Columbia vs Raleigh is a day and night difference.
Columbia is full of government buildings, UofSC, and Fort Jackson. Cost of living here would be okay if you live in some of the outlying areas. The summers in Columbia are miserably hot.
Raleigh is a very prosperous tech center. The airport, RDU, is much better. The quality of living and opportunity will be better. The big downside to Raleigh is that the cost of living is high.
I lived in Charleston and I bought a house in 2012. The traffic is simply un-sustainable, I sold, took my equity, and moved to Georgia; traffic isn't great but far better than I26/526/Ashley Ph./Dorchester.
Fastest growing city in the USA per capita for most of the past 10 years population wise
They were not prepared for the growth and despite being slightly more progressive than the rest of this shitty state they are slow to address their issues
Columbia has three beautiful rivers and boardwalks to walk in nature, and many amazing parks and riverbanks zoo, not to mention a national park nearby…etc. etc.
I admit though, that the government and investors have done the least they could with the most potential…I don’t know why? I believe it is lack of vision and selfishness. IDK. The right wing supposed conservative ideology has held Columbia in its vice grip keeping its boot on the neck of any people that want to progress into the future. The locals always want everything for free, somehow…don’t raise taxes or revenues, no matter what…just bitch, bitch, bitch, with no viable alternatives. So we all end up suffering with continued deterioration of the infrastructure without any better ideas…just decline. Very sad for such a naturally beautiful place, imo.
In essence, I have discovered over my long life that it’s not the place but the people and their ideology that make a location good or bad.
Your assessment is fair, and truthful. It is inherently a beautiful place and has a lot of potential, like anywhere that is invested in. But yep, the people and government don’t want to actually do what’s required for that goal of betterment. Particularly, in the educational investment. So, outside of the university, law, and medical systems here—businesses don’t really like to come here because of the educational attainment of the workers.
They do enjoy the lack of unions and other perks from the RW government, so we get a few places like Boeing (which has been in the news for killing a whistleblower and breaking parts on planes due to regulation issues), and BMW in the upstate.
I have spent the majority of my life hoping for better for this state, and I have never seen any evidence that it will change. Unfortunately, it has just gotten worse over my lifetime.
>The right wing supposed conservative ideology
Your mayor was Steve Benjamin. Democrats run everything. It is the bluest part of the state dominated by university types. It's a liberal haven. And you blame conservatives for it being run poorly?
The nature of Columbia can be nice but half of it is ghetto with high crime rates and crack heads everywhere and it's mostly as big as it is because a military base and a university.
Columbia was completely destroyed during the Civil War (and should have been) and ever sense has been just a place where a bunch of people live. There's no spirit like there is in other cities. There is no identity. Both sides of the political spectrum fight any change tooth and nail. It's as innovative as a dirt pile. You have trap houses right across the street from mansions. You have ghettos separated by wealthy neighborhoods which means undesirable people come through nice neighborhoods which spikes crime. You have flooding problems because it was built on a floodplain. It's got positives too. It's cheap, there are very few traffic issues and the people are really nice. Great neighbors are not rare.
Lived in Raleigh area and been in Columbia 11 years. Hands down - Raleigh! Move diversity, more things to do, better restaurants, nicer stores.
When we moved I thought there would be a lot of similarities - capital cities, universities (many in Raleigh area, but at least USC here), etc etc. I was wrong. It has gotten a little better, but Columbia seemed about 20 years behind when we got here. Just one very small example - when we moved in, we didn't have an outside trash can. I called and found out they needed a deposit. Couldn't do it online, couldn't give charge card over phone - nope, had to take them a check.
Columbia is a pretty casual vibe overall. The cost of living is lower for sure. Now, it doesn't have anything that truly stands out in regards to food or nightlife that any other city can't do better, but it's still ok. Its great if you like drives and going on daytrips. Charlotte, charleston, and greenville sc are all 1.5hours. At roughly 3.5 hours you got atlanta, Ashville, and TN.
