This is a summary that we put together based on our knowledge from the top real estate agents in the Columbia area. This city guide will give you a radius of about 30 or 40 miles outside of the City of Columbia. For the sake of geographic simplicity, we consider the downtown area of Columbia landmark at the state capitol building. This is not a comprehensive list, but please click the links to other areas for detailed information about that area. Or simply call, or email us for help, we will be happy to chat with you.
Downtown Columbia SC - Downtown Columbia has undergone a dynamic urban revitalization during the past decade and the trend is ongoing. Ask any resident about what attracted them to Downtown Columbia and they will likely answer that they enjoy city-living and quicker commute times. This may seem obvious, but it’s important to weigh the decision of living in-town vs. the suburban areas of Columbia. Many find that it’s convenient to get to any part of the city in only a few minutes and you are less likely to become vehicle dependent in parts of downtown Columbia. Columbia’s suburbs seem to have cooled off and a trend of residents moving into the city has revived Columbia Main Street, The Vista, 5-Points, and neighborhood shopping centers.
The Columbia Northeast - This has been a very progressive and growing area with large subdivisions such as; Lake Carolina, Longcreek Plantation, Cobblestone Park, The Summit, and Woodcreek Farms. There are a lot of new homes and new neighborhoods being developed in the Columbia NE. We’ve included Blythewood and Elgin in the Columbia Northeast area in this City Guide because they fall into this region and have comparable home styles, homeowner needs, and the similarity in home prices.
Blythewood - Blythewood is growing fast. Neighborhoods are popping up all over the place. It's been a few years since we posted our A Location Map of Popular Blythewood Subdivisions blog article. And we have spent a lot of time trying to update our Blythewood Subdivisions module with maps, pictures, descriptions, and listings. But with Blythewood growing so rapidly we thought it'd be a good idea to note Blythewood is one of the hottest areas for buyers coming to Columbia SC.
Elgin - Elgin is very similar to Blythewood and was also grouped in with The Columbia NE because of its location. The award-winning town of Elgin, SC is conveniently located 24 miles northeast of the center of Columbia, the state's capital, and is one of the ten townships that makes up Kershaw County. Kershaw County shares a southern border with Richland County. Driving straight out of Richland County (Columbia) on Hwy 1 (AKA Two Notch Road) past Pontiac, you’ll soon be in Kershaw County and see signs for the town of Elgin. We have a link to the top Elgin Neighborhoods here
South East Columbia - The Columbia Southeast area is usually identified as; Hopkins, Eastover, or Lower-Richland or whatever township your home search will fall into. For some reason, the title of "The Columbia Southeast" didn't stick with the description of this area like "Columbia Northeast" did for the Columbia NE. This rural area is where you'll find towns like Hopkins, Eastover, and Gadsden (Not to be confused with Gaston). The Columbia Southeast and the Columbia Northeast are divided by Fort Jackson. Therefore, you do have the same appeal as the Columbia Northeast with subtle differences.
Lexington SC - Lexington, South Carolina has a huge section of Columbia, South Carolina's real estate market. Keep in mind that Lexington encompasses the broad area of “Lexington County” and also the smaller area of the “Town of Lexington”. Since there is both a township and a county that falls under the Lexington search criteria, it may get confusing if you are looking for one (or the other) and the website that you are doing your search doesn’t specify the difference...which is not unusual.
Irmo SC - Irmo is another section of Columbia that is primarily in the northwest region of the city but it is never referred to as, “the Columbia Northwest”. Irmo is also a township(the Town of Irmo) and generally speaking refers to the area around Harbison Boulevard, Saint Andrews Road, Dutch Fork, and Lake Murray. Commuters that travel regularly from Columbia to the Upstate (Greenville/Spartanburg) also understand the convenience of living in the Irmo area. Irmo attracts the same type of homebuyer that would buy in Lexington County. They both favor Lake Murray, but Irmo is on one side of the dam, and Lexington is on the other.
Chapin SC - Chapin and Prosperity are just north of Columbia as you pass through Irmo and follow the shoreline of Lake Murray. Up until 2015, the Chapin area featured large tracts of land and a rural setting. However, it is rapidly becoming “a suburb” of the Columbia, South Carolina area and no longer “too far out” for buyers wanting to be near Lake Murray.
Lake Murray - Lake Murray is an important part of Columbia, South Carolina, and although Lake Murray does include some of the areas that we discussed recently in our city guide blogs. We thought that we would describe the areas of Lake Murray so that newcomers will have a basic understanding of the areas that make up Lake Murray. For geographic simplicity, we divide the lake into four sections. You can read about these areas in our Lake Murray Blog Section. https://www.huntllc.com/blog/what-are-the-areas-around-lake-murray
Lake Wateree - Lake Wateree, a man-made lake, is operated by Duke Power Company and consists of over 13,000 acres of water surface area and nearly 250 miles of shoreline. It is split between Kershaw, Fairfield, and Lancaster Counties and is conveniently located between Charlotte, Camden, and Columbia SC. Many Charlotte residents find an escape from the city here and there are many commuters that travel daily to work. It is only about 1 hour from Columbia and Charlotte respectfully.
Fairfield County - Fairfield County is a perfect area for anyone that wants to be close to Columbia but live in an area with a little less development and get a little more land. Fairfield County is located along I-77 and is North of Columbia along the corridor between Columbia and Charlotte, NC. Fairfield County is filled with historic homes and plenty of rural housing.
Kershaw County - Kershaw County is just east of Columbia SC along I-20 and is a perfect area for anyone that wants to be close to Columbia but live in an area that is developing but still retains the small-town feeling. Kershaw County is filled with historic homes, horse farms, and plenty of rural homes.
For more information please reach out to us and see if we can match you up with the right area and Neighborhood in Columbia SC.