COMO - 9/4/2008

COMO is the acronym for Columbia, Missouri -- home of the University of Missouri and Stephens University. It could also be called COCOMO -- Conservative Columbia, Missouri. With this being a center for upper education, I thought the average citizen would be more forward-thinking. But, I have found that Columbia is very slow to accept changes and look at issues from a broad perspective. For example, there is very little awareness of "living green".

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affordable - 7/18/2008

columbia is a laid back town but fairly affordable. A good place to raise children. Small enough to not worry about commuting issues. Nice public schools and wonderful public university. Might not be too ideal for a young person trying to explore places after graduation.

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It's Fine - 6/9/2008

I have lived in several places in the U.S., and Columbia is mostly unremarkable. It is less liberal than Iowa City (another college town), but less conservative than other parts of Missouri between St. Louis and Kansas City. There are arts festivals, concerts, and parades, but none of them are super exceptional, compared to larger places. The True False Film Festival is probably Columbia's most notable arts event. The people are very friendly. There are a number of comparatively affluent family-friendly neighborhoods, particularly in the south west area. Traffic isn't really a problem, but the Columbia Pull-Out Virus is pretty bad. I challenge anyone to drive for 20 minutes anywhere in Columbia without having at least one driver pull out directly in front of you when there is clearly not enough room. It's not that they don't look first--they just look, see you coming, and pull out anyway. This is especially fun on a two-lane road when the pull-out-er chooses to drive 15 miles under the speed limit. The local newspaper, the Tribune, seems small after a larger city (and it isn't delivered on several holidays), but it has a very interesting section called Trib Talk, featuring short comments from callers about local issues. It's a fun way to get a sense of different opinions from Columbia residents.

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Pleasant but unremarkable - 5/10/2008

Columbia is pleasant, but nothing special. In a way, it is kind of like the University of Missouri which is also pleasant but nothing special. Most of the national retail & restaurant chains are present (there is only one shopping mall). The weather is great in the spring and the fall, but the excessively hot summer period and excessively cold winter period are short in duration and easily survived. The University of Missouri dominates and the focus is on collegiate sports rather than academic excellence. There is the typical small town focus on high school athletics (but nothing on academics). The economy is driven by the university and the hospitals and this creates a stable, positive engine. People are friendly and crime is mostly isolated to the easily avoided areas (with university student-inspired property crime extending to student areas). Overall, Columbia is a solid C+ place to live. When you hear people praising it, they are probably from places which are less than a C+. If you hear people dumping on it, it probably just means that they used to live in B or A places.

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My Love for Columbia being a Deaf Man - 5/3/2008

Columbia, Missouri is the most underrated city in the USA, yet people don't realize the quality of life in Columbia. I came to Columbia, Missouri from California, not planning to live there. I was there just to work for a few months building homes. The longer I stayed there, I felt so good about the town and decided to stay longer and found a home. I've been living in Columbia for 7 years and for personal reasons, I moved to Cape Cod, Massachusetts and lived there for 6 years and have regretted leaving Columbia. I am planning to return to Columbia, Missouri by Fall and buy a home again. Everything you find in a large city, Columbia has them and there's no need to drive far to the ends of the cities just to shop. Everything about Columbia is very convenient with great health care. People in Columbia are very nice and friendly, regardless who they are! I am a Deaf man and they got excellent Deaf Services program anywhere in the USA. They are quick to my needs whenever I need their attention. There are no frustrations. Columbia is truly a Deaf-friendly town, boasting the only school for the deaf in the state, namely Missouri School for the Deaf. The school is located in Fulton, Missouri, about 25 miles east of Columbia. Hey Columbia, Boone County, and the great state of Missouri, I'm coming home!

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Best of both worlds - 4/9/2008

Columbia is one of the few places on earth where you can drink import beer in an independent film theater after a fine french meal, then drive ten minutes to hunt muskrats. The ratio of pickup trucks to hybrids is probably unique in the United States. There are tons of great bars and restaurants, a microbrewery, a University, three smaller colleges, and "the district" (what we're supposed to call downtown) hosts a multitude of shops and markets from all over the world for any taste. I went to one of the best public high schools in the state, which ranks as one of the best of any high schools in Missouri. Outside of campus/downtown, there are a lot of specialty stores, ranging from bass pro to organic grocery stores. Gas is cheap(er) and there are a ton of rental units and houses for sale.

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College Town, USA (?) - 2/26/2008

I've lived in Columbia for nearly a decade. Its positives definitely outweigh its negatives, so any criticism should be read in that light. Most of those positives center around the presence of the main campus of the U. of Missouri, and to a lesser extent,the other colleges (Stephens and Columbia College). Their presence pretty much insures that it is a more liberal, probably more tolerant place than most in Missouri-- good things, all in all, except that with the liberal mindset comes a fair amount of civic expenditure on items that, to me, aren't as important as making sure that the trash is picked up and the potholes fixed. But my biggest gripe about Columbia is that, economically, it's a huge underachiever. Its counterparts in other states (Lawrence, Iowa City, Madison) are really starting to outpace Columbia as places where the presence of a major public research university is an engine for economic development. I don't mind our being late to the party-- we can learn from others' mistakes-- but our efforts are haphazard, tentative, and (not surprising, given that we ARE Missouri) subject to endless, withering skepticism from our hidebound neighbors. You see it in things like the local airport. Now, those of us who want Columbia to have good economic growth believe, strongly, that having a viable commercial airport is essential to that growth. People who want to do business with our entities aren't going to want to rent a car in St. Louis or Kansas City and drive for two hours-- or (worse, IMO), take the local van service. But the general sentiment in town is that, because the locals are ok driving to St. Louis to catch flights, we don't need commercial air service. It's that kind of hidebound short-sightedness-- and, more important, a total lack of leadership-- that makes me think that Columbia just is not going to match what its counterparts have done. As a result, hundreds, maybe thousands of professionals like me, who live in Columbia, have to make 50-70 mile daily commutes to places like Jefferson City to work in our field. I would rather work in the private sector practicing law, but Columbia's slow growth means that opportunities are few-- so I work in state government.