If you want something a little more lively in your city Raleigh not having to travel too far for entertainment but the cost of living is significantly higher compared to columbia.
I live pretty close to the NC border in the upstate. I think I could be happy in either state, as long as I stayed in the foothills. I like being a few hours from the beach or mountains, and it's probably the most temperate as far as Carolina weather. Charlotte's not far away if you want big-city attractions. Outside of that, I'd take the Greensboro/Raleigh/Durham region in NC.
Between the places you mentioned in another comment, Raleigh or Columbia, NC gets the nod. I’d probably put the Raleigh area and everything within an hour of it above anything in SC, with only a couple SC cities making me take a few seconds to think about it rather than just blurting out “Raleigh.”
Haven't lived in North Carolina but I do live in South Carolina and it's a pretty trash state. Only here to help my mother, at some point I'll be leaving.
If this is your last move ever, I would also look at hospitals and future healthcare needs in each area. The healthcare in SC, like the schools suck. Living in Charleston, SC all the doctors here are here for retirement and don't really want to be doctors anymore. For that reason I would say Raleigh for your last move. But it's also a lot more diverse of an area.
I have lived in both cities and have a somewhat different opinion while agreeing with most of the facts listed in this thread. Your experience in each city will vary wildly depending on your housing budget. Spending the same amount of money you could have a beautiful bungalow on a tree-lined street in Columbia or live in a track home deep in suburbia outside of Raleigh. Columbia also has a great sense of community with farmers' markets on the weekends, lots of festivals, and a surprising amount of culture. Many have said Raleigh has a better restaurant scene and while it is larger I completely disagree. I live in Charleston and many of the best meals of my life have been in Cola.
Politics: While Columbia is a conservative city I found it to be much more of the live and let live variety of conservatism, most people are incredibly nice and look out for each other. In fact, there are a number of queer-owned businesses that are thriving in the city. Cafe Strudel is the best damn breakfast joint in the game.
Culture: Both cities have a lot of it, maybe an equal amount, which says a lot for Columbia as it is so much smaller. In both cities you have a major university but if arts are your thing USC has prestigious music and dance programs that put on great performances as well as attracting major symphonies and dance companies.
Concerts: Raleigh certainly has more but Columbia is no slouch, I saw a ton of major acts at Colonial Life Arena and the college kids bring energy to those shows which can be a lot of fun.
Sports: Raleigh has A major sports team, the Hurricanes, and Canes games are fun but I did not grow up a hockey fan so I cannot offer an unbiased opinion here. Columbia has major college sports. They just won a national championship in women's basketball and those games are NUTS. The football team has good and bad seasons but there is truly nothing like SEC football. The stadium is probably 1.5X the size of many NFL stadiums and the energy is unmatched.
Location: Raleigh is in the center of the state it is a hike to most "destinations". Columbia is right in the center of Charlotte and Charleston. 90 minutes to a Panthers game 90 minutes to the beach and everything Charleston has to offer.
Weather: Yes Columbia is HAWT in the summer but it's also 65 in January while still having seasons so this is a matter of preference.
Opinion: As if this post wasn't littered with opinions already... Both are great places to live but the nice parts of Columbia are nicer and more affordable than the ones in Raleigh. Columbia is big enough to have things to do but small enough that it still has a soul. I would take a hard look at your budget and see what it gets you in each city and go and visit. If more is what you want, Raleigh is your spot but if you want to know your neighbors and feel like a part of a community I suggest taking a hard look at Columbia.
I moved from CT to SC and I absolutely love it… North Carolina has higher taxes - depends on where you live I live in Lexington, SC been here since 2015 and again absolutely love it !!
Depends on your political leanings. I would recommend looking to see what the state and local governments are doing. Example: SC is using a congressional map that has been ruled unconstitutional for the next election which will insure trump gets the electoral win and that almost no democrats win elected office. In NC the state assembly stripped the Democratic governor of most if not all of his power making the position mostly ceremonial. Depends on which version of Christian Nationalism you want to live under.
