re: Urban Campus or College Town?

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There are only two urban cities I know in the SEC. Baton Rouge and Nashville. However, is Columbia an urban city or a college town?

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Technically, Columbia is an urban city. Metro population is over 600,000. The campus itself is in the middle of the city very close to the bigger buildings and the State Capitol building.

That being said, the campus area does not feel as if it is in a large city. There are no high rise buildings on the campus(save one dorm). It looks and feels like a college campus -- particularly the old parts dating back to 1801. The Horseshoe is particularly beautiful.

The student bar area (Five Points) has a college town feel to it. It's pretty bohemian with live music venues and bars that cater to students. The "adult" bar area (Vista) is more upscale -- yet it still has a smaller feel to it. It does not compare with the nightlife in Nashville.

The other point is that the Brice is about 1 1/2 miles from the campus itself -- and itself is located away from the city. The area around the stadium used to be a warehousing/manufacturing zone, so was pretty unattractive. While there are still vestiges of this, the stadium is now surrounded by dedicated tailgating facilities (the Farmer's Market, the Fairgrounds, and numerous smaller facilities); condominium complexes; and the Cockaboose Railroad.

The location of the stadium means visiting fans often miss the campus altogether, so they never get a sense of how nice it actually is.