Local Communities and Features

Columbia, South Carolina, is the closest major city to Fort Jackson. Columbia has about 132,000 people, and is in Richland County, which has a population of about 390,000 people. Other nearby small communities include Dentsville (14,000), West Columbia (15,000), Cayce (13,000), Irmo 12,000), and Forest Acres (11,000).

It is about 7 miles from downtown Columbia to Fort Jackson; this takes about 15 minutes to commute, but the city is fairly spread out, and travel times can vary. The average commute in Richland County is about 21 minutes.

Local Housing Rental Prices: The average apartment rent in the Columbia area ranges from $425 to $725 per month, with a median of about $575 per month.

Local Housing Purchase Prices: The average price for a house in Columbia in the last few years was about $166,000, compared to $138,000 for South Carolina.The average price for a house in Richland County in the last few years was about $155,000.

Short Description of the Area: Columbia is the capital and largest city of South Carolina, located near the center of the state, on the fall line of the Congaree River - the city was and is a major river port, and main city of the Midlands region. The area surrounding Columbia is good growing country, with rich soil and drainage, but the city is modern, with broad streets and a fairly large number of trees.

Climate and Weather: The area has a humid, warm climate, winter temperatures of the mid 50s to mid 30s and summer temperatures in the range of the low 90s to low 70s. Summers are "Famously Hot" and humid, with three months of 90 degree weather, with full Southern humidity and up to 6 inches of rain; the area has some thunderstorms, and is sometimes hit by hurricanes, although the city is far enough inland to blunt the impact. Winters are mild; rain is only 2-4 inches a month; snow is rare.