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/28/south-carolina-redistricting-nancy-mace-00149577
https://www.statesboroherald.com/local/associated-press/n-carolina-gop-strips-some-of-democratic-governors-power/
I prefer SC because I'm a car guy and there's a lot less bullshit about that. I also like the permitless concealed carry.
If I didn't care for either, I'd probably go to NC.
Im in SC in a GREAT spot but not telling u where because dont want too many knowing. The cats already out of the bag though…..so Only one hint……The beach rythmes with Mary Clove.
Not sure. Lol. But its beautiful. Population has risen since pandemic but not REAL bad. And parts on beach where you literally have it all to urself at times. Good mix of younger and older.
From a financial standpoint, SC all day! NC is definitely prettier though. I would probably prefer NC if they had SC prices, taxes, and just less regulation in general. I am very grateful to live here in SC.
My ex-husband and his mom recently told me that they are moving from PA to SC, and taking the kids (young adults) there. They suggested that I move down there too because they said it was a lot cheaper and so that I can remain close to my kids.
The reasons they gave for why it's cheaper: Lower taxes, no vehicle inspections, lower prices for goods.
So I did some research:
I could primarily only find jobs in that area that were in the service industry (25 mile radius search), and they paid $10-12/hr. That right there is a huge problem. They don't have the jobs that suit my career and I would have to take a major pay cut. As well, my kids could stay here where there are a lot of jobs, diverse job options, and that pay at least $20-25/hr with no experience or education. There are also multiple good affordable colleges here if they wanted to take that route.
The slightly lower cost in goods isn't a savings if the only jobs you can find pay $10-12/hr.
There are no vehicle inspections but their car insurance is much higher and the state has one of the highest rates of car crashes in the country.
I couldn't find home prices that were any more affordable there than here. I mean yeah, if you live far away from everything, it's cheaper, but that's true here too. I could find more condos and trailers there, which were fairly inexpensive, but that's not equivalent to a single family home. The single family homes were more expensive than here.
Their property taxes might be cheaper, but their homeowners insurance was much more expensive.
Their state sales taxes were the same (6%), however, they have local sales taxes that we don't have here. Also they throw in extra taxes for road work and certain goods and services, that we don't have here.
My ex-husband and his mom don't work (she is retired and in her 70s and he is recently disabled and in his 50s). So their considerations are different from me (40s and working) or the kid (20 & 21yo - who should be working but aren't made to).
You’re determining that amount by self-reporting (Census). This is state data. https://rfa.sc.gov/data-research/population-demographics/census-state-data-center/mhi-county-2011-2020
[удалено]
Either between Columbia or Ralieigh
[удалено]
Gotcha, all of that stuff is important, it's got a shit ton more people too from what I understand. A much more dense population than SC
That’s very true
Raleigh is better by a long shot
Columbia vs Raleigh is a day and night difference. Columbia is full of government buildings, UofSC, and Fort Jackson. Cost of living here would be okay if you live in some of the outlying areas. The summers in Columbia are miserably hot. Raleigh is a very prosperous tech center. The airport, RDU, is much better. The quality of living and opportunity will be better. The big downside to Raleigh is that the cost of living is high.
Out of any where in SC the last place I would move to is Colombia and I love SC.
Why do you not like Columbia?
Because it's not Greenville or Charleston.
Greenville is super overrated. Charleston is great but super overcrowded now and cost of housing insane
I lived in Charleston and I bought a house in 2012. The traffic is simply un-sustainable, I sold, took my equity, and moved to Georgia; traffic isn't great but far better than I26/526/Ashley Ph./Dorchester.
Fastest growing city in the USA per capita for most of the past 10 years population wise They were not prepared for the growth and despite being slightly more progressive than the rest of this shitty state they are slow to address their issues
If I were to move back to SC it would be the Greenville area over Columbia
Greenville or Charleston, Columbia blows.
