Why Columbia?

Been asking that question here and there since the move fell through. It's not that I think we were settling on Columbia, although that definitely would've been the case if we'd actually gotten the housing. The complex itself was fine, but it really was our only choice, thanks to our financial sitch. And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with Columbia - far from it - the city proper is really pretty and it's a true college town, which I love. It's centrally located...see, that's one of the things that's frustrating me now...if we wanted to explore the Carolinas further (for pleasure and potential living), up there it'd be a day trip. From here, it's a weekend. And I'm aching to explore right now (which isn't even possible at present because Jordan has become a canned food cat so we can't leave him for any stretch of time). But it gets me thinking, am I sure Columbia's our next move? I think it is. At least we have the time now to make sure.