Information on Greenville, SC
 

I have relatives moving from California to Greenville, SC. From what I can see on line it looks like a wonderful place to live. My husband and I are considering retiring to the east coast in the next 5 to 10 years. We never considered South Carolina before and would like some more information, before planning a trip there. How does the humidity compare to Florida? How early does it start and how long does it last? What is the property tax rate in Greenville? Almost all the posts I have read on Greenville are positive. However, I did read one that said the city itself is beautiful, but the surrounding areas are horrible (I think they used the word "slums"?) I certainly don't get that impression online. Any insight from people who live in the area would be appreciated.

My brother has lived there for some 25 years through two marriages and four kids. He doesn't complain-- it's cheap and winters are mild. Not my cup of tea (I'm a big-city boy), but he's been pretty happy there.

I will state the obvious: Before taking the leap, take a trip out there. In summer. One gets used to humidity quickly in my experience. And there are some really pretty parts of South Carolina around there.

The Summerville area is lovely and only 30 minutes from Charleston and nice beaches.

My sis moved down a year ago and I've been down to visit this mostly pretty area. No expert here, but I don't recall seeing slums. I found the surrounding areas to be very rural. My sis loves this, as she was transplanted from NH. She says she's got a much better standard of living for so much less money. She's in a very nice newly built home that she paid 159,000. for. The same house would go for 350,000. or up in any NE area.
She also stated she's not crazy about the medical facilities.
Good luck!

My sister and her husband have lived there for many years. Recently they moved from their family house to a new penthouse condo in downtown Greenville. This is a rapidly developing area with lots of new restaurants, specialty shops, a major concert venue, a new minor league ball park, and a wonderful waterside park with a pedestrian bridge over a scenic ravine. Owing to a large Michelin factory and a BMW factory, there is quite a cosmopolitan population in the area with, I believe, international schools available. There are also plenty of good old boys, and you can go to Clemson football and NASCAR racing not very far away. It is a couple ofhours by interstate to Asheville and, with the advent of regional jets, Greenville has good connections to the rest of the world.

I am from CA, however my boyfriend is from Greenville. I have spent much time there over the past 3 years. I think it is a wonderful city. The humidity is not bad at all - nothing like the the coast (Charleston, Myrtle Beach very very humid). Greenville has a new and energized downtown with cute old neighborhoods as well as some nice Suburbs. My future in laws live in the Greer/Thornblade Area and it is very nice. Be prepared to catch Clemson tiger fever - it is in the water down here! I love California, but could definitely live here.

Thanks for the input everyone. Does anyone know the property tax rate? Someone told me they thought it was about 4% - which I consider very high.

Your talking about the property tax rate didn't make much sense to me so I googled. You might try it also.
Here is one site with a lot of tax info. Property taxes would be a Greenville phenom--
http://www.sctax.org/NR/rdonlyres/F2...thCarolina.pdf

Greenville will probably be a much slower pace than living in California. It is humid but certainly less humid than FL or the coastal, midlands area of SC. It has the reputation of being a pretty conservative town, due in part to the presence of Bob Jones University - Christian - right in the middle of town. As others have mentioned, the big industries in/near town have brought more of the arts, better restaurants and improvements to downtown. It is not unusual to hear people speaking French and German as you walk around on Main Street. . As with any city there are some not great areas around town but I wouldn't call them slums. The whole Greenville metro area has become very developed with shopping and housing - they just put in a Whole Foods. George Hincappie who hopefully will do well in this year's Tour, is a resident and has a bike shop there. Asheville is about one hr north - and 6-10 degrees cooler - but housing prices are higher as is the cost of living.

I have a couple of more questions. 1.) How are the hospitals/medical care facilities in the area? 2.) On another forum, I saw Greenville referred to as the "redneck" capital of the country. True or untrue?

No, it is not true.

I think you need to forget about the term redneck when referring to cities in NC or SC. Although Jeff Foxworthy popularized the term he has become a millionaire off of it and I'm sure he no longer qualifies as one either. If you get out into the small, small communities in the South people live a slower, more rural existence but let's just stop w/ pejorative terms like "redneck" which is just a stupid stereotype anyway.

Couldn't agree more. I have met "rednecks" in CA.

