COLUMBIA

 


  Home To Affordable and Diverse Housing

 
 

The Greater Columbia area combines the many amenities and opportunities of a major urban area with the affordability and charm of a much smaller city.

 

The region´s diverse neighbourhoods include golf and tennis communities, lakefront communities, retirement villages, high-rises, cluster homes, condominiums and apartment.  Architectural styles are primarily traditional with Southern Colonial influences.

 

Columbia´s older neighbourhoods, along tree-lined streets and boulevards, range from Victorian and Colonial showplaces to bungalows from the 1920s and 1930s.  Excellent examples of newer contemporary styles are found in the Lake Murray area.

 

Housing in Columbia remains among the most affordable in the nation.  The average home price is $139,000.00 compared to the national average of $186,000.00.  According to Housing magazine, Columbia has the lowest residential building costs of the 100 major metropolitan areas in the nation.

 

The occupancy rate for apartments in the Columbia metropolitan area stands at more than 90 percent.  The average rent is $575.00 for a one-bedroom apartment, $600.00 for a two-bedroom apartment and $710.00 for a three-bedroom apartment.

 

The Columbia area is especially attractive for retirees because its lakeside living, traditional neighborhoods and recreational opportunities.  Retirement areas range from resort living to suburban residential communities meeting the lifestyle and medical needs of mature adults.

 

         Among The Fastest-Growing Business and  Employment    

           Centers


      
 

 

Thanks to dramatic growth during the 1980s and 1990´s, Greater Columbia area has earned some very impressive ranking in business indicators.  All indicators point to an even more prosperous decade in the 2000s.

 

Money magazine listed Columbia as the eighth-largest U. S. community in terms of economic growth during the 1980s.  A Chase Econometrics study ranked Columbia as the 16th fastest growing employment center.  In 1989 Inc. magazine ranked Columbia as the 20th fastest-growing U.S. metropolitan area for new business.

 

Officials from local chambers of commerce, businesses and government agencies have taken aggressive steps to ensure a proactive business climate; those efforts are paying off.  Over the past four years more than 32,000 new private-sector jobs were created in the four-county region.

 

Residential and non-residential construction in the Columbia metropolitan statistical area is tremendous, and local industry is booming!

 

Columbia´s diverse economic base includes 32 Fortune 500 and 14 Fortune 100 companies.  The area is also a center for service-oriented companies dealing in finance, insurance, computers, telecommunications and real estate.

 

Columbia´s mix of international companies includes firms from France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Great Britain, South Korea, Belgium, Japan and Canada.

 

Anchored by the Universities and Colleges, state government and Fort Jackson, the city´s economy is considered virtually recession-proof.  Fort Jackson, the U .S. Army´s largest training base, has a yearly economic impact on the area in excess of $400 million through salaries, retirement pensions and local purchases of goods, services and utilities.

 

Benedict College, Allen University, The Lutheran Seminary, Columbia College, Columbia International University and the University of South Carolina, with more than 45,000 students, is the area´s largest employers thanks to its more than 6,000 faculty, staff and support personnel.

 

With the state´s highest household effective buying income, Columbia has emerged as a retail center that attracts shoppers from a 14-county Retail Trade Zone.  The area´s six enclosed malls feature everything from upscale department stores to bargain outlets.  The Columbia area has more than 10.5 million square feet  of shopping center space; another one million square feet is under construction or was recently completed.

 

Office space in Columbia is convenient and affordable.  In a recent survey, the average rental rate for office space in the metropolitan area was priced at $17.00 per square foot, compared to a national average of $22.52 per square foot.  Office space in the downtown area leased for an average of $17.50 per square foot, compared to $27.19 nationally.

 

The fourth lowest building costs among 180 major U. S. cities makes construction potential in Columbia unlimited.  Several major projects underway with mixed-use development incorporating residential, office, retail, hotel and recreational uses, and a 1,680 acre master planned residential community that will include more than 4,000 single and multifamily units.

 

A major focus has been coordinating development along the metro area´s riverfront, the Congaree Vista.  Master plans developed for both sides of the riverfront incorporate office and retail space, residential developments, recreational facilities and an arts and entertainment district.  Creative ordinances are being drafted to preserve the natural setting while realizing the riverfront´s potential for development.

