to. In reality, they're just developing tons of nice houses in the Wildewood/Lake Carolina area, and trying to squeeze as many wealthy people in as they possibly can. Literally -everyone- that lives in those areas works in Columbia, so everybody takes Hard Scrabble road to work, which is a bumpy 2-lane road with no shoulder. My roomate almost bought a house out there (somewhere - not Wildewood, but I can't remember where), and he timed the morning drive at 45 minutes. He ended up buying a nice 3BR house in southeast Columbia, near the VA Hosptial and Hammond School.
I don't know, I don't have a high opinion of those places. There are some very nice houses out there, but I don't know how to explain it. All the houses are brand new, they all look exactly the same, they're in these gated developments with cheesy names like "Brookstream Waters" "Longcreek Plantation." Then they throw up some strip malls with a Bed, Bath & Beyond and a Target, and everyone drives their Volvos there to shop. It's just not authentic at all. You could be in Kansas City, or Dallas, or Pittsburgh, and you wouldn't know the difference. It's like a realtor's heaven. Tons of new houses, tons of buyers, lots of buying and selling going on. I'd rather live in a place with some personality, where I felt like I was a part of some particular place. Columbia doesn't have that much personality to begin with, so you have to take it where you can get it.
Your info, as always is great..I remember reading an old post of yours (I think ) about two notch being the ghetto.....but two notch is a really long road....Where specifically would you say the "ghettos" of columbia are...
We are really leaning towards the northeast now..based on some further research and our trip down there...although we ended up I think in a bad area near farrow road and the water tower (yikes).
But I never did see a rough part of town..in fact after talking to people, they said the only rough area is near the columbia mall...is it really that rough..the website doesnt look all that bad.
I mean is it like just low income....or "dont go there otherwise you will get shot rough"..I mean what if you have to go christmas shopping, would you avoid this area at all costs then?
The ghetto areas tend to be very fragmented. If you're looking on a map, it looks like everything is very close. It is hard to tell what's nice and what's not.
If you look on a map, the bad parts of two notch (Hwy 1) start where Two Notch actually starts - which is the intersection of Gervais St. and Milwood/Two Notch. (or, where Gervais Street (76/1) splits into Milwood (76) and Two Notch (1)).
Everything around Benedict College and Providence Hospital is pretty bad. As you follow Two Notch, generally speaking, everything west of it is the ghetto. East of two notch kind of varies. Once you get past the Columbia Mall, I don't think it's bad anymore.
North of I-20, I don't think you have to worry about anything.
East of Two Notch, the Arcadia Lakes area is nice. once you get east of Arcadia Lakes, and into Forest Acres, you're talking about nice areas.
Yeah..everything looks soooooo close...I mean I thought..jeez one wrong turn from where employment would be and we would be in the ghetto. LOL..
I was like..darn the mall looks fine....would it be safe to go to columbia mall during the day? Dont get me wrong..I am not a mall rat..but I would need to do something to keep the kiddos busy!
Your info is so helpful!!! Please dont leave the boards!!! I thought gervais street was where all the supposed upscale and eclectic and unique restaurants wore. Funny we were on devine street and it was soooo much construction...I couldnt tell if we were in the ghetto. BTW--how unsafe would if be if you accidently wound up there?
I know that being from LA and living in the burbs of NYC..the first thing I do is make sure my doors are locked..and I tuck my necklace in my shirt...and one time almost ended up in tears because I made a wrong turn.
the area of Gervais past the statehouse, between Assembly St. and the river is "the vista", which is a nice shopping/nightlife area. In fact, I'm about to go there in about 20 minutes.
You're right, there is a lot of construction in the 5 points area. One side of 5 points has $1 million+ houses (Saluda St, South Harden), the other side is ghetto (Harden north of 5 points, around MLK park). Devine Street gets nicer as you leave the 5 points area and head toward beltline. Shandon and Heathwood are two really nice neighborhoods that border either side of devine, depending on where you are.
LA's ghettos are very different than Columbia's. I've been in bad areas of LA, and they are enormous. You can get lost in "bad territory". In Columbia, you'll have one block - take for instance, Cherry St. near MLK park. If you drive by between 10pm and 5am on most nights, you'll see about 50-100 people out in the streets, like a huge party. If you're a white person, you need to haul ass away from there immediately. That would sort of be the "mecca" of the ghetto. There are a handful of those types of places scattered throughout Columbia. If you walked down that street at night, there's probably a good chance you'll get mugged. The crime statistics kind of weaken the farther you get away from those areas. The areas around Benedict College are like that. Mostly government housing projects.
If you're at the Columbia Mall, you probably aren't in any imminent danger. You may be slightly more at risk because of your proximity to the ghetto, but unless you're just hanging out in the parking lot, I wouldn't worry. The areas I'm talking about are deep in the ghetto, and completely devoid of any significant police presence. Most cops making $20,000/year aren't going to risk getting shot for something stupid.
just wanted to express my feelings of anger towards the people who are moving out to blythewood area. Especially of all to the university club for bringing so much traffic and people toward our property. My family have been residents of the blythewood area for over 200 years. I am now seeing the land and area i grew up on being run over by massive number of homes. Its not fair to the original families who have been here the longest, hope you know what you are ruing by moving here
just wanted to express my feelings of anger towards the people who are moving out to blythewood area. Especially of all to the university club for bringing so much traffic and people toward our property. My family have been residents of the blythewood area for over 200 years. I am now seeing the land and area i grew up on being run over by massive number of homes. Its not fair to the original families who have been here the longest, hope you know what you are ruing by moving here
Ok, I'll bite. Who sold their land to the developers? How about if you point your anger toward them?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
