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I for one know many people my age (22-25) that have moved away from Columbia and when they come back remark at how much it has changed for the better. I moved away to the upstate for college for 4 years and came back to what felt like a new hometown. I now spend most of my free time downtown around main street and in the vista. Better transit downtown and more housing for young professionals would make Columbia the perfect place for me to live. I know those points have already been made, but those two things would be the main things I would want to see.
This is an awesome point and basically exactly what ended up driving me to leave because there has been for a long time such a lack of options especially in housing for young professionals downtown and seeing that they are trying to change that is great to see.
I would love to see Columbia grow this and I have always said and anyone on here that saw any of my old posts from when I lived there will know how much I thought and still think that Columbia is poised for growing this demo but just have to take the actions to do so.
Less college housing options and more young professional housing options downtown would grow this tremendously...currently, college students outnumber young professionals living on Main St with the Hub. That needs to change. I said many many times that The Hub, though a great driver for Main St, should have been marketed differently to attract the post grads.
I love the fact that I am hearing more about new housing going in downtown that is not geared for college students and I am excited to see how those play out and who that brings downtown. That would be a huge help in attracting the demo that needs to be attracted down there.
This is an awesome point and basically exactly what ended up driving me to leave because there has been for a long time such a lack of options especially in housing for young professionals downtown and seeing that they are trying to change that is great to see.
I would love to see Columbia grow this and I have always said and anyone on here that saw any of my old posts from when I lived there will know how much I thought and still think that Columbia is poised for growing this demo but just have to take the actions to do so.
Less college housing options and more young professional housing options downtown would grow this tremendously...currently, college students outnumber young professionals living on Main St with the Hub. That needs to change. I said many many times that The Hub, though a great driver for Main St, should have been marketed differently to attract the post grads.
I love the fact that I am hearing more about new housing going in downtown that is not geared for college students and I am excited to see how those play out and who that brings downtown. That would be a huge help in attracting the demo that needs to be attracted down there.
I think the downtown student housing we're seeing the development of now is laying the foundation for young professional housing in a few years. People who are college students now will become young professionals in a few years, and they will have enjoyed a more urban environment during their college years and may be more likely to stay in Columbia. Those who do and want to remain downtown will be the next market to be served with housing. We very well may see a similar boom in young professional housing in 3-5 years.
One other thing that I noticed a bit in Columbia and have heard from several different people on why they didnt like it there was how they felt it is very cliquish among the 25-40 age group.
Even though I grew up there, had friends and was involved in a lot of different things, I too noticed this a bit and a lot of times it stemmed from not being a USC alum or not growing up there and I kind of tend to agree with some of the folks who thought that.
There really isn't anything that you can do to fix this, but I feel like that is one thing that does make a difference when living there. Again, I think the whole being a USC town factor drives this regardless of how many people move here from another school, most of them feel like outsiders.
Maybe wrong, but that is one thing I noticed there...
I think the downtown student housing we're seeing the development of now is laying the foundation for young professional housing in a few years. People who are college students now will become young professionals in a few years, and they will have enjoyed a more urban environment during their college years and may be more likely to stay in Columbia. Those who do and want to remain downtown will be the next market to be served with housing. We very well may see a similar boom in young professional housing in 3-5 years.
I hope you are right, and the other comment I just posted before I saw this talks a little about that and would love to see that, but its sort of like me and Florence (Francis Marion Grad)...I actually moved back there for a bit before moving to Greenville and learned that I will always only see Florence as my college town.
Now I think it is much different with Columbia having so much more than Florence with all more post grad entry level type jobs, the state government, etc. but I would say that post grads do not want to live around college kids...I mean we do because we want to be in college still...but not with the 9-5 job and the grown up lifestyle we have to live now.
One other thing that I noticed a bit in Columbia and have heard from several different people on why they didnt like it there was how they felt it is very cliquish among the 25-40 age group.
Even though I grew up there, had friends and was involved in a lot of different things, I too noticed this a bit and a lot of times it stemmed from not being a USC alum or not growing up there and I kind of tend to agree with some of the folks who thought that.
There really isn't anything that you can do to fix this, but I feel like that is one thing that does make a difference when living there. Again, I think the whole being a USC town factor drives this regardless of how many people move here from another school, most of them feel like outsiders.
Maybe wrong, but that is one thing I noticed there...
