How do we rank?

[Jerseyman4]

^Sadly, this is why I-26 can be a parking lot on some days. It is getting very expensive in the greater coastal Charleston area which is why Summerville made the SC cities where people end up list.

[krazeeboi]

I wonder if these efforts do any good?

Well, we are growing slower than NC....

Jerseyman, Mt. Pleasant also ranked ahead of Charleston. To be honest, I'm becoming more and more concerned about the growth down there because 1) the high home prices in the city forces people to move further out, creating sprawl; 2) the area only has one major interstate and a yet-to-be-completed expressway, and who knows when existing roads will be widened and when mass transit will become a reality (and it needs to be considered SERIOUSLY NOW); 3) the plethora of municipalities, which could be magnets of growth in and of themselves if located in other areas of the state due to their populations, makes it that much harder to control growth regionally, which is the level at which it should be considered and planned for. Everybody says they don't want to become another Atlanta, yet very few areas in the South (and elsewhere) are taking serious steps to ensure that it doesn't happen. I think all of our major metros fall into that category, sadly.

[Jerseyman4]

^Yep, i agree with you

Highway 41 and Clements Ferry Road are areas to watch out for in Berkeley County if the sizzling real estate market does not cool off near the coast. Daniel Island is just the beginning.

Bluffton is also not a suprise either. A lot of development is taking place off US 278 as well, some of it being upscale.

[krazeeboi]

Here is the graphic that reflects my earlier post about living choices in SC:

[sonofaque86]

People want to live in Charleston but don't want to deal with Hurricanes and high cost of living...Columbia is inexpensive to live in and is only an hour and a half away from the mountains AND the beach as well as around a hour away from Charlotte and close to Atlanta...It is a good location

[Greenville]

A rough look at those numbers indicate that many people who live in Columbia don't really want to be there.

With respect to Greenville, I wonder why so many people want to live there yet do not end up there?

[krazeeboi]

LOL, funny way to look at it Greenville.

I'm thinking the biggie may be median home prices possibly? Gsupstate posted a link for a figure that shows the median home prices for a few of our state's cities; Columbia's is the lowest of those shown. The overall cost of living in Columbia also tends to be lower out of the state's major metros, and it's relatively easier to navigate the area due to several major highways.

[goodbye]

Hopefully those people who want to live in Charleston and Greenville will eventually be able to move there. There's not much that is worse in life than living somewhere you don't want to live. It is basically a silent and steady strain on your body and mind, which can cause unhappiness or even depression. I know the feeling as I once desperately wanted to move away from Greenville. Fortunately, Greenville has shed the look and feel of decades past and is on the cutting edge of urban renaissance.

[CorgiMatt]

Hopefully those people who want to live in Charleston and Greenville will eventually be able to move there. There's not much that is worse in life than living somewhere you don't want to live. It is basically a silent and steady strain on your body and mind, which can cause unhappiness or even depression. I know the feeling as I once desperately wanted to move away from Greenville. Fortunately, Greenville has shed the look and feel of decades past and is on the cutting edge of urban renaissance.

The survey shows that once the surveyed have a chance to check out different cities in South Carolina, most of them are choosing Columbia for its positive points, which are many. They aren't moving here just to stay somewhere in South Carolina until they can move to Charleston or Greenville. Was your post just to rib or were you serious? But I agree with you. I have never understood why someone doesn't move to somewhere they would rather live. Where there's a will there's a way.

[CorgiMatt]

A rough look at those numbers indicate that many people who live in Columbia don't really want to be there.

With respect to Greenville, I wonder why so many people want to live there yet do not end up there?

I think it shows that once people come to South Carolina and check it out they like what they see in Columbia and do their homework and decide that all things considered this is where they'd be happiest.

[The_sandlapper]

I think it shows that once people come to South Carolina and check it out they like what they see in Columbia and do their homework and decide that all things considered this is where they'd be happiest.

That's how I think most people understood it as well .

[CorgiMatt]

LOL, funny way to look at it Greenville.

I'm thinking the biggie may be median home prices possibly? Gsupstate posted a link for a figure that shows the median home prices for a few of our state's cities; Columbia's is the lowest of those shown. The overall cost of living in Columbia also tends to be lower out of the state's major metros, and it's relatively easier to navigate the area due to several major highways.

Plus, it's right smack dab in the middle of the state they decided they want to live in. It's a small state geographically.

Let's not forget that the survey of the preferred cities is taken when they first inquire about living in South Carolina. I think the follow-up survey on where they ended up moving to shows that Charleston and Myrtle Beach are the main cities in this state that everyone hears about, but that once they visit South Carolina and get their bearings, many of them realize how strategically located Columbia is and it becomes a no-brainer.

