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Best SC City To Live In


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Based on your knowlege and personal experience, where would you live in SC if given the opportunity to choose between the given cities? If you choose "Other," please give the name of the city you would like to live in and why. Please don't  

77 members have voted

  1. 1. Based on your knowlege and personal experience, where would you live in SC if given the opportunity to choose between the given cities? If you choose "Other," please give the name of the city you would like to live in and why. Please don't

    • Aiken/N. Augusta
      1
    • Anderson
      1
    • Charleston
      25
    • Columbia
      19
    • Florence
      0
    • Greenville
      20
    • Myrtle Beach
      0
    • Rock Hill
      1
    • Spartanburg
      7
    • Other
      3


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  • 2 weeks later...

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Charleston isn't a high rise city. However, coming over the Ashley River Bridge gives an excellent view of MUSC, which has a nice "skyline" effect.

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I wish it were a high-rise city, though. I agree, MUSC does give a nice "skyline" effect, but I think in that area, Charleston could build taller buildings. But in that area alone.

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I wish it were a high-rise city, though. I agree, MUSC does give a nice "skyline" effect, but I think in that area, Charleston could build taller buildings. But in that area alone.

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The problem with Charleston's "skyline" is the height restrictions. I think the rule is that it can't be higher than the St. Michael's Church steeple. Maybe its St. Phillip's? I get those two mixed up. That doesn't mean Charleston can't have density though. Like you said in the "neck" thread, the area around where the new bridge is going to come in will be prime real estate. That area could have some serious density going on if there isn't anything overly historic there (think Boston or London, UK).

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The problem with Charleston's "skyline" is the height restrictions. I think the rule is that it can't be higher than the St. Michael's Church steeple. Maybe its St. Phillip's? I get those two mixed up. That doesn't mean Charleston can't have density though. Like you said in the "neck" thread, the area around where the new bridge is going to come in will be prime real estate. That area could have some serious density going on if there isn't anything overly historic there (think Boston or London, UK).

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That would be awesome when the Neck area is developed. As far as the height restrictions, in the historic district, the building cannot be higher than the Lutheran church on King Street. I can't remember the name! :wacko:

But Charleston's skyline in and around MUSC is going to change drastically. Go to www.musc.edu and they will show you developments for Phase One of the new hospital tower. Later phases have rumored to be 20 stories tall!

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I looked at that the other day. I'm not sure how they could get 20 stories in with the height restrictions? Phase One looks very good.

musc_aerial.jpg

MUSC

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Well, the city has laws which allow the council and the mayor to vote on possible variances in the city zoning. If there is an area that they want to change height restrictions on, they will vote on it.

The city admin has already changed height restrictions in the MUSC area. They want to create a medical/office district, which will ease some height restrictions. The city government was afraid that MUSC would consider moving to the North Area if they didn't accomodate the college with cooperation to build their projects.

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I see. That was a smart move on the city's part. In this day an age it is hard to not allow any highrise development and maintain an active business center. That's probably why N Charleston gets more offices. I think they should make a section of the "neck" area into a waterfront business center with mixed use structures and highrise development. The historic district can still maintain ins Old Southern charm, and the City can have an active business center that can compete with N Charleston and Greenville and Columbia.

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I see. That was a smart move on the city's part. In this day an age it is hard to not allow any highrise development and maintain an active business center. That's probably why N Charleston gets more offices. I think they should make a section of the "neck" area into a waterfront business center with mixed use structures and highrise development. The historic district can still maintain ins Old Southern charm, and the City can have an active business center that can compete with N Charleston and Greenville and Columbia.

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I agree wholeheartedly! :thumbsup: The Neck can be Charleston's future "Uptown". Highrise development should not have any problems being built there, considering that the "Neck" is a mixture of blighted old industrial fields and dilapidated neighborhoods. You're exactly right about Charleston keeping its charm as well...it would relieve the pressure off of companies who want to locate in a high traffic area in historic downtown. Companies would have more options for location.

I wish I had found this website sooner so I could post some of the articles I've read in the Post and Courier and Charleston City Paper! The development has been said to also include riverside hotels and a shopping complex similar to Mt. Pleasant's Town Center. What they want to do is basically infuse that area with development and make it literally the heart and hub of the metro area. High rises NEED to be built there...it would create a modern gateway into downtown. The new bridge would compliment it!