I don't agree with this at all. I am a Clemson grad and moved here ten years ago. I haven't experienced cliquishness at all, although certainly Gamecock fans are more prevalent here. The local Clemson alumni club is very active with a large membership. I also have many friends who are neither Clemson nor Carolina alums or fans, including people who aren't sports fans at all.
Cliques exist everywhere, but may manifest themselves in different ways. Two friends of mine are physicians and did their residency training at Greenville Hospital System. They frequently talk about how "churchy" Greenville was and how they felt a bit alienated because so many of their peers were fundamentalists. Asking people to go to happy hour was often poorly received because so many of their colleagues didn't drink for religious reasons. They moved to Columbia after residency and greatly prefer it here because they are around more like-minded people.
Clearly, their experience is their experience and not necessarily indicative of Greenville as a whole. It is important to keep than in mind when using your own experience to define the culture of an area.
I'm sorry you weren't able to find a good niche of people in Columbia, but I assure you this is not the case for everyone.
I don't agree with this at all. I am a Clemson grad and moved here ten years ago. I haven't experienced cliquishness at all, although certainly Gamecock fans are more prevalent here. The local Clemson alumni club is very active with a large membership. I also have many friends who are neither Clemson nor Carolina alums or fans, including people who aren't sports fans at all.
Cliques exist everywhere, but may manifest themselves in different ways. Two friends of mine are physicians and did their residency training at Greenville Hospital System. They frequently talk about how "churchy" Greenville was and how they felt a bit alienated because so many of their peers were fundamentalists. Asking people to go to happy hour was often poorly received because so many of their colleagues didn't drink for religious reasons. They moved to Columbia after residency and greatly prefer it here because they are around more like-minded people.
Clearly, their experience is their experience and not necessarily indicative of Greenville as a whole. It is important to keep than in mind when using your own experience to define the culture of an area.
I'm sorry you weren't able to find a good niche of people in Columbia, but I assure you this is not the case for everyone.
Oh no certainly not the case for everyone at all and that's what I have always thought, I just didn't have a great experience in Columbia but I was not at all trying to make a case that was the way everyone felt, just some of the folks that I knew.
I was just pointing out some of the things I and some folks I knew experienced in Columbia and perhaps some ways that could (and already are) make it more attractive to other young professionals.
No doubt that Columbia certainly is a great place for many people and lifestyles and ill be honest, a lot of it had to do with the job I had there because I was miserable in it and tried to find another job there but had no opportunities come my way so perhaps if that was a little different I would have enjoyed Columbia more..who knows!
Oh no certainly not the case for everyone at all and that's what I have always thought, I just didn't have a great experience in Columbia but I was not at all trying to make a case that was the way everyone felt, just some of the folks that I knew.
I was just pointing out some of the things I and some folks I knew experienced in Columbia and perhaps some ways that could (and already are) make it more attractive to other young professionals.
No doubt that Columbia certainly is a great place for many people and lifestyles and ill be honest, a lot of it had to do with the job I had there because I was miserable in it and tried to find another job there but had no opportunities come my way so perhaps if that was a little different I would have enjoyed Columbia more..who knows!
Job satisfaction is a huge component of overall happiness. I could live in paradise but would be miserable if I hated what I had to do for 40-60 hours every week.
Job satisfaction is a huge component of overall happiness. I could live in paradise but would be miserable if I hated what I had to do for 40-60 hours every week.
I think anyplace you live or are new to is going to require effort to make friends or to do interesting things. But I kind of get what you're saying.
I also don't think I'd fit in in Greenville as well as I do in columbia, though I'm sure I could find my niche. I know Greenville is really clean and pretty looking , but I like the urban edge columbia gives off and I like being in a city with a large state research university, but is also more than that. I don't mind the college students very much. Yea I'm not going to hang out with the undergrads most likely, but I'm still at that age where I can date the older grad students so I'm good.
I think anyplace you live or are new to is going to require effort to make friends or do interesting things. But I kind of get what you're saying.
I also don't think I'd fit in in Greenville as well as I do in columbia, though I'm sure I could find my niche. I know Greenville is really clean and pretty looking , but I like the urban edge columbia gives off and I like being in a city with a large state research university, but is also more than that. I don't mind the college students very much. Yea I'm not going to hang out with the undergrads most likely, but I'm still at that age where I can date the older grad students so I'm good.
It's different than what the stereotypes suggest. It has grit, just not in the major areas. Plenty of young people up here. Not just stuck up fundamentalist. It's changing rapidly. It's just preference. I like how clean Greenville's downtown feels.
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