Time4Change

I am considering relocating from Portland Maine and would appreciate any feedback anyone might want to provide on potential areas..........and any specific information on the Greenville SC area.

Maine is a beautiful state but the winters are a little to long for me and the cost of living in comparison to salaries makes it difficult to make ends meet. I have focused on the South since housing seems affordable and I can leverage my current home equity towards buying a home.

I enjoy outdoor activities and want to find a place where I can hike and sea kayak. I am 42 and single so it would be nice I can find a place where it isn't too difficult to meet new people.

Thanks!

Paul

GoTravel

The closest ocean to Greenville, SC would be about four hours away.

It is a beautiful small city.

leahinsc

Maine is beautiful in the summer but I've heard it can be a bit oppressive in winter.
I live in Asheville, NC which is one hr north of Greenville. From Greenville you can see the mtns and it can be fairly hot and muggy in the summer but not as bad as Columbia, SC, Charleston or Atlanta.
In the past few years Greenville has really spread out but has managed to cultivate a pleasant main street and downtown with tree-lined streets, restaurants, a river and walking path, galleries and shops. When I travel down there for business (about 1x/month) there always seem to be lots of clean cut guys and nicely dressed women milling about. It used to have a reputation as a fairly conservative/religous town but I think it has lightened up considerably in the past few years thanks to an influx of businesses and young people.
You will definitely be able to do a lot of hiking in the immediate area but kayaking will be limited to river unless you drive about 3 hrs down to the Charleston area.

Time4Change

I wish there was a perfect place

I could settle for sea kayaking in a lake or river and get to the ocean from time to time.

What is most important to me is -

(1) Housing costs where I can buy a 3 bedroom 2 bath for $100 to $150k.
(2)More sunshine/Warmer/Shorter winters
(3) Reasonable Job Opportunities
(4)Outdoor Activities
(5)Being accepted as a new transplant
(6) Ability to meet new people

Thanks!

leahinsc

I think your housing costs may be a bit low - even for Greenville for that size house unless it is way out. If I was (still) single I'd want to live relatively close in to town to be able to take advantage of some of the social and cultural things in the evenings and weekends. Have you checked out realtor.com?
Asheville is pretty ideal - heck, Budget Travel's front page recently had something like - 10 reasons why you won't want to leave Asheville...
but you'd be hard pressed to find 3BR 2BA in desirable areas for under $180K - unless you are into getting a "fixer upper".
Do you have time to take a trip down here this summer? Independence Air (www.flyi.com) flies from Portland to Greenville by way of Dulles - rent a car and spend a week or so driving around in the "dead" of summer and see how you like it.

Seamus

Your specifications sound like a good fit for San Antonio.

leahinsc

San Antonio would be an interesting option. Having lived there in the summer I can attest that it is scorchingly hot and can be humid - though I don't think as bad as Columbia, Sc or even Washington DC. I don't know where you'd go kayaking except driving down to Corpus Christi.
Atlanta might be an option but that is a big, big city with all the accompanying issues - crime, traffic, housing cost...
I guess I'd probably line up all the possible spots and compare it to where I could relocate with the type of work I wanted to do - unless you can work anywhere.

djkbooks

I find the heat and humidity in the south much more oppressive than the Maine winters (lived there for five years, now living in NH).

Highly recommend a two week visit to appealing southern destinations during the summer before planning a move!

Though the winters are long, there is much going for New England all winter long. I'd really miss the fall foliage, the fireplace, even the snow (which is SO beautiful!).

I've lived all over and found, in the overall, salaries tend to be more or less proportionate to cost of living nearly everywhere.

leahinsc

I'd think you'd find many areas, even in the South that would give you 4 seasons...fall foliage, winter snow, spring rain and flowers and warm summers...but it wouldn't be TX or most of SC...you would find it in N. GA, Western NC, Western MD, E Tn - the trick is getting a little altitude to you can have some snow and less humidity.