f13.net

Title says it all.  I visited Columbia few months ago and was impressed.  Cheap ass houses and lots of lakes.  Wilmington looks nice on interwebs; the kids and I love beaches.

Got a week to decide roughly and torn between the two.

I'm just not sure if I can trust answering your question with that avatar.

No idea but in general I would trust the place I've actually been to and liked over the fucking internet.

I don't think we have anyone on the boards from either of those places since being able to read and write is mostly mandatory for a message board.  That was uncalled for and I apologize.

I've spent quite a bit of time in West Columbia, Sc (the gf is from there) Columbia has surprising levels of crime in the affluent suburban areas around it.

Rush's has a decent chili-cheese burger though.

Columbia was ok (lived in Darlington for a year and went to Columbia a few times), but it can get hot as shit in the summer there. That said, I'd take Wilmington, NC with a caution: hurricanes. Being able to drive to the ocean in a few minutes always wins out with me. SC is a little more friendly in the taxes dept too so there is that. I'd still go with Wilmington.

Columbia was 90s when I was there in January, and 90s for April May and June. So if you like Hot, Wet weather, you'll love it.

Hurricanes we are used to.   I grew up in Virginia Beach.

We go to Kitty Hawk a couple weeks every year and love the beach.  I lived in SC for a couple years (and had boots melt to asphalt in September- true story) so am very aware of the heat.

The crime piece bothers me.  Is Columbia one of those cities where you have to know what neighborhoods NOT to drive in?

Anyway, plan was to move to Blythewood up north of Columbia before this second option hit.

1. Hurricanes in VA Beach are bullshit pussy storms.
2. Jesus christ, neither. How does this happen to you?

Other options were glorious locations like Rochester NY or Baltimore.  I said "hell no."

Baltimore is better than both. Live in white town: Resisterstown, Owings Mill, etc. Access to DC, Rockville, Bethesda, and if you're a doucher, the Jersey Shore.

Rochester is nice 9 months out of the year. Really nice.

Wilmington and Columbia are shitholes.

Ched has like 13 kids. He'll be welcomed by the bible thumpers in the Carolinas.  Not like you, ya swarthy ethnic man, you.   :awesome_for_real:

But yeah, I think I'd have taken Baltimore first.

I've lived in SC my whole life (I'm 35 minutes from Columbia). I'd never in a million years voluntarily move here to live outside of pure desperation, and I'm currently saving up to get out. The people are shit, the weather is worse, and there are few to no good opportunities for decent work.

Clearly you haven't met the breeders in the suburbs outside of Bmore.

Does Wilmington have the burgeoning movie industry still?

Brother in law is from Wilmington. It's very nice.

Columbia SC is a racist, hot, shithole. Nobody in the SEC likes going there. Other rednecks avoid that town.

EDIT: Listen to koro.

Looks like Columbia is the winner.  Mainly due to a new development in my work life.  Also, we have a bunch of friends who relocated to Georgia/SC state line.

We will NOT be living in Columbia itself.  Looking at Lexington, Blythewood, or more towards lake Wateree.

Good luck. Invest in lots of air conditioning.

Listen to the monkey.  Too late? My condolences.  Not to send this too far into politics, but unless you strongly believe in and identify with tea party politics and fundigelical religion, and you really have a thing for 100 degree heat with 100% humidity and the sweet smell of pine sap mixed with asphalt with not a single breath of a breeze, you will probably regret it.

I live in NC, and I'll vouch for Wilmington over Columbia any day of the week.

Split the difference and move to Asheville NC, Greenville SC, or Athens GA. All are way more awesome than Columbia.

Good rule of thumb is not to ever move to "south" anything.  Unless it is South British Columbia, or something.

Unless you have lived in Cleveland and spent a winter or two up there.

So wife is excited, but then spills she REALLY was uber excited about Wilmington (this evening).

Women, when we ask your opinion please be giving it. 

Sigh.

Ohh, so you care about her opinion and not ours?  :why_so_serious:

 :awesome_for_real: Perspective.  Decision was up to family.  No help at all  :ye_gods:

Women are funny.  And note, my wife is not meek.  Tell me what you want!

I hope you can afford private schools.  Public education in SC is bad and getting worse.  If it's not too late, I'd seriously consider Wilmington for the sake of the children. 

I'll reiterate that Columbia is a hotter than balls shithole that even Tennessee fans don't want to visit. Seriously. They live in Knoxville and look down their noses at that crapburg.

Hear, fucking, hear. In my 40s, married a decade and a half, and I'm still sometimes required to guess what she really means. The ultimate insanity is continuing to believe I might get it right someday  :awesome_for_real:

Having said that, Rochester is nice. Was there for four years. And I loved the weather, all year round though there was always the peak grumbling season. Best sunsets of any place I've ever left.

However, it isn't a beach town by any stretch :-)

If you only have to guess your wife's mind sometimes, I tip my hat to you.  As for me, I've given up trying to decipher this minefield of tricks, red-herrings, innocent deceptions, and fake logic.

For closure:  officially heading to SC.  Never moved my family; logistics gonna be a bitch.