Here's my really cool idea: the Noisette development in N. Chas. on the old Navy base will basically meet with the Neck when completed. Imagine consolidation of the 2 cities after it has occurred. It would really unify the area and simplify the make-up of the city of Charleston. Then you wouldn't have the 2 cities bickering over who gets the Hunley museum or the World Trade Center.

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  • 1 month later...

This thread will be used to show what the members and guests(?) of UP think about living in South Carolina cities.  Feel free to explain why you would like to live in the city of your choice. :)

Please remain mature and refrain from becoming detramental to the state by blasting the cities other people may prefer.  Good debate is what we're looking for, not immature arguing. :)

:D Let the FUN begin! :D

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Hello everyone, I'm new to the discussion and being from Spartanburg, I have to vote for the old hub city. For those of you haven't seen our town lately we're changing fast from a manufacturing (textile) based economy to a much more diverse, primarily service based economy. Downtown is changing rapidly. There is more activity in downtown Spartanburg than we can even keep up with.

The winds of change have caused some pain and resentment but overall most people see the benefits. The biggest change is in the attitudes of the people. We have become more progressive and open to new ideas and ways of doing things.

Don't get me wrong, Spartanburg is still a very conservative town. We'll never be San Francisco. But the old Spartanburg of textile mills and Sunday blue laws is passing into history.

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Its hard to argue with Charleston as a choice. Almost everything said on here has been true. It does have great beaches (and rivers), historical character, and a vibrant downtown. There is colonial architecture, abundant golf courses, plenty of parks and other natural resources to enjoy.

BUT...It also has pretty high crime rate (as most southern cities do), heavy traffic and is VERY expensive. The housing costs are not confined to the peninsula. Even way out in Goose Creek and Summerville, home prices hover around $100/sf. Traffic is a major problem. Definately moreso than Columbia.....I'm not sure about G'Ville. Consider, there are only 2 roads off the peninsula to the North Area (I-26, Rivers Ave-hwy 52) and only 1 to West Ashley area or Mt Pleasant (US 17).

But with all that going for it, I still would have to say Columbia...I honestly think Columbia has the bigger upside and the better skyline. I think the area can except more growth. Plus I feel more comfortable in Columbia (it being home and all) :)

Oh...BTW, the height limit in the medical area is 200 feet. This was a hard fought negotiation with the neighborhood association, that I don't think the city is likely to allow variance from in the near future. To portion of the building at the "curb" is limited to 85 ft. The portions exceeding this height mush be recessed and cannot cover more than 1/2 the building footprint.

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I spent my childhood, college, and grad school years in SC. I have lived in Atlanta for the past decade. I doubt I will ever relocate back there, but I have thought about where in the state I would choose if I did decide to relocate back to my native SC. Since I want an urban environment, cultural amenities, a historic atmosphere, an open-minded attitude, and decent job opportunities, the only three cities that I would consider are Columbia, Charleston, and Greenville. And really looking seriously at those three cities, the only one that I would probably move to is Columbia. Although Charleston in many ways would be highly appealing to me, its historic areas (where I would want to live) have become too "touristfied" for my tastes. Plus the housing costs of those areas are too high given the local salaries. I would rather be more centrally located and closer to the mountains (I am more a mountain person than a beach person). Greenville has some pluses (mountains, good downtown, and decent jobs), but it feels the smallest of the three to me and I really do think it is relatively less open minded (but only by a matter of degrees). Based on my experience, Columbia would be the city that would be the best fit for me. Of course, 90% of Columbia's attractiveness is thanks to the 26,000 students and thousands of faculty and staff at USC right in the heart of the city. Columbia is really a big college town in many ways. The university gives the city a more moderate tone. Part of the decision to relocate somewhere is always influenced by the economic potential of an area (unless you are trust-funded and do not have to find a decent job). And you are always betting on an area's future when you choose to move there (especially if you plan to settle down for the long term). While I know Columbia does not seem like the most robust metro economy in the state currently, I think that it may have the most potential long term. This is again due to USC. The future economy (at least the good paying part of it) is a service economy based on knowledge and its application. I think the presence of a major research university can really make a difference in terms of an area moving successfully into that new economy (the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area of NC is a prime example as is Austin TX). Columbia and USC are laying the groundwork to make that happen with the new research campus. Will they succeed? Who knows. But I think they have a better chance than any other city or town in the state (again, thanks to USC's presence). Being in a technology field, this would be of real importance to me. Lastly, I think Columbia has the best intown layout and resources to build a vibrant urban community in the state. I do not think that it has done so yet (Charleston and Greenville have better main streets). But I think Columbia could over the long run do so with USC, state government, a riverfront, and a very large urban grid street layout with lots of underutilized old industrial properties, etc. The city's historic neighborhoods are also great and relatively affordable. Columbia also has the best skyline in state hands down. The only other one that can compete is Greenville, and I just do not think it is as impressive. Myrtle Beach may have a better skyline one day, although beach strip skylines of residential/hotel buildings do not do as much for me a real downtown skyline. So, my choice would be Columbia.

