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I am a single mother of a ten year old and thinking about moving to Columbia, South Carolina from a rural area of California. I have lived in a big city before so I know that there are major differences between rural and city life. My question(s) are about where would be a nice neighborhood(s) in Columbia. I would want, at least, a 3 bedroom and we also have a 25lb. dog, so we need a pet friendly place. We would also prefer a house and not an apartment.
I am also contemplating on having a college student move in with us, to help me with my daughter. I will be working where I will be on-call and might need to leave the house at odd hours of the night. I would know when my on-call time would be each month so it would be planned and that would help with scheduling. Would this be workable in Columbia? I would pay for their room and board and also give a small salary.
Also, what are some other things I should be thinking about before I move there? What fun things are available for a ten year old girl, and how is the shopping, because that is what we do a lot of. I also like to run, at least, a mile each day.
We are excited to be re-locating from California, but I am a little nervous because it is a huge move. I do have a friend in Rock Hill, who moved from California and she says she loves it out there. I tell my friends that I am divorcing California. Thank you again for any help you may be able to offer.
I am a single mother of a ten year old and thinking about moving to Columbia, South Carolina from a rural area of California. I have lived in a big city before so I know that there are major differences between rural and city life. My question(s) are about where would be a nice neighborhood(s) in Columbia. I would want, at least, a 3 bedroom and we also have a 25lb. dog, so we need a pet friendly place. We would also prefer a house and not an apartment.
I am also contemplating on having a college student move in with us, to help me with my daughter. I will be working where I will be on-call and might need to leave the house at odd hours of the night. I would know when my on-call time would be each month so it would be planned and that would help with scheduling. Would this be workable in Columbia? I would pay for their room and board and also give a small salary.
Also, what are some other things I should be thinking about before I move there? What fun things are available for a ten year old girl, and how is the shopping, because that is what we do a lot of. I also like to run, at least, a mile each day.
We are excited to be re-locating from California, but I am a little nervous because it is a huge move. I do have a friend in Rock Hill, who moved from California and she says she loves it out there. I tell my friends that I am divorcing California. Thank you again for any help you may be able to offer.
What part of California do you live now? That could help us when comparing Columbia to where you are from and also give us an idea of the type of environment you prefer.
The fortunate thing about Columbia would be that you have a lot of choices for the lifestyle you have described and the hardest part will be deciding where to settle. There a lot of nice neighborhoods very close to the city center, towards Forest Acres, way out towards Blythwood or in the Irmo area. What kind of amentities do you want to have and how close (in miles or minutes) would you want to be within in them? You can be anywhere in Columbia within 30 minutes (besides rush hour) and this includes from one side of town to the other. You might however, prefer to be right next to a mall or the lake and that would be important to know.
There are plenty of shopping options in Columbia.
Suburban:
Harbison area in the Northwest with Columbiana Mall and hundreds of the usual retailers.
Northeast Richland area with the Village at Sandhill and the basically the same retailers.
Lexington area along Hwy 378 has a lot of new development with the stores you can expect in the suburbs.
Urban:
Forest Drive area in Forest Acres which is an older community with more of an "old money" feel but there is no actual mall there but lots and lots of retailers.
Devine Street with a lot of more atypical retailers but as you go further towards Fort Jackson there is a Whole Foods and other upscale shops under construction.
I think Harbison has the most shopping followed by the Village at Sandhill area (still being developed) then the Lexington area. For more unique shopping, I would recommend Forest Drive (which also has a rumored Trader Joe's coming) and also Devine Street.
Are you working with a hospital? That might let us give you information of where you might start looking in Columbia.
Please let me know if you have any more questions.
Also, for your daughter there are some of the best public schools in the state or many private schools as well. All of the areas mentioned above have solid schools.
What part of California do you live now? That could help us when comparing Columbia to where you are from and also give us an idea of the type of environment you prefer.