"redneck" can be a badge of honor = hard working farmer whose neck was red from spending the day on the tractor (face shielded by cap).

You'll find more just "good folk" in the area than "rednecks". It's just a stereotype - as fallible as others.

Origin = Scottish, referring to Presbyterians. In that case, you are far more likely to meet Baptists than Rednecks :-)

I think the only "rednecks" you'd find in the Greenville are the ones who got sunburn from driving their BMW convertibles.

My sister and spouse were transferred to Greenville about 7 years ago. They built a house in Easily which was very nice. However, her fondest wish, finally realized, was to get out of Greenville and back to Wisconsin.

She did mention that the heat in spring through fall was oppressive, and that unless you had a swimming pool (which many in her subdivision had,) you would not be venturing outside during the day in summer. So you will have air conditioning costs. She also said the roads were pretty bad in many areas, that the native population was not well-educated since they do not invest much in public schools in that area. She said homeowners had to have regular pesticide service to treat homes due to the pervasive bug population,especially termites. They also had to have a sprinkler system installed to keep the lawn from dying.

It is the "Bible Belt," home of Bob Jones University, and the big controversy raging in the local papers always seemed to center around flying the Confederate flag at the Capitol.

There are "dry" counties in the area, so if you go out for a meal on Sunday, you won't get a glass of wine. Buying a drink at a restaurant involves purchasing a "membership" at the bar, and then they give you an "airline" bottle of booze to mix your own drink. Don't know if that is of any interest, but she and hubby do like a drink or glass of wine and found that quaint at first, annoying later. She is also a gourmet cook and could not find some of the things we enjoy in the north and midwest (she complained about not finding "good bread" by which she meant not "wonder bread.")

They were not church people and much of the social life involved church (especially the Baptist Church.) By the time they left, there were a few more restaurants around that were a little more on par with those in the north.

Fortunately, her subdivision was inhabited by people from around the world, not just locals. So they found a group of people with a more diverse set of interests. I think the newer developments will attract people from outside the area.

Property taxes were low. The lack of investment in public schools keeps the taxes low in most areas of the south. However, there are many places on the internet to research this, including Sperling's Best Places, Retirement Living, and The Tax Foundation. If you Google those sites, you should find links to data on comparative tax data. Not all costs associated with living in a given area are property tax related. There are high sales taxes, taxes on the value of your auto, cost of utilities and other fees that are not as apparent.

Some people love it there, others can't wait to leave.

I would maintain that though Easley and Greenville are only about 20 miles apart they are very different, not necessarily in climate but in amenities, restaurants, educational level of people, educational opportunities, cultural events and shopping...
Yes, there are counties that are "dry" in NC and SC and observe the old "blue laws" but I don't think Greenville is one of them and the whole membership thing is very old school and you seldom find that anymore in the bigger towns. The mini bottle thing was over as of this year and as of 2006 they now have free pour.

I would also maintain that my friends were as eager to get out of Wisconsin as shorebrau's relatives were to get out of "Easily".

there's something to be said for being adaptable to where you are/end up ... what about the fact that Easley has distinct seasons and not long winters spent shoveling driveways and trying to get cars started in below zero temps. How about the support and large role local churches play in the community in many towns in the South. Let's see what else...if you plant more local, natural vegetation instead of a lawn you wouldn't be as concerned about having a sprinkler system; I'd rather treat my house for termites than be plagued by mosquitos and stinging black flies all summer...but I guess maybe I'm better off in the South and these may be just my impressions of Wisconsin based on hearing from people who moved away to escape!

leah, your comments remind me of a post recently by OldSouthernBelle about Enterprise, Alabama.

>>> there's something to be said for being adaptable to where you are/end up <<<

Amen to that!

Author: OldSouthernBelle
Date: 09/10/2005, 08:33 pm
Years ago,when DH was called to interview in Enterprise, AL, we had just been in another small town in AL for 1-2 years, had small children and I was reluctant to move.

2 more years later, they called for him to interview again. I really was unfamiliar with the area and said, I'm going to check this town out while you're in the interview.

I did pray that the Lord would lead us.

Before we even left for the interview, that same week, there was a movie on TV with Patty Davis, filmed at Ft. Rucker. (Nearby Enterprise).


I was extremely impressed with what I saw! That day, as I drove by the local schools, Ft. Rucker had helicopters in the school yards, giving rides!

