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Know anything about Columbia, Missouri?
Duffel
jacobkoshRegistered User regular
jacobkoshRegistered User regular
So, I'm very strongly considering moving to Columbia, Missouri for a couple of years to get my Master's at MU. However, I've never actually been to that area, let alone that particular city, and I have no idea what the town is like and whether I would actually enjoy living there for a significant chunk of my life.
So, all-knowing H/A board, can anybody describe the town to me? It seems pretty good from what I can gather on wiki/google, but that's not really first-hand information. Basically, what is the town like, what's the general character of the area, what are the people like as a rule (generalizations of course, but you know what I mean)?
For reference, here's a little bit about myself:
- Grew up in a small town, and I enjoy being somewhere where I can get out into the country if I want to. Stuff like parks, forests and lakes that are available to the public. I can enjoy downtown-ish areas but sprawl-type areas kind of weird me out.
- I'm not deeply political, and don't really care what kind of politics other people have either as long as they don't go on and on about them.
- I have fairly simple tastes in entertainment. A decent night out for me would to go with a few of my friends to a bar, listening to a band and getting drunk - in other words, something very laid back and informal. Maybe throw a concert in there every once in a while for variation. I imagine you can do this anywhere but you never know.
- Other miscellaneous stuff - I like old buildings/parts of town, middle eastern food, used bookstores and libraries, and places to go for drives.
Any help would be appreciated.
So, all-knowing H/A board, can anybody describe the town to me? It seems pretty good from what I can gather on wiki/google, but that's not really first-hand information. Basically, what is the town like, what's the general character of the area, what are the people like as a rule (generalizations of course, but you know what I mean)?
For reference, here's a little bit about myself:
- Grew up in a small town, and I enjoy being somewhere where I can get out into the country if I want to. Stuff like parks, forests and lakes that are available to the public. I can enjoy downtown-ish areas but sprawl-type areas kind of weird me out.
- I'm not deeply political, and don't really care what kind of politics other people have either as long as they don't go on and on about them.
- I have fairly simple tastes in entertainment. A decent night out for me would to go with a few of my friends to a bar, listening to a band and getting drunk - in other words, something very laid back and informal. Maybe throw a concert in there every once in a while for variation. I imagine you can do this anywhere but you never know.
- Other miscellaneous stuff - I like old buildings/parts of town, middle eastern food, used bookstores and libraries, and places to go for drives.
Any help would be appreciated.
Duffel on
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Lake of the Ozarks is about an hour drive away and there is plenty to do there as far as fishing, boating, skiing goes, although I don't think there are a lot of "beach" type areas. I'm sure there are a lot of parks and camping areas around Columbia, but camping wasn't really my thing.
Columbia is your generic liberal college town, although I'm sure you can find people on both sides of the spectrum. I remember that there used to be a guy who would dress up in a white tuxedo, walk around downtown with headphones on and dance on the street corners.
The Blue Note is great place for catching local bands, and they occasionally get bigger acts too. I wasn't 21 at the time, so I can't really comment on the bar scene, but there are a ton in town. Most cater to college students and aren't pretentious.
There used to be a fantastic used bookstore next to Shakespeare's Pizza that was always fun to go browse around in. I'm sure the city has a public library, but the university library is absolutely massive. Also, the downtown area is close to campus and very pedestrian / bike friendly.
If you can get over the fact that Columbia is a small town and the nearest "big city" is 3 hours away, you'll probably like the area. Although, if you're considering moving there for school, you should probably go visit in person.
Seems to meet your criteria though.
but they're listening to every word I say
They say its got a surprisingly progressive vibe, if you find the right people, with decent art and culture scenes even for a college town. I have yet to visit, but just based on how awesome I think they are, I can't imagine it sucking.
2 cents - good luck in your decision making, player.
I've basically already decided to go there for academic reasons, although I do plan on making a trip out there sometime in the next few weeks (still got a month to back out of it I think) to make absolutely sure.
it will not be bike friendly, or anything friendly between November and March. Winter is winter but in that region, it's Satan's asshole because of the wind and ice and variable extended periods of cold that can last until April in a bad year.
I'm a Kentuckian (Appalachian I guess, regionally speaking), not a midwesterner, don't know if that makes a big difference. The only sport I give a shit about following is (college) basketball, which I follow zealously. I've never been interested in football but I can watch it, and baseball bores me to tears. The only sport I actually like participating in is swimming.
anyway apart from the weather, which truly is death, it sounds like you'd like it just fine, particularly if you have a car to drive up to Kansas City.
imho though, the Midwest kinda sucks and I'd need a very good reason (i.e money/a scholarship) to go there instead of the coasts or New England.
It also seems to be a pretty good program, and I know that some of their MA students have went on to some pretty good Ph.D programs.
Gamertag: PM me
The summers here are fantastic. Everybody is gone, so there's rarely a wait to get into restaurants and bars aren't too crowded.
It's a pretty liberal town (for the midwest), but regardless of your political leanings, it's great because of the farmer's market and other local organizations that hold events.
We've got a good mixture of corporate and local business, but there are some really nice local restaurants. Flat Branch is a brewpub that makes some truly good beer. On October 31st every year they break out their pumpkin ale, which only lasts about 2 weeks because it has gotten so popular. We've got a handful of small Chinese/Middle Eastern/Greek/Indian grocery stores and restaurants. Also, there's a place called Addison's downtown that has $2.50 (incl. tax) pints of a decent selection of beer from 10-midnight every night, including things like Guinness.
If you care, the public elementary/high schools are pretty decent.
We have two biggish movie theaters, and one downtown that shows indie movies in front of a room full of old couches, and it has a bar. I don't go there too much, but they have people come out and introduce the movie, and it's always a fun time.
Traffic around campus is surprisingly heavy at 8am and 5pm, 6pm. I only live a mile away from campus, and it can take me 30 minutes to get home if I leave at the wrong time (I know, boo-hoo, it's not that bad, but it's surprising for a town of only ~100k).
What else? Downtown and the MU campus have a few big old buildings. There is ALWAYS construction that is re-routing traffic and being a general nuisance, but the end results are usually nice.
I agree that for good concerts or things like clothing stores, you're going to need to travel to KC or St. Louis.
The public library has recently been renovated and is really nice. They have a huge CD collection as well.
Hope this helps, I really like the town, and I am from a rural area. I like bigger cities, but NY makes me a little claustrophobic, just for reference.