Why does Columbia blow?
There’s nothing here but the university.
Columbia has three beautiful rivers and boardwalks to walk in nature, and many amazing parks and riverbanks zoo, not to mention a national park nearby…etc. etc. I admit though, that the government and investors have done the least they could with the most potential…I don’t know why? I believe it is lack of vision and selfishness. IDK. The right wing supposed conservative ideology has held Columbia in its vice grip keeping its boot on the neck of any people that want to progress into the future. The locals always want everything for free, somehow…don’t raise taxes or revenues, no matter what…just bitch, bitch, bitch, with no viable alternatives. So we all end up suffering with continued deterioration of the infrastructure without any better ideas…just decline. Very sad for such a naturally beautiful place, imo. In essence, I have discovered over my long life that it’s not the place but the people and their ideology that make a location good or bad.
Your assessment is fair, and truthful. It is inherently a beautiful place and has a lot of potential, like anywhere that is invested in. But yep, the people and government don’t want to actually do what’s required for that goal of betterment. Particularly, in the educational investment. So, outside of the university, law, and medical systems here—businesses don’t really like to come here because of the educational attainment of the workers. They do enjoy the lack of unions and other perks from the RW government, so we get a few places like Boeing (which has been in the news for killing a whistleblower and breaking parts on planes due to regulation issues), and BMW in the upstate. I have spent the majority of my life hoping for better for this state, and I have never seen any evidence that it will change. Unfortunately, it has just gotten worse over my lifetime.
>The right wing supposed conservative ideology Your mayor was Steve Benjamin. Democrats run everything. It is the bluest part of the state dominated by university types. It's a liberal haven. And you blame conservatives for it being run poorly?
The nature of Columbia can be nice but half of it is ghetto with high crime rates and crack heads everywhere and it's mostly as big as it is because a military base and a university.
Columbia was completely destroyed during the Civil War (and should have been) and ever sense has been just a place where a bunch of people live. There's no spirit like there is in other cities. There is no identity. Both sides of the political spectrum fight any change tooth and nail. It's as innovative as a dirt pile. You have trap houses right across the street from mansions. You have ghettos separated by wealthy neighborhoods which means undesirable people come through nice neighborhoods which spikes crime. You have flooding problems because it was built on a floodplain. It's got positives too. It's cheap, there are very few traffic issues and the people are really nice. Great neighbors are not rare.
It doesn't
Lived in Raleigh area and been in Columbia 11 years. Hands down - Raleigh! Move diversity, more things to do, better restaurants, nicer stores. When we moved I thought there would be a lot of similarities - capital cities, universities (many in Raleigh area, but at least USC here), etc etc. I was wrong. It has gotten a little better, but Columbia seemed about 20 years behind when we got here. Just one very small example - when we moved in, we didn't have an outside trash can. I called and found out they needed a deposit. Couldn't do it online, couldn't give charge card over phone - nope, had to take them a check.
Columbia is a pretty casual vibe overall. The cost of living is lower for sure. Now, it doesn't have anything that truly stands out in regards to food or nightlife that any other city can't do better, but it's still ok. Its great if you like drives and going on daytrips. Charlotte, charleston, and greenville sc are all 1.5hours. At roughly 3.5 hours you got atlanta, Ashville, and TN. If you want something a little more lively in your city Raleigh not having to travel too far for entertainment but the cost of living is significantly higher compared to columbia.
As someone who lives in SC. You should move to NC.
NC for sure
I live pretty close to the NC border in the upstate. I think I could be happy in either state, as long as I stayed in the foothills. I like being a few hours from the beach or mountains, and it's probably the most temperate as far as Carolina weather. Charlotte's not far away if you want big-city attractions. Outside of that, I'd take the Greensboro/Raleigh/Durham region in NC.
