re: Living in Columbia, MO?

Great place. My parents live there. Beautiful downtown area with several good restaurants including Vietnamese, pizza, Middle Eastern, and Indian. Lots of parks and open space in the surrounding countryside. I would describe it as the quintessential college town. Everything revolves around the university which provides a good multi-cultural dynamic. As for schools, Hickman High School is rated as one of the best public schools in the nation. Rockbridge is newer but also has a good reputation. As for living, I would look at the south side of town as the north side (above I-70) can get a little sketchy.