>>> 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

<b? 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.

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, "free pour" alcohol now--and they weren't "airline bottles"--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, "Columbia is a slum!"....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 "mansions".
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.