The whole town smelled of roasted peanuts (which I found heavenly, having been from Mobile, which was dominated with paper mill smells, at times).


DH got into the car, and without asking me, said 'they offered me the job, but I'm not taking it' (knowing my previous reservation). I replied " don't be so hasty!", and we ended up spending 9 years of our lives there...very pleasantly I might add!

That community has alot to offer children! They spoiled us terribly!

Belle

&lt;b? <i> OP, Greenville will be very different from California. No doubt. But, there is a lot to recommend it. It is in the prettiest part of SC, IMHO. Asheville is just an hour up the road. Atlanta is a bit further down the road. The coast is not far with great beaches. A friend who just moved from there misses it. Good luck on your scouting trip.</i>

Let's see. Shorebrau may need to get a bit more up to date. Whole Foods in Greenville now. Maybe Easley wasn't the best choice. As has been said, &quot;free pour&quot; alcohol now--and they weren't &quot;airline bottles&quot;--about twice the size of airline bottles.
It is a pretty town--a very fine university (Furman) which brings its own list of amenities to the community.

All I know is what my sister told me about the place, while living there.

The best advice anyone can take is from my parents: rent for 6 months in an area before you move there. They did that all along the Gulf Coast and in Florida before buying their home in Florida. Of course, they kept the home in Wisconsin since this is where the rest of the family is, and they return here every summer when Florida is too hot for them. By living in a place for a few months, you get a better flavor.

My parents moved to Greenville from Michigan about 15 years ago when I was still in college.

Greenville has come a long way in those 15 years. I worked at a job in the hospital one summer in college and was asked by a doctor if my parents owned a restaurant--I'm Asian and apparently there was no other job this doctor could conceive of our having.

That's where Greenville was 15 years ago.

However, it has become amazingly more cosmopolitan and diverse in the ensuing years, probably due to the opening of the BMW plant and other recent influxes of industry.

My parents had a hard time finding decent produce for a while, but there is a Fresh Market that is really wonderful. There is also a small Chinese market in Greenville.

The thing my parents were very cautious of was zoning in the area where they bought (in Simpsonville). There were areas where you could see a beautiful home next to a trailer with a propped-up car in the yard. There are certainly less affluent areas surrounding Greenville, but you don't have to hang out there either if you don't want to. I don't know of many cities where there aren't areas that are slightly run-down.

What else? Yes, it's very conservative and that will probably take a while to change if it ever does. My parents will probably move to California when they retire, though--to be closer to family.

Good luck and definitely visit.

Great feedback from everyone. I appreciate all opinions. We will be going back to visit, probably next spring.

I live in Spartanburg County, SC (which is right beside Greenville County) Greenville is a very nice place to live. Greenville has lots of Colleges and Universities a wonderful Library System, and a wonderful arts program. The Upstate of South Carolina including Greenville and Spartanburg Counties are the “upper class” cities in South Carolina, and are not in the same class as Columbia SC (which I would say is a slum!). Greenville is defiantly the best place in the upstate to live; you also might also like Greer SC, which is in Greenville County.

In addition, Greenville is only a 5-hour drive to Myrtle Beach!

yikes, &quot;Columbia is a slum!&quot;....I've lived in Columbia and it's not a slum. I am just at a loss to understand why a statement like that had to be made. How about some true things:
1. Columbia is the hottest place in SC during the summer.
2. Most people try to escape from Columbia during the summer by going to the beach - Charleston just 2 hrs away - or to the Mtns - Asheville 2.5 hrs.
3. Columbia is home to Fort Jackson, one of the 2 largest training posts of the US Army
4. USC is a very good school and their graduate programs, especially in business, are very highly thought of
5. Columbia has an excellent State Museum and a very nice zoo

Leah, you are correct--that was a gratuitous INSULT and totally uncalled for. Our family cousins own Adluh Mills and we were introduced to West Columbia for a family reunion. What a LOVELY area. And the homes on the way were beautiful--old southern &quot;mansions&quot;.
We have family in Spartanburg also--maybe I should mention----well, no! 'o)
And MB would not be my beach of choice--many many nicer. This latter is so the OP will know they don't have to settle for MB. And you're right, Charleston is a stone's throw.