 

There´s much more that makes Columbia an attractive place to do business:  an excellent highway transportation system, a leading technical education system, an active and growing arts environment and a quality of life that´s second to none.

 

 

           Alive With The Arts



        
 

 

The arts are alive in Columbia, South Carolina.  With a metropolitan population approaching a half million people, Columbia offers more cultural opportunities than do many cities twice its size.

 

The more than 60 cultural organizations located in the community, ranging from opera and theatre to ballet and the visual arts, ensure a growing and thriving arts environment.  Last year, more than 700 cultural events were held throughout the Columbia area.

 

The city has a strong commitment to the arts.  Columbia supports 12 live theatre groups, including Town Theatre, the oldest continuously operating community theatre in the United States.  Columbians can also enjoy performances by two symphony orchestras and two professional ballet companies.

 

Columbia is home to the Koger Center for the Arts, among the most acoustically superior auditoriums in the Southeast.  With three-tier seating for 2,300 people, the center draws the world´s most accomplished performers and touring companies, including Rudolf Nureyev, the Bolshoi Ballet, Vienna Boys Choir and Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra.

 

The center is also home to some of the area´s finest talent, including the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchrstra, Columbia City Ballet, Columbia Lyric Opera and the University of South Carolina symphony, chamber orchestra and concert choir.

 

The city´s 12 art and history museums include the South Carolina State Museum, located in the historic Mount Vernon Mill beside the Columbia Canal.  The museum features four floors of exhibits tracing the state´s art, history, natural history and science and technology.

 

The Columbia Museum of Art maintains a permanent collection of more than 5,000 objects, including pieces from the Renaissance and baroque periods.  Also on exhibit are works by Southern artists, Oriental art, pre-Columbia artefacts, traveling exhibits and a planetarium program.

 

Columbia´s cultural life is also enriched by the contributions of several area colleges.  The University of South Carolina offers numerous concerts, art exhibits, theatre productions and other activities.

 

The university´s McKissick Museum has exhibits focusing on art, natural sciences and history.

 

Columbia College provide performances by the Columbia College Dance Company, the Patchwork Players, Chamber Ensemble and other campus groups.  Allen University´s choir and Benedict College´s Nairobi Dance Group, Concert Choir and Jazz Ensemble offer performances open to the public.

 

Mayfest, Autumnfest and St. Patrick´s Day are among the 20 festivals celebrated annually in and around Columbia.  Recognized as one of the top 20 festivals in the Southeast, Mayfest is the city´s largest festival.  It attracts more than 150,000 residents and visitors for three days of music, cultural events, arts and crafts, food and other family-oriented activities.

 

The Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties serves as a coordinating arts council for the Columbia area.  The council publishes Arts Monthly, a calendar of cultural events published each month as an insert in the The State newspaper.

 

The Columbia Music Festival Association also serves as an umbrella organization for several performing arts group.




    



 

     Gleaming Year-Round With Recreational Enjoyment

 


                                       

               South Carolina Gamecocks          Benedict College Tigers


Recreational opportunities abound in the Greater Columbia area, ranging from a 50,000 acre man-made lake and one of the best zoos in America to major college sports and professional baseball.  Because of Columbia´s seasonal climate, residents and visitors can enjoy a year-round variety of outdoor sports and activities.

 

Water sport enthusiasts can fish, sail, wind-surf, water-ski, canoe and swim in the Columbia area´s many lakes and rivers.  Lake Murray, a 50,000- acre man-made lake, has more than 500 miles of shoreline and numerous marinas and boat launches.  Lake Wateree and Monticello also offer ample opportunities for boating and fishing.

 

Hunters will also find an abundance of game on private land and on game management areas operated by the South Carolina Wildlife Department. 

 

More than 140 public parks dot the region.  Columbia itself is home to a national park, a national forest and four state parks.  Finley Park, located in the heart of Columbia´s Congaree Vista, features a four-acre man-made lake, island stage and a multipurpose amphitheatre.  It plays host to exciting festivals and events throughout the year.  Spectator sports are diverse as they are plentiful in Columbia.