Planning a move to Columbia MO

Hello!

I (F25) am planning to move to Columbia.

I am a graphic designer/ digital illustrator looking to escape the south as I am a lesbian and very left leaning (ik MO is a red state, but Columbia seems to be an affordable blue dot)

I have visited in the past and felt very safe and it seems like an affordable, fun city. I would also like to work on getting my master's degree, so being in a uni town would help with that greatly!

What are some things I should know if I move there?

Is there any areas I should avoid living as a single woman?

Are there any companies I should NOT apply to? Some that you would recommend?

Any information you can give would be greatly appreciated! I am already doing my own research, but I thought this might be a good place to hear from any locals ☺️

Edit: Thank you everyone for all of the helpful information and honest review of your city! I'd like to clear up some info:

• I am never having children, so school systems aren't really an issue for me.

• I definitely know that Columbia won't compare to other bigger cities, but I simply can't afford to live in those cities. I'm keeping my expectations reasonable. Also I come from a very small town with basically three nice restaurants that aren't a chain.... I'm okay with not having the Portland/Seattle variety.

• I have 1 year of experience in my field which may be helpful getting a job outside of just having a bachelors degree.

• Lack of Night life isn't a huge deal breaker for me. I don't go out often enough to care too much.