Question about Columbia, MO for our Mizzou fans

I finished post grad in 1999 and have only been back for game days and a few other times since. I really enjoyed Columbia as a grad student. It's a true University town - everything revolves around Mizzou there. Plenty of dining, bars and entertainment. I wouldn't hesitate to move back if the right opportunity presented itself.

Mid-sized. Relatively low cost of living.

Make sure and visit Columbia before you choose your next school and I bet you end up at Mizzou! Columbia is just a great place to live-relatively small town atmosphere but tons of entertainment, dining, ect. Petrino would love the place-lots of hot coeds. Easy day trips to KC, St.Louis and the Lake of the Ozarks when you want to get out of town. Can't say that I am up to date on all the graduate programs available but think most are of high quality. If you do come for a visit, make sure you have a local show the places to visit.

Columbia is about 140,000-150,000 when the students are here. Relatively low cost of living, with lots of options for grad students. Coming from Louisiana, you'll definitely notice that there are 4 seasons in Missouri. Summer is very similar to the south, but winters usually have some cold snaps and occasional snow.

In addition to everything Mizzou related, there are other things in Columbia as well. Decent live music scene, with a big festival (Roots ''n Blues) in the fall - always on a non-football weekend. There is also an arts district, definitely an artsy segment here. And if you're into wine, there are several decent places within an hour of Columbia.

Columbia is a pretty outdoorsy place, there is a a statewide bike trail that runs through town and lots of people ride it out along the river bluffs. There're also good trails for hiking and mountain biking in Rock Bridge State Park, on the south side of town. You're also just over an hour to Lake of the Ozarks, which is a huge destination for boating, golf, etc. If you're into canoeing or floating, there's also a lot of that in Missouri. Lots of hunting and fishing as well, if that's your thing.

You're also just under 2 hours to St. Louis and just over 2 hours to KC for when you want something a little more urban. It's an easy day trip to take in a baseball game, see a concert, etc.

I visited Athens, GA once, and I'd say Columbia has some similarities, just maybe a little smaller. Oh, and there is an airport with daily Delta flights to Memphis and (coming soon) Atlanta. But the St. Louis and KC airports aren't far away.

You'd probably like Columbia a lot. Most people do. Let me know if you have other questions! Good luck!

quote:

---

I've been a Cards fan since I was a kid but have never been to STL for a game

---

Go once, and you'll be a fan for life.

If you don't mind sharing, what masters program would you look at?

quote:

---

Journalism- Radio Emphasis

That was the initial reason Mizzou was on my list b/c their grad school for journalism is top notch

---

Oh yeah, then Mizzou would be great for you. Fantastic J-School, couldn't make a better choice. And you'd love it here. Lots of media in town for experience. I don't know the professors who work with radio, but everyone at the J-school is good. Good luck!

Hottest and coldest place in America. Seriously the temperature extremes are ridiculous.

I think Missouri probably has some of the most unpredictable weather. It could be 0 degrees one day and then 65 or 70 degrees by the following day. We may even hold records for fastest temp change...

I have seen Columbia compared to Athens, GA when we came to the SEC. I have never been to Athens to comfirm but I thought you should know.

quote:

---

have seen Columbia compared to Athens, GA when we came to the SEC. I have never been to Athens to comfirm but I thought you should know.

---

I haven't either FWIW. I have been to Columbia a few times when I was living off and on in KC from 2009-2011.

I am actually Columbia, MO born and raised rather than just having gone there for college after having grown up somewhere else. I'd echo what others have said but would add that I always felt, growing up there, like I was in on a bit of a secret that the rest of the country didn't seem to know about, and I've always been immensely proud of the city I'm from. I probably talk about it too much (I know all my friends in Texas where I live now would agree) and honestly like any other mid-sized college town it can have its boring moments even despite all the things listed above to do. Summers especially whan all the students clear out can get a bit lonesome for those of us left behind. But I've seen individual moments in that town, when the circumstances are just right, when it is one of the greatest places to spend a weekend in the country. The town and campus - make that the three campuses (Mizzou, Stephens College, Columbia College) bleed into each other so perfectly its like the students and partyers truly just run the whole town on weekends. But as for the non-college experience, well if you want to raise a family the public school system in CoMo absolutely rocks and is *always* ranked among the nation's best. As noted in a link I posted below the unemployment rate is always low and it's about as recession proof a city as there is in that part of the country.

Things to google regarding CoMo - The Blue Note (music venue), Katy Trail (running/biking trail alluded to above with great river bluff views and hills etc), Booche's (iconic burger joint/pool hall since 1894 - No Sniveling and Unattended Children Will Be Sold As Slaves are its catch phrases), Shakespeare's Pizza, off the top of my head. In terms of places to live, the south part of Columbia is where its at in my opinion. Yes its yuppiefied down there, but that also makes you feel more like you are in a bigger city than you really are, which trust me becomes important after your first 15 years or so in a town 2 hours from the nearest major airport. But like I say, it's a special place and one I can seemingly never stop talking about to people now that I'm (sniffle) gone from there.