The Columbia Lifestyle: Livable and Affordable
The city’s population is well educated, with 29.3 percent of the population holding a bachelor’s degree or higher, two percentage points better than the national average, according to 2005 Census figures. Richland County, which encompasses the city of Columbia, was named a 2006 All-American County and has a diverse population that is nearly identical in terms of percentage of white and African-American residents.

The county also boasts one of the best public library systems in the country, which, in fact, was named National Library of the Year in 2001 by Library Journal. The Sierra Club has named Columbia a “Cool City,” along with other cities that have committed to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement to combat pollution and global warming. Columbia has approved its own Climate Protection Action Plan.

Little wonder, then, that the city was ranked second of “America’s Most Livable Mid-Sized Communities” in 2005 by the national non-profit organization Partners for Livable Communities. Or that it was named, in 2008, one of Relocate-America's "Top 100 Places to Live." One reason is its affordability. The cost of living in Columbia is well below the national average, meaning that salaries will go much further and provide a better quality of life.

Learn more about the Innovista Lifestyle

Watery getaways
Three rivers flow through Columbia, providing the city with beautiful scenery, fishing, rafting, canoeing, and other water sports. Lake Murray, about 10 miles west of Columbia, is another watery recreation destination. At 78 square miles, it was once the nation’s largest manmade lake.

Culture, entertainment, history
The capital city of the Palmetto state since 1786, Columbia has thriving theaters, galleries, dance companies, orchestras, arts schools, and outdoor art and murals. The growing arts and entertainment hot spot, the Congaree Vista, is located along the banks of the Congaree River, a few blocks from the heart of Innovista. Columbia also features museums, zoos, gardens, and a historic district that includes Woodrow Wilson’s boyhood home and buildings designed by famed architect Robert Mills, whose masterpieces include the Washington Monument and the University’s original 19th-century campus, the Horseshoe.

Columbia + The Midlands Links

Statistics + Analysis
Columbia Metropolitan Statistical Area, demographics
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2005 American Community Survey

Richland County demographics
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2005 American Community Survey

Columbia ranked No. 2 of “America’s Most Livable Mid-Sized Communities”
Partners for Livable Communities

Columbia among "Top 100 Places to Live in 2008"
Relocate-America

Compare salary and cost of living to Columbia
Salary.com

Sperling’s Best Places neighborhood profiles
Cost-of-living and other data comparisons for Columbia

Columbia MSA population, ranking as 62nd-fastest growing city
U.S. Census, April 2007 (Table 1)

Percentage of Columbia population with bachelor’s degree or higher
U.S. Census Bureau, American FactFinder, 2005

Percentage of national population with bachelor’s degree or higher
U.S. Census Bureau, American FactFinder, 2005

Organizations
Columbia Convention & Visitors Bureau
Information about Columbia attractions, upcoming events, hotels, meeting facilities and planning, sports facilities and sports event planning

Recreation
Congaree National Park
State’s only national park, 20 miles from Columbia; 22,000 acres holding 700 species of plants 350 species of animals and insects.

Three Rivers Greenway
Protecting and making Columbia-area rivers more accessible

Lake Murray
At 78 square miles, was once the nation’s largest manmade lake

Riverbanks Zoo and Garden
Home to more than 2,000 animals, 400 species of native and exotic, and scenic Saluda River views

History
Historic Columbia Foundation
Preserves and promotes Columbia’s history and historic homes and buildings

History of Columbia
Founded in 1786, Columbia’s history stretches back to the early 18th century

Civic Services + Information
Richland County
Named an All-American Community in June 2006

Columbia Metropolitan Airport
About six miles from Innovista, with six airline carriers, including Delta, US Airways, United, and Continental

Richland County Public Library
2001 National Library of the Year, 10 branches

SCIway.net: Columbia
South Carolina Information Highway, a comprehensive collection of links about Columbia

SC.Gov
The State Capitol and center of government is a block from the University campus

Sierra Club’s Cool Cities Across America
Cities that have made a commitment to stopping global warming

thestate.com
The State is the local Columbia newspaper and has two online sections with a wealth of local information: Building Our City and Living Here

University of South Carolina
State’s flagship university and leading research institution

U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement
More than 500 mayors across the nation have signed up