re: What can you tell me about Columbia?

:prayerssent:

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If it takes you 2 hours to get to Charleston from Columbia then there has either been another wreck on 26 outside of Orangeburg or you drive like a pussy

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It was a general time frame, you freaking moron.

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Looking at a job there and other than the school being there I couldn't tell you anything about the place.

Nightlife decent?

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It's a great southern city with a lot of history. People are nice. Hot as hell during the summer but weather is usually really nice and mild year round. Columbia isn't really a destination city in itself with no pro teams and no notable attractions that are worth visiting multiple times. The zoo is really good though. The beach (Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head) is all within 3 hours, more like 2 without tourism season traffic. Charlotte and Atlanta are also an easy drive. Now that the Aggies are the Gamecock's annual West opponent you'll have the opportunity to see them play us here every other year.

Outdoor activities are basically limitless (such as with most cities/areas in the South) with 2 rivers (the Broad and Saluda) converging right at Columbia to create the Congaree. Good fishing, boating, and kayaking. The Lake Murray Dam is less than 15 miles away and is IMO the best lake in SC. 5th largest lake in the state at roughly 50,000 acres. SC is great for hunting and fishing. SC has some of the best beaches in the entire country. With over 2,500 miles of coastline we rank 11th in the country.
Also, the Blue Ridge Mountains (part of the Appalachian Mountains) is only about 2.5-3 hours to the upstate with beautiful scenery and landmarks/destinations such as Table Rock, Ceasers Head, and Devils Forks. There are great waterfalls to check out and Raven Cliff is the tallest in SC with about a 350 ft drop. Hiking and Camping is the main attraction here. SC has over 80,000 acres of State Parks in all regions of the state.
Golfing is very good especially in the low country in and near Hilton Head. There's 462 courses in all to choose from.

For nightlife you'll want to check out the Vista on Gervais street, the main strip of bars and restaurants in Cola. 5 Points is for the college kids. The Vista is more upscale and expensive for the older group compared to 5 Points.

That's about all I have right now but if you have something more specific you're wondering about just let us know.

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If it takes you 2 hours to get to Charleston from Columbia then there has either been another wreck on 26 outside of Orangeburg or you drive like a pussy.

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From exit 114 to Ashley Phosphate it takes me exactly one and one half hours driving around 79 the whole way on cruise control, which they will give you, just don't break 80. You begin to slow down at Summerville, break it down to 65 all the way to Ashley Phosphate.

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What kind of job are you looking at?

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Entertainment industry. We're a large company but this is the only opening we really have I'd be a fit for in the department I work in.

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Now that the Aggies are the Gamecock's annual West opponent you'll have the opportunity to see them play us here every other year.

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This is a huge huge positive. I wasn't particularly looking to leave TX but getting to see A&M play there every other year would be awesome. I'll likely end up getting season tickets if I make the move.

I don't care about most pro sports but I'm a big NHL fan. Would be nice to catch a game here and there.

Not much into the outdoors but being that close to the beach would be awesome. I'm in Dallas now and the beaches are essentially a day's drive and Galveston beaches kinda suck.

If I understand correctly, Columbia itself is just under 150,000 but the metro area around it is larger? The office is in Columbia and where I'd want to live but I'd be doing a lot of work in Raleigh. (I don't mind driving.)

Thanks for all of the information everyone, the more I learn the more I think I'd like living there.

I'm 35, halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth. I'm one of the weird ones who prefer blistering summer heat. If it drops under 60 I get cold.

Any decent Tex-Mex around the area?

This is all really really preliminary, haven't even interviewed, but wanted to get some info before going further on it.

yeah I'm definitely used to the larger population but it sounds like this is big enough I'd still enjoy it.

I'm assuming traffic isn't all that bad? I live 15-16 miles away from work right now and in the evening that can be an hour commute.

3 major interstates, you can get anywhere in Columbia in 20 minutes. If you like college sports and warm weather its a great town.

Post 30 is a good time to move there. Mid 20's not so much.

Everything is cheap, there's plenty to do, and even though it says 125k on the Wiki entry or whatever it feels much larger. It will not only be hot, though, it will be HUMID. The city's slogan is "Famously Hot" for a reason. You're gonna sweat.