Many of them decide Greenville is too far from the beach, Charleston is too far from the mountains and neither one is close enough to the Congaree River, Riverbanks Zoo, Lake Murray or a major university.

[krazeeboi]

I see it the same way, CorgiMatt. I hardly believe it's anything like, "Well, I guess I'll just have to settle for Columbia although I hate the place." Columbia tends to fly under the radar a bit, but when these folks do their research, they find that the city can fulfill all their needs.

[Jerseyman4]

Not bad at all!

To the north, NC ranks 17th... i was thinking more 47th

I thought finding this today on WRAL was funny.

WRAL Special On Teenage Pregnancy

Every day in North Carolina, 49 teenage girls get pregnant -- if you're not talking with your teenagers about sex, who is? WRAL-TV presents Sex, Lies and Education Thursday at 7 p.m

That is 17,885 teenage girls get pregnant a year

[krazeeboi]

Wow. So I guess all the growth isn't due to transplants as we previously suspected.

But seriously, it shows that parenting is becoming more of a lost art. Not to say that all parents who have daughters that get pregnant as teenagers aren't being good parents, but it just seems as though the concept of responsibility is lost on this particular generation.

[goodbye]

Plus, it's right smack dab in the middle of the state they decided they want to live in. It's a small state geographically.

Let's not forget that the survey of the preferred cities is taken when they first inquire about living in South Carolina. I think the follow-up survey on where they ended up moving to shows that Charleston and Myrtle Beach are the main cities in this state that everyone hears about, but that once they visit South Carolina and get their bearings, many of them realize how strategically located Columbia is and it becomes a no-brainer.

Many of them decide Greenville is too far from the beach, Charleston is too far from the mountains and neither one is close enough to the Congaree River, Riverbanks Zoo, Lake Murray or a major university.

It is a no-brainer to you and many others who love it, but you cannot say that Columbia is the only place where you can get it all in the state of SC. Personally, I strongly believe there is a higher quality of living in both Greenville and Charleston, plus these two regions have a more defined setting either among the mountains or along the coast - which greatly adds to their individual appeal. Most of the people moving to Greenville don't consider the beach too far away at all, let alone the zoo in Columbia. As for the lake, the Upstate has some of the best in the nation. And I believe the little old Reedy River in Greenville has become a much greater attraction to many than the Congaree in Columbia. And if you love cold water trout fishing, you'll prefer the Upstate anyday of the year. This is all just my opinion, so take it as such, just as I have accepted yours as such. This survey, while interesting, is in no way a true indication of the entire population migrating to this state. The best thing it does is to give us something to debate about.

[krazeeboi]

I don't think anyone can say that there is any one metro in the state where one can get all the desirables of urban living to the exclusion of the others; there is much overlap in our metros as far as amenities go. But what I think CorgiMatt was trying to say (and he can correct me if I'm wrong) is that as far as our major metros go, Columbia flies under the rader moreso than Charleston (self-explanatory) and Greenville (the principal city of a 1 million+ metro area, along the heavily-traveled I-85 corridor). Since the others get a bit more exposure, naturally more people would say that they would want to move there if they were going to move to SC. But once they consider Columbia, they can often get swayed in its direction. I don't think a defined natural setting is often as big of an attraction as we sometimes like to make it out to be--many of today's boomtowns have some pretty dull natural settings, including Charlotte and Atlanta. As far as quality of life goes, there is no drastic difference among any of our major metros--there are positives and negatives. In Charleston, you get fantastic cuisine, great beaches, historic architecture, and an economy that's doing well, but you also get a higher cost of living, which makes downtown living pretty much inaccessible for the majority of the people moving to the area, and let's not forget how hurricane-prone Charleston is. In Greenville, you have proximity to the mountains, great sporting events, and a fantastic Main Street--but you also get a higher rate of pollution and certain health-related problems that may be associated with that. In Columbia you have a great institution of higher learning and all of the benefits that go along with that, some of the largest museums in the Southeast, a low cost of living, and some great nature-based attractions--but then you have the heat, a lack in retail options, and a Main Street that's not as advanced as Greenville's or Charleston's. Those lists weren't exhaustive by any means, but it just goes to show that all of our cities have positives when it comes to quality of living, as well as a few negatives. You also have the politics and the vibes of the cities that make them unique as well. It's definitely all relative and boils down to personal tastes.

Rock Hill is better than them all anyway.

[goodbye]

...Rock Hill is better than them all anyway.

How true...except Greenville!

