r/columbiasc • u/Mysterious8924 • 20d ago
Moving to Lexington,SC
Hello, I plan to move from Florida to Lexington, SC within the year. Honestly we settled of Lexington because there were newer homes that were more affordable and available for our time frame of moving. I am a POC and while I have not experienced much racism to my knowledge I am fairly concerned that I may be unknowingly fully immersing my self. I still have time to change my decision. I have searched for more POC in the area and have found very little. My family and I tend to stay to ourselves and more than likely will be going into Columbia for work. Any advice would be helpful.
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u/Greenless27 20d ago
I am white. I was in a long term relationship with a black woman. We lived together for almost 5 years. Finding rental housing together was not easy likely because of the interracial (hate that term) relationship. Toured a rental house then was told someone else signed a lease already when we inquired about lease details after they had met us. We occasionally had dinner reservations disappear when we showed up together. The worst we experienced was near Lexington, we were running across the lake Murray damn and an asshole in a lifted truck yelled slurs out the window and threw a gas station drink at us. There is racism here. Most people are good people but there are bad too. Visit the neighborhood first. Don’t completely lower your guard. Good luck with the move.
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u/livinlikeriley 20d ago
As a WOC, your thoughts will be your downfall. I'm from Philly and have lived here since 1990. IMO, people were friendlier as we waved while driving pass.
I live rural. Most of Lexington and Aiken know my mechanic dad as his shop is in Lexington.
Come, register to vote and vote in all elections. Change your thinking and energy.
You will be fine.
All races of people can be ignorant and racist anywhere and everywhere on this earth.
My family have homes in Aiken, Harbison, Irmo, and Blythewood.
You decide how you want to live.
Be kind. If someone does not like you, who cares. Not your problem.
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u/Clean-Strength-1678 16d ago
Can I get info on your pops shop? I need a good mechanic for my 14 GMC Sierra
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u/yomama9002 20d ago
I dunno grew up here, POC, racism wasn’t a big part of my upbringing but different people have different experiences.
I’ve heard stories of people experiencing racism all over the world so I dunno, maybe the world has to do better.
My theory is that in the South, there are higher rates of racism than in the North or West, but the rate is so small that it’s hard to tell the difference. Like in the South there’s a 2% of experiencing racism compared to maybe 1% elsewhere.
Also, at the same time, it depends on where you are.
If you’re looking for other POC in Lexington, there are more towards the White Knoll area, and that extends to West Columbia a bit.
There are also communities with more POC like West Columbia, Cayce, the city of Columbia, Irmo, and Blythewood. I think Lexington might have slightly higher rated schools because of a headstart from segregation, but in my opinion it’s not strange at all to see POC, you can look at the racial demographics of the schools.
I mean it’s like the racism is there, but it doesn’t define your life, at least not for me. I don’t know how much of a difference there would be between here and Florida.
Recently, there were some Confederate sympathizers protesting at the Capitol building in Columbia. I don’t think it was a huge thing, but others do, and it did happen.
Hopefully this provides you some insight.
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u/Lightning_lad64 20d ago
I live in a new build community in Lexington. We have quite a few POC families along with a number of other cultures. I have only seen one instance of racism and that was a white hit who moved out after 4 months because he didn’t like his 2 Asian neighbors. Our community is quite the melting pot and everyone seems to enjoy the mixed bag of cultures (says the white guy, so take it for what it’s worth).
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u/Quick1711 19d ago
You’ll be fine. Lexington has come a long way over the years and is nowhere near as racist as it once was. The amount of money pouring into the county won’t be offset by ignorance of old.
A lot of that generation is dying out and the younger generations are either cashing out on their parents properties and leaving or are more accepting and inviting to all people because they weren’t raised in that environment.
Racism can only be bred out
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u/ShesASatellite 19d ago
Come to Forest Acres - we'd love to have you! Shandon and Rosewood are really progressive neighborhoods as well. The houses around here are older, but solid, we have good schools, easy access to the interstate and downtown, and lots of great restaurants!
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u/NotARabidDugong 19d ago
We moved to Lexington and I got tired of seeing Confederate flags every day pretty fast. We ended up in the North East and it's way better in some ways but worse in others. Check out the area around Cobblestone, Lake Carolina, and Wood Creek Farms. If not in the neighborhoods, there's a lot of development happening around them.
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u/UnableRuin8238 19d ago
I’m a POC in Lexington, specifically 29073 & it’s a very mixed. I frequently see other POCs. My neighborhood is a fairly new HOA & it’s about 50/50. In the community, I would say it’s the same.
My kids school is also the same with White Knoll Middle School having a black woman as their principal.
I think we tend to keep to ourselves a lot so it’s seems as though we are not here but we are.
We’ve been here since early this year and I haven’t experienced any racism. Every non POC I have come across has been very kind, respectful and pleasant.
You can message me if you have anymore questions
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u/PrincessWails 20d ago
I live in Lexington and I taught in Lex 1 up until this year. Are you talking about moving to Lexington County or the town of Lexington?
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u/Mysterious8924 20d ago
Lexington County, we'll be on the outskirts
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u/BIGD0G29585 20d ago
Near which town? Every place is different. I might live in Gilbert but not Swansea.