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Columbia - Pros/Cons - 2/10/2008

Pros: 1. Low crime rate 2. Excellent school system 3. Affordable place to live 4. Home to the University of Missouri 5. Overall good place to live and raise a family Cons: 1. UM is a big party school 2. High cost of housing 3. The economy is dominated by UM, so it's hard to find employment if you don't want to work there

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Excellent variety in a mid-size town - 12/23/2007

Mizzou football fanatics on fall Saturdays. Cardinal fans during the summer. Less than 2 hours to St Louis, KC, or the Lake of the Ozarks (go during the week in the summer for a quieter time). Several live theatre groups, coffee shops that aren't with a chain. Wide assortment of restaurants-not the selection of DC, but not the traffic either. Excellent public schools, university brings diversity, but public transportation reflects "drive my own" car mentality. Rush hour? If you think rush hour is waiting twice at a light between 4:30 and 5:30 pm, then we have a rush hour.

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Average - 12/2/2007

Columbia is a very interesting city. The cost of living is great. This is coming from the perspective of a full-time college student and full-time worker. Nice apartments in decent neighborhoods can be found as cheap as $375 a month. There isn't much crime. The weather is often very fickle. It can be a nice warm 65 degrees one day and a cold, rainy 30 degree day the next. There are some grade educational programs at the high school level; however, for elementary one would have to pay for a private school. There aren't that many good daycare centers that are inexpensive. The college campus is ok. A lot of construction is going on so it's a little difficult to manipulate around campus if you're driving. I would recommend it for families wanting to settle down. There isn't a lot for young people to do unless you plan on driving to St. Louis. The clubs close at 1am!! Also, there isn't a diverse collective of radio stations. I suggest investing in an ipod.

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Great town for conservatives - 10/23/2007

We moved to Columbia, Missouri from the West coast and its liberal, latte- drinking, religious-tolerant, environmental-loving attitudes. Now we enjoy nearly a monolithic political viewpoint on a variety of issues from education to health care, all presided over by a Republican-run legislature. It's like traveling back in time 60 years. People are still driving Lincolns and Chevrolet Impalas, and sipping Folgers and having a Camel cigarette with their bacon sandwich. It's heaven on earth. We love it!

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Nice place - 8/22/2007

Lot's of good restaurants for it's size. Progressive family community.

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Columbia, MO - not your average Missouri town - 5/21/2007

I moved to Columbia to attend Mizzou, and though I graduated over a year ago, I am still living here. It's a great town - not too big, not too small. The University of Missouri is a good school, and one of the biggest employers in Missouri (and where I work now). There is also Columbia College, Stephens College, and Moberly Area Community College. However, I don't think of Columbia as a "college town." There is actually a lot to do considering it's a town of under 100,000, including the Ragtag, which is a tiny theater that shows independent films, and the entire "downtown district" which houses many locally owned businesses. You do have midwest weather, however, with hot summers and cold winters, but if you like living in the Midwest, but don't want a really small town, Columbia may be right for you.

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I agree with all that was said - 3/22/2007

growing up in the Chicago suburbs was no picnic...but it seems that the folks native to MO are committed to resisting education, technology,and most stuff progessive. The extreme capitolism issues, i believe, are fueled by Walmart's monopoly of the market in columbia. I moved here to take care of my aging parents...didn't plan on staying. So thought I could participate in things that enrich the community like a Children's theatre organization...while thousands have attended the performances, financial and moral support is non existant.

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Great Places to Eat - 1/15/2007

I've lived several different places in my life and for dining at it's best Columbia is great. The food is good and not too expensive. As far as living there goes, all the houses look the same. If you are lucky enough to find an older nice house for sale, it's going to be out of reasonable price range for what it is. It's not too scenic, although there are some nice trails. There are a lot of librals who have moved in from the bigger cities that think they are hot stuff and call the rest of the normal people who have lived there rednecks.... no, you are just moving to a smaller town and expect it to be like the big city.

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Got most of it - 9/11/2006

College Sports, Great Economy, Reasonable Housing, Parks and Trails, Four Seasons

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Most of Missouri is backward - 8/30/2006

There are pockets of progressives. Columbia is a bit of an oasis in this insulated state. But even Columbia shows the true nature of this "time warped" state--- juxtaposed to the intellectual university community. There seems to be two Columbias---those involved with MU and business community and those Ozark type (motor heads, loud mufflers, yard parking, lack of pride in property, beer drinking, gun toting, tobacco chewing, Larry the Cable Guy loving rednecks.

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Transportation - 6/26/2006

You have to have a car here. There is almost no public transportation.

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Mostly wonderful - 5/13/2006

Very friendly people!!! Small town atmosphere. Terrific trails!!!!!!! Other than being in backward Missouri, a great place to live : ) Transportation: little bus service, 2 taxis, and an airport that is going to be phased out : (

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Where can I move? - 4/16/2006

Mid Missouri is boring and the weather sucks.

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