Better than Florence, but still nothing special.
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3/3/2020
By and large, you'll find a better class of person than Florence, but that bar isn't particularly high. A vast, vast majority of folks have some ties to the university, the military, are from South Carolina, or have all 3 characteristics. If you are not in any of these groups, the people are ok, but you will kind of feel like an outsider. Again, people in Columbia are more hospitable than Florence, but I wouldn't exactly say that they welcome transplants with open arms. Business wise, there are more opportunities than Florence, but this is not one of the city's strong points. Columbia is not really a place to grow your career. The wages and growth opportunities are very low and still lag far behind most other cities in the U.S. I get the feeling that the attitude of many employers is "just be happy that you have a job." The attitude of the work force isn't exactly dynamic either. There isn't much energy here. It's just status quo. Maybe it is much better upstate, like in Greenville? Grocery and store wise, I will give Columbia credit. You have quality choices such as Whole Foods, the Fresh Market, Trader Joe's and Lowe's, which we have taken full advantage of. Retail wise, the shops at Trenholm Plaza are kind of nice. All in all, Columbia is not a bad place, just not a place I want to live for more than 2 years. There are few better places to live, even in the South.
Rob | Florence, SC