Columbia

One of the most important aspects of Columbia is what’s not found in the city southeast of St. Louis. There are few chain businesses in town, which instead is dominated by locally run and operated establishments, from eateries to pharmacies. In fact RE/MAX Results Realty Realtor Angi Laskowski says it’s not uncommon for new residents to ask her where they can find a Starbucks. There is no Starbucks, but the town of 11,000 people is home to Proving Ground Coffee and Cafe on the Abbey, both native to Columbia. “I tell them when you buy with our local coffee shops, the money comes back here,” says Laskowski, who lives in Columbia. “A lot of people say ‘shop local and live local’ and talk about small-town values, but I think Columbia nails it.” Columbia is a popular destination for homebuyers in the east St. Louis metro, and the town’s appeal begins with its strong local business community.

Downtown Columbia is where the influences of German immigrants, who surged into the area in the 1800s, are most evident. Brick and stone buildings constructed in the German vernacular style house boutiques, while a drawing of Fritz Schnickel – a fictional bratwurst-biting Bavarian and the mascot of Columbia – graces the sign outside city hall. As Laskowski points out, downtown is full of storefronts, but you won’t find chains in the heart of downtown. Instead there are locally run businesses like Reifschneider’s Grill & Grape. The grill’s menu can keep just about any diner happy, with dishes ranging from classic reuben sandwiches to Buffalo ranch pizzas fresh out the brick oven. If you’re not in the mood for Reifschneider’s, no worries; you’re no more than 1.5 miles from pasta at Joe Boccardi’s, noodles at Thai House or fajitas at Tequila Mexican Restaurant. Columbia is home to a supermarket chain outside of downtown, but that grocery store still has regional roots; it is part of St. Louis-founded company Schnucks.

Vintage homes from the 1800s and early 1900s edge the streets around downtown, but they become more modern the further you go from the town center. There are contemporary subdivisions filled with ‘90s neo-colonial styles, as well as a couple of new-construction communities in the works. House shoppers are likely to find price tags starting in the high $100,000s, climbing into the $400,000s for more contemporary homes built in the last 20 years. Meanwhile new construction houses likely will be priced in the high $500,000s. With less than a month’s supply of home inventory, Columbia is a busy housing market. Buyers are moving from St. Louis and other bigger cities, something Laskowski says wasn’t common a decade ago. “Once people started to see Columbia has this great sense of community, now we get a lot of folks moving in from other areas.”

Columbia Community Unit School District is ranked the best school system in Monroe County by Niche. Every school a local student attends from preschool through 12th grade lands high marks from Niche. Eagleview Elementary School, where children go for preschool through first grade, is rated a B, and Parkview Elementary School, which holds classes for second through fourth graders, earns an A-minus and in 2018 won a National Blue Ribbon School award from the Department of Education. Kids advance to Columbia Middle School, rated an A-minus, before progressing to Columbia High School. Columbia High’s academics earn a grade of A-minus, and students who join the German Club can take part in an exchange program to study in the European nation.

Columbia High neighbors the city’s biggest park: Bolm-Schuhkraft Park. The park’s extensive sports amenities can host games from roller hockey to sand volleyball, but its trails and shaded creek make it just as appealing for a peaceful walk. The park also hosts one of Columbia’s most beloved annual events. Songs4Soliders was started a decade ago by a local Iraq War veteran to raise money for combat veterans. A one-day concert with local musicians has grown to a two-night show that has brings acts like Travis Tritt, Everclear and Cheap Trick to town and raised more than $1 million for veterans.

Despite all there is to do in Columbia, the big-city amenities of downtown St. Louis sit only 15 miles away, another reason Columbia’s home values stay strong, Laskowski says. “It’s its own little paradise, but it’s right next to everything.”

Written By

Tina Davis

Photography Contributed By

Alex Dickerson