Lex/WCola

It's actually a litte frustrating, having all this information at your fingertips on the web about different places, and having no idea how accurate it is, how well it actually portrays the place you're thinking of uprooting to. Columbia proper wasn't so bad; the pictures that I had in my head of the place were close to the feel that I got when I was there.

I have a feeling that Lexington and West Columbia/Cayce are another matter though. They will definitely be the focus of our next trip up there. It's removed from the city, but very close to it, so you're able to take advantage of the amenities of it while living in suburbia. Lexington sounds similar to Aiken in looks: small-town feel, lots of little independent shops, town square-type of center, but as you dig further, you see that it's probably one big boring business district—their main employers include Michelin, Eastman Chemical, a power tool company...I'm being unfair, I know, it's just I kind of felt the same way about Irmo when we were driving through it. It felt like one big business district, too suburban for my liking; nothing but cul-de-sac neighborhoods, expanses of butler buildings housing different corporations, and the requisite Wal-Mart. Don't have an opinion on the West Columbia area yet, except that it's near the airport, and after so many years of living in a city with up to 3 air bases at one time, I'm ready for a little less air traffic in my life.

I'd almost like to check out the downtown neighborhoods in Columbia. I think they'll be too in-the-city for Les's liking, but there's actually some really nice options for housing downtown. Older neighborhoods, older houses, decent rental rates, family-style neighborhoods, sidewalks, easier access to stuff...may have to brainstorm on how to convince him to give that area a look-see. This weekend will be spent doing some serious thinking, because once the walk is through, I'll be looking for a 2nd job to help finance this venture, which means even less free time to travel up there to scout.