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I voted other. I'd love to move back to SC one day, but unless I could afford a spot in a tower in downtown in one of the cities, preferably Greenville, I'd probably opt for a spacious gentleman's farm out Abbeville way. I've often thought Greenwood might be a nice city to live in.

I don't think I'd be much interested in moving to MB, Florence, Sumter, or Rock Hill. Being a Clemson grad I've always turned my nose up at the very thought of living in Columbia...but then, I'll probably become a USC-Law student at some point in the not-too-distant future and thus I'd have to give up my old preferences.

The one place I can't see myself living is Charleston. Not that it isn't a terrific place to visit, and I enjoyed the lists of pros and cons. I do hope the Neck area can develop well, but not at the cost of displacing the urban poor. I'll always love visiting Charleston, but something about it has long struck me as just that--a place I want to visit, but not one where I want to live.

I feel quite at home in Greenville, despite the fact that my mere entry into the city doubles the population of Democrats there. If the city puts forth some nice vertical residential development, which is also affordable, it would by first choice. Barring that... well, there are so many nice towns...

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I always read these posts from people that are originally from SC who left because it was a close minded place...can't argue there...i lived away for awhile as well...while in Los Angeles I found myself in "open minded" heaven but couldn't find a fit in the community. I didn't even fit in Atlanta...I think i just lacked the passion to care about creating change in a community I didn't really "fit" into...so, after many years of saying that I never would, I relocated back to my hometown--Spartanburg--honestly, i've never been happier. I love this place. I am, no doubt, in the minority with my overall views on life and would be lying if i didn't admit that some days I thought of packing up and leaving again...but i constantly remind myself, if those of us who think differently keep moving to other cities because they are more "progressive" our state will never move forward...and i want our state to move forward...and everyone posting that no longer lives here obviously still cares because they're reading the SC forum on urbanplanet!!! ;-)

so all of you that live elsewhere because it's more "open minded"...come back home...we need you here...that's my plea for the day...

:-)

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I echo your sentiments Tdreamweaver. I was speaking to a co-worker the other day, and I told him that while I would like to move away and get a different kind of experience (life is too short to stay in the same area your whole life), I will eventually move back to SC, preferably Columbia or Charleston, or--who knows--maybe even my native Orangeburg. The state DOES need some progressive movers and shakers in key positions in order to help this state move forward. SC is not a bad place to live, AT ALL. But it definitely could be better, and I hope to do my part in ensuring that it is on the road to maximizing its potential.

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Tdreamweaver, I agree that it is a great thing to have progressive people staying in SC. However, there are other forces at work too. I first moved to Atlanta for a simple reason -- a job. Once here, I became quite spoiled by the more moderate tone as well as the greater diversity of options, resources, and amenities. But had I stayed in SC originally, I might never had moved. Jobs are a key factor. Many of SC's young people go to USC, Clemson, etc., and then straight to Atlanta, Charlotte, or the Triangle. There is just no area in SC with the number of great, well-paying jobs in good fields that the boom towns in the two adjacent states have. My brother is a USC grad in IT and lives not in SC but Raleigh. My cousin-in-law is a Clemson grad in IT and also lives in Raleigh. SC has to develop a better base of well-paying jobs in the fields of the future. That is why USC's research campus and ICAR are so important in my opinion. These are the same forces of course that drive so many young people to Columbia, Charleston, and Greenville from the Bambergs, Winnsboros, and Dillons of the state.

