Oh Crap, well that make perfect sense. Columbia is pretty much a $hit hole.
Sorry for the misread all.
Clemson appears to be a nice, safe city, as you said => http://www.city-data.com/city/Clemson-South-Carolina.html (Demographics available at link)
Columbia has 10 times more going for it than Clemson, unless you consider tractor pulls as a cultural event. Clemson - - where the men are men and the farm animals are nervous.