Moving to Columbia

We moved here two years ago and unfortunatle got some bad advice. We now live just outside of lexington and love it. Lexington and surrounding is really good. The edge of west columbia is not bad but i don't know too much about the actual city of west cola. My husband works for the city of cola and i know two notch is not good and neither is the areas just passed the state house heading away from west cola like forest dr, beltline area. Also st.andrews is not a good place. Harbison is nice (very very crowded) the older parts of irmo are nicer and safer than the newer. The north east is nice but terriblely over crowded and commute and rush hour traffic is a nightmare. Just my opinions but i also have to say i have loved living here and the people overall are very nice and friendly. I hope you have a safe and easy move.
M. J

I have lived in Irmo SC for 30 years and love it.I also recommend the Chapin area. Lexington/richland 5 schools are excellent and have many rewards.I hope this helps. Good Luck,

I take my kids to The Kids Group in West Columbia. Dr. Deanne Geurkink is thier dr. LOVE her. She is very helpful listens well and most of all my boys love her too.

As for OB/Gyn Columbia Womens healthcare is good. I have also heard that Lexington Womens care is good.

I would avoid living in NE Columbia if possible. Traffic can get very hectic out there. Also I love my Pediatrician Dr. Heebner at University Primary Care. Hope this helps.

if you are looking to the northeast i can send you a private responce as to the apartments that we live in. i do love them and they are close to my oldest's school which we all love.
our next baby is due in may and i see the midwives at lexington medical. this will be the second baby that i have used this group of midwives. i would stay away from the obs at providence hospital, the group i saw for the first couple months were very rude and rarely remembered my name. it takes a couple of seconds to check the chart for a name before entering the exam room!
let me know if you have any questions i may be able to answer.
:) jenny
SAHM to 4.5 kids

Columbia is a great town to live in. I live in West Columbia and I love it. It is close to everything. Also I love, love, love my pediatrician. His name is Dr. Philip Mubarak and he is at Carolina Pediatrics off of Adams Grove Road. He is very nice and knowledgable. He listens to me and addresses my concerns. Also when I was pregnant both times, I went to Lexington's Womens Care at Lexington Medical Center. I had the midwives and I loved them. You rotate or you can see just one particular midwife each time. You can also see doctors instead if that is what you prefer. I hope you find the right doctor for you and your unborn child. Good luck.

Hi!
I think it really depends on where you or your husbands job is. My husband is military so we needed to find a place close to Fort Jackson. We live in NE columbia and love it. I can give you more information if you email me. As far as an OB/GYN. I see and so does many of my friends a doc out of Providence NE. He is very understanding and listens to you. I can give you there number if you wish. Hope this helps

Since we've lived here we travelled to areas all over the city to make sure we picked the right place for us - we're constantly looking at houses and other areas just for pure curiosity. Here's what we observed. The NE is nice, but traffic is horrendous (this coming from a Chicago girl too) and you need to be careful where in the NE you chose. Stay away from the Two Notch and Killian area. Near Sandhills is nice, but again, traffic is horrible. I'm not a fan of West Columbia at all... to old and outdated feeling to me. Nothing about the areas appeals to me (Cayce as well). The main area of Lexington is very nice, traffic can be bad over there as well and one thing that drives me nuts about it is it's secluded. You have to drives miles to find an interstate and it's just not practical for us. And the areas of Lexington that are near the interstate have the same feeling of West Columbia/Cayce to me. We finally decided on Irmo/Ballentine area. It's far enough out to get away from the chaos, yet right off the interstate if you need to go anywhere. Plus they're starting to build up a little bit out here which is great for home values. They're being very modest and wise in their planning which is wonderful (NOT done on the NE side a bit - over crowding!!). Plus, you cannot beat the schools out here. We're zoned for Chapin, but Dutch Fork zoning is a neighborhood over... I highly suggest staying in Richland 5/Lexington 5 schools. They're the best in the area!! Good luck and congrats on your move!!