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Columbia likely to lose largest city status


sc03jigga

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To be fair, he said that Charleston didn't have the same sense of urbanity as Columbia, not that Columbia was more urban. I can somewhat see where he might be coming from, particularly if he's thinking of the gridded layout and wide streets of downtown Columbia, features which seem to better facilitate infill and the increased pedestrian and automobile traffic that accompanies it. For a more comparable example, I think that's one reason why some people say that downtown Savannah is more urban than downtown Charleston.

 

Thank you, that's exactly what I meant. I've lived in cities that have completely different styles and levels of density: Columbia, Charlotte, New York, Madrid, Paris, London, and DC. They fall into two distinct groups: those with skylines and those with height restricted mid rise buildings. By numbers alone, Charleston is by far much denser per square mile than Columbia. That said, the height restriction makes Charleston feel much more like DC, Paris, and parts of London, while Columbia has the potential to feel more like Charlotte, New York, Madrid, and other parts of London. The skyline and the grid system make Columbia feel much more urban that Charleston in my opinion. There is certainly underutilized land and will be probably forever, but Columbia is growing in and up while Charleston is extending north up the peninsula. As Columbia adds more housing, offices, and retail, the downtown will feel even more lively. Charleston is never going to allow skyscrapers downtown, so it will probably always feel the way it does right now, while Columbia will continue to transform its core to meet its growth potential. 

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Always think it's funny how Greenville as a city is considered so small (think our population is still only around 60,000-70,000), but it truly is the largest metropolitan area in the state. Our radio and television markets are ranked well above both Columbia and Charleston. Sure, you could say that it's because of Spartanburg and Anderson being added to the mix, but those towns are only 30 miles from Greenville so they could be properly called suburbs. Even just within Greenville County, own population if you included the "sprawl", would far exceed both Columbia and Charleston.

 

So, regardless of whether Columbia and Charleston swap places in city population density, Greenville or the "Upstate" will continue to have a greater sphere of influence in terms of market for everything from retail to manufacturing.

 

The city of Greenville itself only seems interested in annexing land with commercial and retail use -- not residential -- so it will likely never grow itself as a "city".

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Always think it's funny how Greenville as a city is considered so small (think our population is still only around 60,000-70,000), but it truly is the largest metropolitan area in the state. Our radio and television markets are ranked well above both Columbia and Charleston. Sure, you could say that it's because of Spartanburg and Anderson being added to the mix, but those towns are only 30 miles from Greenville so they could be properly called suburbs. Even just within Greenville County, own population if you included the "sprawl", would far exceed both Columbia and Charleston.

 

So, regardless of whether Columbia and Charleston swap places in city population density, Greenville or the "Upstate" will continue to have a greater sphere of influence in terms of market for everything from retail to manufacturing.

 

The city of Greenville itself only seems interested in annexing land with commercial and retail use -- not residential -- so it will likely never grow itself as a "city".

 

That's not entirely accurate. The upstate media market also includes most of Western NC which adds something like a million people to the DMA, so it's not exactly a 1-1 comparison. 

 

Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson is the largest MSA, and Greenville County does have the highest population, but the 'urban area' statistic (via the Census), which is generally used to compare the actual size of urban places based on contiguous areas of dense population, Greenville is smaller by a long shot. If you add in Mauldin-Simpsonville (which IMO should be a part of the Greenville urban area) you get a population that is roughly the same as Columbia and Charleston (only 20k less). If you add in Spartanburg and Anderson as a more or less continuous urban area, only then do you surpass Columbia and Charleston.

 

The upstate is, and will be, the largest industrial center in the state, so from a development standpoint it will continue to thrive. It's unfortunate that the cities there won't grow substantially relative to the other cities in the state.

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Thank you, that's exactly what I meant. I've lived in cities that have completely different styles and levels of density: Columbia, Charlotte, New York, Madrid, Paris, London, and DC. They fall into two distinct groups: those with skylines and those with height restricted mid rise buildings. By numbers alone, Charleston is by far much denser per square mile than Columbia. That said, the height restriction makes Charleston feel much more like DC, Paris, and parts of London, while Columbia has the potential to feel more like Charlotte, New York, Madrid, and other parts of London. The skyline and the grid system make Columbia feel much more urban that Charleston in my opinion. There is certainly underutilized land and will be probably forever, but Columbia is growing in and up while Charleston is extending north up the peninsula. As Columbia adds more housing, offices, and retail, the downtown will feel even more lively. Charleston is never going to allow skyscrapers downtown, so it will probably always feel the way it does right now, while Columbia will continue to transform its core to meet its growth potential. 

 

I think highrises can contribute to more of a "big city" feeling, but that's distinct from a more urban feeling for me. Charleston and Columbia have different built forms and styles of urbanism, but Charleston will always feel more classically urban to me. Cities that matured in an age when pedestrians were the focus as opposed to cars will always have the advantage in that respect IMO. That said, I look forward to seeing Columbia continue to grow up and densify.

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That's not entirely accurate. The upstate media market also includes most of Western NC which adds something like a million people to the DMA, so it's not exactly a 1-1 comparison. 

 

Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson is the largest MSA, and Greenville County does have the highest population, but the 'urban area' statistic (via the Census), which is generally used to compare the actual size of urban places based on contiguous areas of dense population, Greenville is smaller by a long shot. If you add in Mauldin-Simpsonville (which IMO should be a part of the Greenville urban area) you get a population that is roughly the same as Columbia and Charleston (only 20k less). If you add in Spartanburg and Anderson as a more or less continuous urban area, only then do you surpass Columbia and Charleston.

 

The upstate is, and will be, the largest industrial center in the state, so from a development standpoint it will continue to thrive. It's unfortunate that the cities there won't grow substantially relative to the other cities in the state.

 

 

 

I honestly think the Eastside of Greenviille, which comprises mostly of Greer addresses but are unincorporated for the most part, are where a huge piece of the population is that should also be considered part of the Greenville metropolitan area. But it does appear that the city of Greenville has no interest in annexation with the exception of commerical and retail areas....and thus the city center itself will probably never grow to any extent. In that way, it is very deceiving. Anyone who knows anything about the area would laugh at the thought that city's population is around 60,000. Does not paint an accurate picture at all.  Just take a drive down Woodruff Road and say that with a straight face. The city of Greenville is doing quite well from its downtown area and the retail areas they have annexed so from a taxation point of view, it doesn't need to grow in population

 

The population in the area surrounding Greenville is still booming in addition to the economic growth itself. It's growing to the extent that we are getting a lot of retail/restuarant offerings not seen in either Columbia or Charleston -- things like Dave & Busters, for instance.

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