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Small city

Living in West Columbia, SC

West Columbia is a small city of 17,963 people in Lexington County, South Carolina. It's about 12 miles from Columbia, SC and 86 miles from Charlotte, NC, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 94°F and winter highs 58°F, with almost no snow. The typical home is valued around $202k and rent runs about $1k a month.

17,963people
$202kTypical home
$1,201/moRent
94° / 58°Summer / winter
1"Snow
259Sunny days
112Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Small city of 17,963
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 1,908 people per sq mi
  • 86 mi to Charlotte, NC
  • 12 mi to Columbia, SC
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $202k (≈$1,272/mo)
  • Median rent $1,201/mo
  • Median household income $57k
  • Property tax about 0.5% of value
  • 5.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 94°F
  • Winter highs around 58°F
  • Muggy summers (dew point 69°F)
  • 259 sunny days a year (111 totally clear)
  • 106 cloudy days a year
  • 33 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 112 days a year with rain or snow
  • Basically no snow
  • Snow days are rare
  • 9 days a year over 100°F
  • Rarely drops below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Above-average violent crime (516 per 100k)
  • High property crime (3,763 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 39
  • 20% of households have kids
  • 22% are 65 or older
  • 41% have a college degree
  • Very diverse community
  • 10% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 22 min
  • 1% walk or take transit to work
  • 4 mi to CAE airport
  • 85 mi to CLT (major hub)
  • 3 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 64% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1976
  • 88% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 289 ft
  • 101 mi to the ocean
  • 7 mi to a big lake
  • 4 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 5 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 13 mi to the nearest campground
  • 24 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 554 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 30 bars within 25 mi
  • 95 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 8 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 20 museums within 25 mi
  • 12 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 2 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 45% of South Carolina districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 1 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 8 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • Dog park in town
  • 8 congregations per 10k people
  • 4 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Lexington County: R+34 in 2024
  • South Carolina: R+18 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • High hurricane risk
  • High tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • Low earthquake risk
  • Low flood risk
  • Low drought risk
  • Very low winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near West Columbia

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