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Tdreamweaver, I agree that it is a great thing to have progressive people staying in SC. However, there are other forces at work too. I first moved to Atlanta for a simple reason -- a job. Once here, I became quite spoiled by the more moderate tone as well as the greater diversity of options, resources, and amenities. But had I stayed in SC originally, I might never had moved. Jobs are a key factor. Many of SC's young people go to USC, Clemson, etc., and then straight to Atlanta, Charlotte, or the Triangle. There is just no area in SC with the number of great, well-paying jobs in good fields that the boom towns in the two adjacent states have. My brother is a USC grad in IT and lives not in SC but Raleigh. My cousin-in-law is a Clemson grad in IT and also lives in Raleigh. SC has to develop a better base of well-paying jobs in the fields of the future. That is why USC's research campus and ICAR are so important in my opinion. These are the same forces of course that drive so many young people to Columbia, Charleston, and Greenville from the Bambergs, Winnsboros, and Dillons of the state.

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Very true. SC doesn't have the quantity of jobs. In my search for a job I found as many jobs in Atlanta as I did in both Carolinas. I don't particularly want to live in Atlanta though, so it narrowed my search down considerably. Alot of it depends on what career field you are in. People who have to start out in big corporations (accounting, IT, etc) are more likely to find a job in big cities.

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Very true. SC doesn't have the quantity of jobs. In my search for a job I found as many jobs in Atlanta as I did in both Carolinas. I don't particularly want to live in Atlanta though, so it narrowed my search down considerably. Alot of it depends on what career field you are in. People who have to start out in big corporations (accounting, IT, etc) are more likely to find a job in big cities.

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This has been a big problem throughout our state and continues to prove that the big cities in SC need to step up and promote more big corporation moves here. Like it or not, big, private corporations give the opportunities for high-paying jobs. We must find ways to lure these companies to locate in our big cities. Therefore, our cities need to find incentives and promote the positive qualities of their communities.

When we can keep our population that grew up in SC's cities, it lays a foundation for the cities to get bigger and more important throughout the Southeast and eventually the U.S.

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That's exactly what I'm talking about. People didn't just say out of the blue one day, "hey you know what would be a great place to locate our company, Austin". Companies chose Austin because Austin established itself. It took the necessary steps through UT, and made itself competitive in a field of business/technology that few were doing at the time. The same can be said for RDU.

Leaders have looked at these college towns that were similar in size to Columbia 20 years ago, and said if they can do it so can we. You don't have to be located at the beach, or mountains to have your city grow, you simply need to offer a high quality of life, & good paying jobs. That is what SC cities are finally focusing on after loosing so much of its in-state brainpower to places like RDU, & Atlanta.

In Columbia that is the purpose of the public/private vested research campus. The city was tired of seeing the states best and brightest walk through the halls of USC, graduate and find a good job out of state. NC realized this in the 50's and now because they have planned for it that state is reaping the benefits of other states who have not by attracting its best and brightest, (ie SC). On a positive the SC research parks will be in a sense the only game in town (hydrogen, automotive), granted there are other places in the country that are trying to establish themselves as the next hydrogen town, but what puts Columbia, and SC at an advantage is that USC is already the top institution to go to in this field, and the SRS. ICAR is at an advantage because it is the only one of its kind in the world to my knowledge. If SC tried to jump on the Biotech bandwagon then I would say there isn't much room left, and there wouldn

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The sandlapper, I agree about biotech. In fact if I recall correctly, Greenwood actually did a biotech park a while back. The Self family (textile money from Greenwood Mills) gave lots of money for genetics research and founded an institute there. Building off of that, the state funded a biotech incubator and they did a biotech park. But my understanding is that it has been something of a flop. So, just because you build it does not mean that they will come. Of course, Greenwood is also not Columbia either.

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It is good that Cola is continuing initiatives to keep people here through different research companies. Charleston is trying to keep its graduates through other industries similar to biotech. Medical research office space is becoming more of a demand there, and computer technology industries will grow there with Blackbaud as a huge presence and the Vought plant spawning other potential company moves to the area.

Retail and real estate companies would also be valuable commodities to Cola and Chas. considering how valuable SC land is becoming.

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