The fortunate thing about Columbia would be that you have a lot of choices for the lifestyle you have described and the hardest part will be deciding where to settle. There a lot of nice neighborhoods very close to the city center, towards Forest Acres, way out towards Blythwood or in the Irmo area. What kind of amentities do you want to have and how close (in miles or minutes) would you want to be within in them? You can be anywhere in Columbia within 30 minutes (besides rush hour) and this includes from one side of town to the other. You might however, prefer to be right next to a mall or the lake and that would be important to know.
There are plenty of shopping options in Columbia.
Suburban:
Harbison area in the Northwest with Columbiana Mall and hundreds of the usual retailers.
Northeast Richland area with the Village at Sandhill and the basically the same retailers.
Lexington area along Hwy 378 has a lot of new development with the stores you can expect in the suburbs.
Urban:
Forest Drive area in Forest Acres which is an older community with more of an "old money" feel but there is no actual mall there but lots and lots of retailers.
Devine Street with a lot of more atypical retailers but as you go further towards Fort Jackson there is a Whole Foods and other upscale shops under construction.
I think Harbison has the most shopping followed by the Village at Sandhill area (still being developed) then the Lexington area. For more unique shopping, I would recommend Forest Drive (which also has a rumored Trader Joe's coming) and also Devine Street.
Are you working with a hospital? That might let us give you information of where you might start looking in Columbia.
Please let me know if you have any more questions.
Also, for your daughter there are some of the best public schools in the state or many private schools as well. All of the areas mentioned above have solid schools.
Thank you for the information. I will be working at Fort Jackson. Driving is never a problem for me, I used to commute 120 miles, round trip, for work. Right now I live in Jackson Ca, which is part of Amador County. The total population of the county is under 40k. But I have lived in Sacramento and in the Bay Area. I know there is going to be a huge difference from where I am right now. Right now to go shopping I have to go into Sacramento/Folsom which is an hour away. It will be nice to be back in the city life. We like the community where we live now, however, we really miss the city.
Thank you for the information. I will be working at Fort Jackson. Driving is never a problem for me, I used to commute 120 miles, round trip, for work. Right now I live in Jackson Ca, which is part of Amador County. The total population of the county is under 40k. But I have lived in Sacramento and in the Bay Area. I know there is going to be a huge difference from where I am right now. Right now to go shopping I have to go into Sacramento/Folsom which is an hour away. It will be nice to be back in the city life. We like the community where we live now, however, we really miss the city.
Again, thank you for the information!
If I was in your situation, then I would probably consider two areas then. If public schools are in your future, I would focus on Northeast Richland and if your income allows it choose from a few neighborhoods that have stood the test of time such as North Springs, Longcreek, or Wildewood. Some of the newer neighborhoods have experienced some decline (which I think is from the cookie cutter designs that don't retain home values). The Summit has some great neighborhoods but newer neighborhoods are a little rougher. Great schools in the area (Richland 2).
If you don't mind average public schools (some are better than others) or private schools, I would recommend Shandon, Heathwood or the area around Lake Katharine if your income allows it.
These areas are all a good place to start but beware of some suburban neighborhoods that were thrown up quickly.
If I was in your situation, then I would probably consider two areas then. If public schools are in your future, I would focus on Northeast Richland and if your income allows it choose from a few neighborhoods that have stood the test of time such as North Springs, Longcreek, or Wildewood. Some of the newer neighborhoods have experienced some decline (which I think is from the cookie cutter designs that don't retain home values). The Summit has some great neighborhoods but newer neighborhoods are a little rougher. Great schools in the area (Richland 2).
If you don't mind average public schools (some are better than others) or private schools, I would recommend Shandon, Heathwood or the area around Lake Katharine if your income allows it.
These areas are all a good place to start but beware of some suburban neighborhoods that were thrown up quickly.
Agreed, some of the "pod villages" as I call them, are pretty awful. There are definitely nice, established neighborhoods in the NE that are preferable.
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