Excited but bummed about being away from family 5 days a week until we find a place.  Much time for games, though  :why_so_serious:

Welcome back to the South Ched!  We have sweet tea!

And diabeetus.

Staying south of the Mason Dixon line is usually a good move.

:awesome_for_real:

Welcome to Cola, neighbor.

But... you chose poorly.

We warned him.

2 weeks in and I love it.  Again, I am way up in NrE side of Cola, so ymmv. 

Large part is definitely job satisfaction.  People are super friendly and looking forward to getting the fam down there.

Anyhow, lets be real.  I am with the haves currently, so my view is way distorted.  Looking forward to my first lake adventure.  :)

Wow it's Roac.  That must be an f13 record for largest time gap between posts.

Downsides: miserably hot summers, Tea Party / religious doofuses, and not much in the city itself.

Upsides: Some exceptions to the last one.  The zoo is a real gem, and there are a couple decent museums.  Lake Murray is always a treat.  Also, decent access to places you do want to visit - ~2 hours from beach or mountains.

If you're in Blythewood, pick a Baptist church you "attend".  Even if you don't.  Also, nod when people say Obama is the debbil, no matter what you think.  They may stop being friendly.  If by NE you mean more like Spring Valley, it won't matter....much.

Woah!  I didn't even notice it was him.

Hey there!

Blythewood or Irmo.  Possibly Lexington, if the place is perfect and on water.  I am pushing hard for Blythewood, but its a group decision.

My mother is very religious (in a good way) and does all the churchy stuff.  We are used to redneck assholes; wifes family has plenty.  Upside, plenty of beers, bbq, and cornhole.  Downside, nodding my head to drunk BaRAK Obahma rants.

Lexington is odd. There's a 14Carrots (natural foods store) where I've repeatedly been subjected to the 'BaRAK HUSSEIN! Obahma' rants by fellow customers.

Does it come with a leg lamp? 

I'm in Irmo.  I prefer it; it's the least redneck of the three, and is built up enough for my taste. Plenty of places close to I-26 make for an easy drive anywhere.  There's a rec center, state forest, and river nearby.

Blythewood is, imo, very isolated.  Brother in-law lives there, and I feel like I'm driving off the Earth at every visit.  If you want lots of yard and to be away from the suburbs, it would rank high.

Lexington is a bit of both.  Very WASPy, but in my experience very pleasant bunch living there.  Gives a small town vibe from a place that isn't that small.  Several places have good lake access.

Don't overlook the schools.  Richland-Lexington 5 (Irmo and Lexington) have some of the best schools in the state, and jokes about SC aside, they really are good places.  Others, in the same district, are mediocre, but I don't think any are bad.  Still, from experience the difference between "ok" and "great" is noticeable.  Do research on schools and what you're zoned for.  Dunno about Blythewood. 

Heh, Cornhole.

If cornhole is considered an upside, then I am pretty sure I don't know what cornhole means.

Edit: Actually, I don't think that story should be on record. In short, Cornhole is shitty skeeball and this comment has nothing to do with what was previously here.

I'm late to the thread (and it's too late now), but having spent a lot of time in the area (in my former life) I'd definitely recommend the Wilmington area... mainly because the post-secondary is pretty good, it's younger and more liberal, and do not forget you have Wrightsville right there (which is actually a surfer town with a bit of swank here and there).   For older folk there's Southport and Oak Island at the mouth of the river; not far from there.

The rest of the state is complete swamp country hick.  Beautiful for sure, in many places along the inland waterways...  but not for whom I'd expect to be frequenting f13.  You'd need to be semi-retired, own a boat, and a lot of guns.

We used to drive to South Carolina to buy fireworks because they were legal there so we could set them off in Pennsylvania where they were illegal.  I don't know if that's a plus or a minus.

Looking like Irmo. 

Closure, we love it.  Ended up in Irmo.  School is kick ass, cheap as hell, and they matched my salary.  Only downside was moving in fall.

Downside?  I guess it is dark at night.  Having ambient light pollution spoiled me. 

Buy a telescope.

Someone should inform them that 12,000 in 2015 IS a sleepy little town.

12,000 people? Yeah that's akin to Dallas, GA. It's tiny. The entire place has like a dozen restaurants if that.

Irmo is home to the annual Okra Strut and the birthplace of Leeza Gibbons.  Shame it isn't closer to water.  South Carolina has some beautiful coastline.

And homicidal cops. Don't walk while black down there.

Dallas, GA isn't sought after as a place to live by normal people.  I do wish someone would build something tech out here.  Closest job I could get would be around Marietta.

Sounds like a market opportunity waiting to happen.  You should go for it.

I've considered it.  Independent consulting would come first, but I'd still have to drive all around the god-damned metro area.  The hot places are Alpharetta (1 o'clock) and Norcross/John's Creek (2 o'clock), while I'm 9 o'clock on the ATL dial.  That means ~50 miles and 1.5-2.0 hours in the car.  Anything in the 7-11 range would be great but there's jack-shit west of Marietta (11 o'clock).

It could be worse, you could be down here at 7.  Even Peachtree City seems to have gone downhill in the last year.

It's why I live ITP. Not out in the boonies with all the crazies.  :why_so_serious: