I was told there was a thread about my hometown/state so I had to check it out..
I'm an SC native and lived in Columbia for about 24 years. My family still lives there and I visit many times a year. Have lived in Charleston briefly but spent a ton of time there otherwise and in Greenville as well. I don't at all agree that nothing in SC is worth mentioning. No, it's not full of huge, cosmopolitan cities and definitely has its share of rednecks but there is a lot of history, a lot of beautiful nature and a lot of good people. I've traveled all over the US and the world and there are much worse places to be. Charleston is my favorite part of the state but there are good things to be found scattered around.
Columbia is small. It can be pretty boring but if you make some good friends, that can easily be solved. I had a blast growing up there even though I always wanted to be in a bigger city. We just made the best of it. Do you like doing things outdoors? I grew up a stone's throw from Lake Murray and a boat can solve boredom on just about any day. Plus, yes, it's HOT. Ridiculously hot. Water helps. I've been told there are some smaller car meets here and there including one downtown on Main St with some pretty decent cars. Columbia has this strange pocket of hidden nice cars. Almost every time I'm home I'll see one insanely nice Supra, NSX or newer supercar that you would never expect to see in Columbia. Hopefully you will have the same luck. I also did a lot of biking when I was in Columbia, tons of big parks and trails around the area. Football season is also a damn good time and USC has a great baseball team as well that can provide some entertainment. Just beware of the SC State Fair.. not that any fairs are good but yeah...
Another great thing is being just an hour or two drive from a lot of other activities. Charleston is a great place for a weekend trip. I used to drive down to the beach just for a day quite often. I love going to Hunting Island near Beaufort. When I was growing up, Greenville was a pretty crappy place but since BMW moved in a while back, it's been on a steady uptick. There is so much more to do now, downtown has been revitalized, a lot of new business has moved in and it's a decent place to visit. You're also close the the mountains and the camping, hiking, boating and fun roads to drive. I enjoyed visiting Table Rock, Devil's Fork, Lakes Jocassee and Keowee are fabulous. If you need a visit to a larger city, Charlotte is not far at all and has also grown a ton in the past few decades. Charlotte is actually my original hometown so to speak and I can't tell you how much it has changed. Downtown is really pretty and the land around the city is really nice.
I can't say much about the smaller towns in SC. Most are pretty boring and unremarkable. That's a characteristic of a lot of the south though. New England has all these charming small towns all over the but most of the little places in SC, and GA as well, are just little areas with a Walmart and a downtown that used to be cute. Beaufort is an exception and I can think of a few others in NC and maybe one or two that I've found in GA but most are not worth exploring.
As for more on Columbia.. cost of living is very low. Plenty of bars and good music from time to time but if you like bigger bands, you'll have to travel. Eat some Rush's if you like burgers. I'll be home this weekend and can't wait to dig into a hamburger basket. I think I eat maaaaaaybe one burger a month unless I go home, lol. Good BBQ, tasty sweet tea and lots of traditional southern cooking. As a girl, I'd say the worst thing about Columbia is the shopping. Ugh. The malls are tiny and only one is even worth going to. Some of the others I wouldn't go to if you paid me, they are pretty sad. Five Points and the Vista area have a lot more independent boutiques but there is very little high end shopping like in Atlanta and no malls even close to the size of any of ours. I know it's not a big deal to some people but it's kinda crap not having many places to walk around inside when it's a billion degrees outside. There's a Whole Foods now and TJ's is opening soon. There is also an IMAX now but it's in an area of town that I don't like. The museums are small but can be fun if you like museums.... which I do.
I'm ready to get out of the south and will be leaving in just a few months but I will enjoy my trips home to see family. Don't plan on visiting Atlanta much other than for work reasons.
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