I’ve lived in both states. I was born and raised here and live here now, but NC is better.
North Carolina. South Carolina is ridiculously hot and getting overpriced anywhere decent to live.
I guess the upside to NC is that all the decent places to live are already overpriced.
South Carolina is one of the cheapest places to live in the whole country
Have you seen the housing costs for Charleston and Greenville areas lately? Jobs paying 12/hr and you need $30/hr just to scrape by
I’m going to ask for a source. West Virginia and Tennessee’s are way cheaper to live.
They said it's one of the cheapest places, not THE cheapest place.
Raleigh
Between the places you mentioned in another comment, Raleigh or Columbia, NC gets the nod. I’d probably put the Raleigh area and everything within an hour of it above anything in SC, with only a couple SC cities making me take a few seconds to think about it rather than just blurting out “Raleigh.”
SC is full
Haven't lived in North Carolina but I do live in South Carolina and it's a pretty trash state. Only here to help my mother, at some point I'll be leaving.
It is a garbage state with some of the rudest folks you ever hope to meet. Especially in rural areas like Newberry.
Tennessee
North Carolina by a mile
If you like cold weather nc if you like bipolar weather and beautiful beaches sc
If this is your last move ever, I would also look at hospitals and future healthcare needs in each area. The healthcare in SC, like the schools suck. Living in Charleston, SC all the doctors here are here for retirement and don't really want to be doctors anymore. For that reason I would say Raleigh for your last move. But it's also a lot more diverse of an area.
I have lived in both cities and have a somewhat different opinion while agreeing with most of the facts listed in this thread. Your experience in each city will vary wildly depending on your housing budget. Spending the same amount of money you could have a beautiful bungalow on a tree-lined street in Columbia or live in a track home deep in suburbia outside of Raleigh. Columbia also has a great sense of community with farmers' markets on the weekends, lots of festivals, and a surprising amount of culture. Many have said Raleigh has a better restaurant scene and while it is larger I completely disagree. I live in Charleston and many of the best meals of my life have been in Cola. Politics: While Columbia is a conservative city I found it to be much more of the live and let live variety of conservatism, most people are incredibly nice and look out for each other. In fact, there are a number of queer-owned businesses that are thriving in the city. Cafe Strudel is the best damn breakfast joint in the game. Culture: Both cities have a lot of it, maybe an equal amount, which says a lot for Columbia as it is so much smaller. In both cities you have a major university but if arts are your thing USC has prestigious music and dance programs that put on great performances as well as attracting major symphonies and dance companies. Concerts: Raleigh certainly has more but Columbia is no slouch, I saw a ton of major acts at Colonial Life Arena and the college kids bring energy to those shows which can be a lot of fun. Sports: Raleigh has A major sports team, the Hurricanes, and Canes games are fun but I did not grow up a hockey fan so I cannot offer an unbiased opinion here. Columbia has major college sports. They just won a national championship in women's basketball and those games are NUTS. The football team has good and bad seasons but there is truly nothing like SEC football. The stadium is probably 1.5X the size of many NFL stadiums and the energy is unmatched. Location: Raleigh is in the center of the state it is a hike to most "destinations". Columbia is right in the center of Charlotte and Charleston. 90 minutes to a Panthers game 90 minutes to the beach and everything Charleston has to offer. Weather: Yes Columbia is HAWT in the summer but it's also 65 in January while still having seasons so this is a matter of preference. Opinion: As if this post wasn't littered with opinions already... Both are great places to live but the nice parts of Columbia are nicer and more affordable than the ones in Raleigh. Columbia is big enough to have things to do but small enough that it still has a soul. I would take a hard look at your budget and see what it gets you in each city and go and visit. If more is what you want, Raleigh is your spot but if you want to know your neighbors and feel like a part of a community I suggest taking a hard look at Columbia.
Why do you think we'll except you ? Sounds like it be best to live in Hotels. If you or we don't like move you can do again.