Honestly, I seriously doubt that Columbia flies under the radar as much as you guys claim. The interesting thing, though, is that Horry, Greenville, and Charleston Counties have grown considerably more than any of the others since 2000, according to the latest census estimates. Living in Greenville, I can assure you that most of the people moving here don't think they're making a mistake. I would assume it is the same across the state, for the most part.

[CorgiMatt]

I don't think anyone can say that there is any one metro in the state where one can get all the desirables of urban living to the exclusion of the others; there is much overlap in our metros as far as amenities go. But what I think CorgiMatt was trying to say (and he can correct me if I'm wrong) is that as far as our major metros go, Columbia flies under the rader moreso than Charleston (self-explanatory) and Greenville (the principal city of a 1 million+ metro area, along the heavily-traveled I-85 corridor). Since the others get a bit more exposure, naturally more people would say that they would want to move there if they were going to move to SC. But once they consider Columbia, they can often get swayed in its direction. I don't think a defined natural setting is often as big of an attraction as we sometimes like to make it out to be--many of today's boomtowns have some pretty dull natural settings, including Charlotte and Atlanta. As far as quality of life goes, there is no drastic difference among any of our major metros--there are positives and negatives. In Charleston, you get fantastic cuisine, great beaches, historic architecture, and an economy that's doing well, but you also get a higher cost of living, which makes downtown living pretty much inaccessible for the majority of the people moving to the area. In Greenville, you have proximity to the mountains, great sporting events, and a fantastic Main Street--but you also get a higher rate of pollution and certain health-related problems that may be associated with that. In Columbia you have a great institution of higher learning and all of the benefits that go along with that, some of the largest museums in the Southeast, a low cost of living, and some great nature-based attractions--but then you have the heat, a lack in retail options, and a Main Street that's not as advanced as Greenville's or Charleston's. Those lists weren't exhaustive by any means, but it just goes to show that all of our cities have positives when it comes to quality of living, as well as a few negatives. You also have the politics and the vibes of the cities that make them unique as well. It's definitely all relative and boils down to personal tastes.

Rock Hill is better than them all anyway.

The only exception I take is that I can't see Columbia as being in an undefined natural setting. The lush forests, the fall line, the rivers and the hills and plains define it.

In my earlier post I was only trying to defend Columbia against what I took as a harsh reaction to the concept that maybe our old planned, large-grid capital city in the center of our fair state of 4,000,000+ people, with easy access to four interstates and amenities that a state capital typically has to offer, catches many people's fancy after all.

[krazeeboi]

Well, I'll put it like this: people know of Columbia, but they rarely know anything about the city beyond being the state capital and USC (and possibly Riverbanks). Let's face it, in this state if you aren't on the coast, you have work to do as far as getting your name out there. I think what has done that for Greenville within the past few years more than anything is its location and the big-name companies that have located to the area.

Columbia has been the fastest growing non-coastal MSA in the state since 2000, so that bodes well for it. And actually, by population gain, the top three in the state since 2000 have been Horry, Greenville, and York. By percentage, it has been Horry, York, and Dorchester. I would also assume that most are happy wherever they have settled down.

[goodbye]

Percentages are not the best form of analysis, IMO, considering they often tend to become lower the higher the population, casting a negative light on an otherwise powerful source. In other words, a county needs to grow by larger numbers to keep the same percentage growth rate over time. Growth by 50% in one county can look entirely different in another county with twice the population. In that light, I find it very positive that Greenville County, with the largest population already, was estimated to have maintained one of the better percentages by gaining the second highest number of people in the past five years. And since tourism dollars have jumped 720% in less than ten years, I would have to say that the growth is not limited to new businesses alone in Greenville.

[krazeeboi]

Percentages have their place, as there are limitations in comparing raw numbers between two areas with dissimilar populations already. It means something totally different for NYC to gain 25,000 people in one year as it does for Sumter gaining 25,000 people in one year. Both (raw numbers and percentages) have their places, and I don't think we should discard either method because it may not make one place look favorable in that instance. At any rate, oftentimes, both methods may have a correlation--as it does in the case of both Horry and York counties.

[GvilleSC]

I'd look at those numbers and say there's a lot of unhappy people in Columbia.

only joking.

[krazeeboi]

^You're too late; Greenville beat you to the joke.

[Infinite1]

well to be fair, 3 cities in the Charleston area made the list. Combined, I'm guessing that would outpace Columbia.

But also, one big factor we are overlooking is opportunity (as in job/career opportunity). I have long held that most people move to Columbia for opportunity and then find that they like it. Whereas peoples seek out Charleston or Myrtle Beach, and to some degree Greenville as well.