Moving to Columbia

The very best-rated schools in the area -- by test scores and by every other metric -- are in Chapin. (My wife and I just looked all this up -- not to mention my nieces go to elementary school there and their mom is obsessed with these kind of statistics.)

Chapin is a small town 25 minutes west of Columbia (just a bit farther out than Irmo) that has extremely high income levels per capita, but to date has kept it low-key. That is to say, it's where dentists and doctors live, the ones who want a quiet suburban/rural-style existence within a short commute of downtown Columbia and who would prefer me to shut up about it.

Chapin and its nearby one-stoplight sibling-towns of Ballantine and White Rock are safe, quiet, and they are lake communities -- that's where you get access to the sporting and recreation opportunities of Lake Murray. For 500K you could get into a nice development with a boat slip, and just maybe find a place with lake frontage. If you live farther from the water, 500k could get you a lot more than that.

Why would I spill this secret, you ask? Because I sincerely believe development in the area is about to take off and I think Chapin has a shot at having people who are educated enough to develop responsibly and gradually, unlike the development that occurred in Lexington, Irmo, and yes, Sandhills, where leaving everything up to the whims of real estate developers has resulted in strip mall sprawl and parking lot anomie. Convenient, yes, but uncentered and not deiven by the residents. I want Chapin to pop because I think the results in the next few years could be pretty cool.

Just for fun, the singer-songwriter Iron & Wine is from Chapin.

And my favorite local bakery/coffee shop opened a location there.

Congratulations on the move, Columbia overall is a pleasant city with a big university, a downtown street grid designed by Thomas Jefferson, a lot of history, and it is a LOT more fun than it used to be. The nascent foodie culture in particular is nice to see.

One of the best things about Columbia is a low cost of living combined with reasonably short travel to access lots of great stuff. Atlanta is 4 hours, Charleston (world class beautiful city, though touristy) and Charlotte (big concerts and direct flights everywhere) are 2 hours, and so are numerous excellent beaches, mountain trails, state parks and historical sites.

It gets hot as heck in July-August, so don't buy a house or condo with lots of windows and glass on the South and West sides of your house. A porch and/or trees for shade are recommended!

Welcome, new neighbor, and hit me up if you have any questions.

/r/ColumbiYEAH Thread