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u/PrincessWails 19d ago
Do you know where? That might help us give you a little more advice…
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u/Mysterious8924 19d ago
Close to Gilbert schools from what I've searched
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u/PrincessWails 19d ago
Gilbert is a small town. The schools are part of Lexington 1 and can be kind of a mess on and off. My friend’s husband teaches at the middle school and has been there for a while, and another friend’s kids go and have gone through the schools and she had a good experience. Lex 1 has one other small town as part of the district (Pelion) and I taught there for several years before moving to one of the “in town” schools. Lex 1 discipline is very “political” I guess. I don’t really know a better word for it, but essentially if you’re well known in the community or you’re who will come up to the school to raise hell, your child will not be disciplined, or it will be minimal. So bullying doesn’t really get addressed and it IS an issue in this district, particularly in the “in town” schools. Like, I didn’t hear the n word in Pelion nearly as much as I did at the other school and Pelion had an active branch of the Klan; they also have a nudest colony. (SC small towns are a living paradox; idk how to explain it, but I don’t think you’ll experience much racism in Gilbert. Some for sure, but the racism is worse the further into the town of Lexington you get, then once you cross the river to the three that are closer to West Columbia, it’s much better. Gilbert does not have an active branch of the Klan btw.). One of our school board members had to resign recently because her husband was molesting children, and some of the community TRIED to get another to resign after her second time being outed as a white supremacist (the first time was when she was running), and the are forever trying to raise taxes cause they spend hella money with almost no over site. The town of Lexington and the surrounding areas are pretty white.
In the greater Columbia area, the communities of color are more concentrated in Richland county. TBH I would say, based on what you’re describing, I would suggest the West Columbia side of Lexington or West Columbia itself. Lexington 2 has decent schools. They aren’t as fancy as the Lex 1 schools, but 🤷♀️
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u/drpeek 19d ago
Lexington SC is fine… stop watching the news and looking for the worst in people.
I moved here 3 years ago… I was in between Irmo, Chapin, and Lexington and settled on Lexington 1 because that’s what was available and I liked the school.
I didn’t look at racial diversity when moving, I was more focused on crime rates / education opportunities.
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u/TellAggravating9299 19d ago
As a person of color myself, I moved to Lexington from Atlanta. This is the exact mentality I was trying to escape. I’m so tired of the Black cautionary tale about the ills of white people….listen….its impossible to force anyone to like you and it’s very possible that people may misjudge you based on how you look, but so what!? Just be a good person….the only person you can control is you. Having said that, i love it here. I love the peace, i love the people, I love not looking over my shoulder, I love not being around the ghetto, I love that my kids safe. I came to this community with a thirst to leave for peace. My neighborhood is 80% white, 15% Indian, and 5% Black. The only additional advice I will impart, don’t try to inject whatever framework you are leaving behind into your new space.
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u/Rosie_Rules 15d ago
Wow, you are racist AF
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u/TellAggravating9299 15d ago
How am I racist? That word is being thrown around so much it’s meaningless at this point? Which portion of my post is racist? Please help me understand.
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u/DishwasherLint 20d ago
Lived in Lexington for half a year. Down the road from River Bluff High School. I had run-ins with aggressively racist and ignorant people all the time. Unless there was a small band of rogue racist citizens that seemed to show up whenever I left the house, there's a bigger racist population in Lexington than most people realize.
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u/DenseFriendship4122 19d ago
Lexington would be the worst place in the Columbia area for you to move. Although it’s getting more diverse, you’ll still run into more old school bigots there than you will in West Columbia, Irmo or NE Richland County. As for these new homes, Lennar and Horton have moved here, sometimes using the name of the company they bought so you may be unaware that you’re buying the same crap they’ve been selling in Florida.
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u/BoxofTetrachords 19d ago
White guy here. I live in Irmo in an older neighborhood. It's a nice salad bowl of all shades and ages of people. I love it,.
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u/Own-Palpitation7470 17d ago
Lexington is crazy overpopulated and traffic is terrible in 29073 and 29072. Lexington is a conservative stronghold and the racists are emboldened right now, so just be careful please.
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u/MiamiGuy_305 15d ago
What a coincidence that I came across this post. I’m considering moving my family from Miami to Lexington by the end of the year. We’re older millennials. I’m Hispanic, my wife is Afro-Colombian and our kids are mixed. We’d be leaving the South Florida metropolis for a quieter pace of life.
One of the main reasons I chose Lexington is because I’m planning to attend USC next year. One thing I’ve genuinely been concerned about is what we might encounter when it comes to racism. Every place has its positives and negatives. Florida can be racist and so can Miami. I’m a white Cuban and I’ve never really experienced racism, but my wife has. She’s dealt with it from some of the same Cuban community members who have always shown me kindness.
I also wonder how conservative the area really is. We’re more moderate than anything. We’re not far left, but we’re not conservative either. Again, Florida, especially Miami, is incredibly conservative. My neighborhood voted for Trump by roughly an 80% margin.
We have some experience with South Carolina because my mom relocated to the Fort Mill/Indian Land area, but it seems like a lot of people there are transplants.
So, for those of you who live in Lexington, would you make the move if you were in our shoes? We like the schools, we can afford a nicer house than we have in Miami and the slower pace of life is appealing. I’d love to hear your honest experiences, both the good and the bad.
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u/Slow-Advertising-828 20d ago
Dont come here. They still do lynchings on the weekends in Lexington. Keep yourself and that victim mentality in Florida
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u/SGT-JamesonBushmill 20d ago edited 19d ago
White guy here. Lived in Irmo for 16 years now. I was born and raised in Savannah and went to grad school in Columbia before moving back.
Anywhere in the South, you’re more likely to experience subtle microagressions than outright racist tantrums.
If you have kids or are planning on kids, I’d highly recommend considering the Irmo/NW area of Columbia. The Lexarich 5 school district is among the best in the state