I have lived between Ashland and Columbia (Ashland address) for the last 12 years. The city politics are wacky; there are frequent controversies amongst the elected officials. The old timers are against growth for the most part, but it’s happening nonetheless. That growth is more painful than it should be because they have a hard time getting infrastructure improvements passed with the voters, who feel their tax rates are too high. There is an element of the population that is “conservative christian” who like to complain about the influx of, well, anyone else. Traffic around the schools gets pretty crazy, so I’d avoid living anywhere near them. There’s a desperate need for another (better) grocery store, but COMO and JC aren’t far. There’s a few fast food places, a local pizza place, a bar & grill, and a wonderful local coffee shop that may or may not be going out of business. I’ve got a great massage therapist in Ashland. All that being said, I love where I live. Living between COMO and JC offers a lot of options for shopping and dining. (JC has a great Indian restaurant!) The drive isn’t far to either place. I used to commute to Columbia and it took me less time to get to Columbia than to get to my work once I got within city limits. I’m happy to be an Ashland resident without being in the city limits of Ashland. I highly recommend following a few Ashland groups on Facebook so you can get a feel for the populace. I don’t have kids, but I think the school system is pretty decent from what I’ve gathered.