What BestPlaces Users Say about Columbia
Columbia, Missouri is a mid-sized city located in the central part of the state. It is home to the University of Missouri and is known for its college town atmosphere, diverse cultural offerings, and strong economy. The city has a population of over 120,000 and has been consistently ranked as one of the top places to live in the Midwest.
Columbia, Missouri is a popular place to live, with many individuals and families choosing to make it their home. According to user reviews on BestPlaces.net, one of the main draws of the city is its vibrant and welcoming community. User "Mark" says, "Columbia is a great place to live! It's full of friendly people from all backgrounds and ages. There's always something going on, whether it's a festival, concert, or sports event." Similarly, user "Sarah" praises the city's diversity, stating, "I love how there's a mix of young and old, students and families. It adds to the overall energy and dynamic of the city." Many reviewers also appreciate the strong economy and job opportunities in Columbia. User "Jason" shares, "I moved here for work and have been pleasantly surprised by the job market. There are plenty of job opportunities in a variety of industries." Another user, "Emily," mentions the affordable cost of living in the city, saying, "Columbia has a great balance of reasonable housing prices and good quality of life. I'm able to comfortably afford a house here and still have money left over for fun activities." Overall, these user reviews highlight the positive community, diversity, economy, and cost of living in Columbia, making it a highly desirable place to call home.
based on 41 ReviewsGet to know Columbia with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Columbia
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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