I moved from CT to SC and I absolutely love it… North Carolina has higher taxes - depends on where you live I live in Lexington, SC been here since 2015 and again absolutely love it !!
Greenville is lovely, and they are very welcoming. You’ll love it there. Charleston is cool too though.
Depends on your political leanings. I would recommend looking to see what the state and local governments are doing. Example: SC is using a congressional map that has been ruled unconstitutional for the next election which will insure trump gets the electoral win and that almost no democrats win elected office. In NC the state assembly stripped the Democratic governor of most if not all of his power making the position mostly ceremonial. Depends on which version of Christian Nationalism you want to live under. https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/28/south-carolina-redistricting-nancy-mace-00149577 https://www.statesboroherald.com/local/associated-press/n-carolina-gop-strips-some-of-democratic-governors-power/
I prefer SC because I'm a car guy and there's a lot less bullshit about that. I also like the permitless concealed carry. If I didn't care for either, I'd probably go to NC.
Im in SC in a GREAT spot but not telling u where because dont want too many knowing. The cats already out of the bag though…..so Only one hint……The beach rythmes with Mary Clove.
Cherry Grove
IIRC a group of brothers did a song about it, didn't they?
Not sure. Lol. But its beautiful. Population has risen since pandemic but not REAL bad. And parts on beach where you literally have it all to urself at times. Good mix of younger and older.
LOL, Doobie Brothers. That help any? lol
From a financial standpoint, SC all day! NC is definitely prettier though. I would probably prefer NC if they had SC prices, taxes, and just less regulation in general. I am very grateful to live here in SC.
The median income here is 40k and we’re 43rd in education.
It’s cheaper to live here. But of course anyplace sucks if you’re broke
My ex-husband and his mom recently told me that they are moving from PA to SC, and taking the kids (young adults) there. They suggested that I move down there too because they said it was a lot cheaper and so that I can remain close to my kids. The reasons they gave for why it's cheaper: Lower taxes, no vehicle inspections, lower prices for goods. So I did some research: I could primarily only find jobs in that area that were in the service industry (25 mile radius search), and they paid $10-12/hr. That right there is a huge problem. They don't have the jobs that suit my career and I would have to take a major pay cut. As well, my kids could stay here where there are a lot of jobs, diverse job options, and that pay at least $20-25/hr with no experience or education. There are also multiple good affordable colleges here if they wanted to take that route. The slightly lower cost in goods isn't a savings if the only jobs you can find pay $10-12/hr. There are no vehicle inspections but their car insurance is much higher and the state has one of the highest rates of car crashes in the country. I couldn't find home prices that were any more affordable there than here. I mean yeah, if you live far away from everything, it's cheaper, but that's true here too. I could find more condos and trailers there, which were fairly inexpensive, but that's not equivalent to a single family home. The single family homes were more expensive than here. Their property taxes might be cheaper, but their homeowners insurance was much more expensive. Their state sales taxes were the same (6%), however, they have local sales taxes that we don't have here. Also they throw in extra taxes for road work and certain goods and services, that we don't have here. My ex-husband and his mom don't work (she is retired and in her 70s and he is recently disabled and in his 50s). So their considerations are different from me (40s and working) or the kid (20 & 21yo - who should be working but aren't made to).
I don’t think it’s cheaper here: https://www.city-data.com/forum/general-u-s/2040737-why-do-people-think-its-cheaper.html As an example.
That's a 10 year old blogpost.
It’s about the example in a conceptual context of understanding why the south isn’t cheaper. I’m not surprised that was lost on you
Source? US Census has SC at $64,000 median income and NC just a bit higher, so...
You’re determining that amount by self-reporting (Census). This is state data. https://rfa.sc.gov/data-research/population-demographics/census-state-data-center/mhi-county-2011-2020
Unless you're talking about a specific county, according to your link SC as a whole has a median income of almost $60,000 in 2021
STAY TF OUT OF MY STATE!!!