477 replies to this topic

[Spartan]

EDPro, on Jun 23 2005, 01:51 PM, said:

I agree with the gripes about annexation laws not helping national and global recognition.  Louisville just merged its city and county governments therefore going from a 100,000 resident city to a 600,000 resident city overnight. (I do understand that will never happen in Greenvile, but provides a pretty illustrative point).

Also wanted to second the opinion that Greenville-Spartanburg is our most widely known moniker.  Upsets me just a bit when Convention & Visitors Bureau, & others try to market the area as theUpstate.  Upstate is a fine term for internal purposes, but IMHO people see Greenville-Spartanburg in airports therefore its what the outside world know of us.  There's almost as many Upstates as there are Greenvilles (thought I heard once that there were 46 Greenvilles).
One more aside: met a fellow from Greenville, TX about a year ago.  He had a City of Greenville (TX) shirt on and the logo had about 3/4ths of an outlin of Texas around the word Greenville.  I asked the gentlemen about and he said, that they had added the outline of Texas,b/c they were often confused with Greenville, SC.
http://www.greenvilletxedc.com/

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What are some other Upstates?

I know of Upstate NY and Upstate SC. Thats all. Maybe Vermont?

[EDPro]

Spartan, on Jun 23 2005, 06:23 PM, said:

What are some other Upstates?

I know of Upstate NY and Upstate SC. Thats all. Maybe Vermont?

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California.  And I thought there was another Southern state, maybe Louisiana?

[Spartan]

I thought they just called it "Northern California?"

[Greenville]

I think it is Northern California and not upstate California.  Virginia is out also, as it is Northern Virginia.

What about upstate Illinois?  I have definitely heard of people discuss "downstate" Illinois, as in Urbana-Champaign.  But I suppose that doesn't necessarily mean there is an upstate.

[RestedTraveler]

Northern California (AKA "NoCal") and Northern Virginia (AKA "NoVa") are what I've always heard, too.

[RestedTraveler]

krazeeboi, on Jun 23 2005, 03:55 PM, said:

What is your reasoning for equating Rock Hill with Canton, instead of, say, Youngstown? Just curious...

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Purely Geographical     Florence would be Youngstown.    I don't exactly like to equate Greenville to Cleveland either, but both towns have risen from past lives to become vivrant and thriving cities....both even have their "Gateway" projects.  Let's just hope the Reedy never catches fire  

[Spartan]

Greenville, on Jun 23 2005, 09:46 PM, said:

I think it is Northern California and not upstate California.  Virginia is out also, as it is Northern Virginia.

What about upstate Illinois?  I have definitely heard of people discuss "downstate" Illinois, as in Urbana-Champaign.  But I suppose that doesn't necessarily mean there is an upstate.

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True. We don't have a downstate either. I think in Illinois its downstate" because its either Chicago or its not. Its kinda like how Upstate NY is everything that is not NYC and west of something (I've never been 100% clear on that one).

[Greenville]

That makes sense, Spartan.  What about upstate Rhode Island?  

[btoy]

Spartan, on Jun 23 2005, 08:29 PM, said:

True. We don't have a downstate either. I think in Illinois its downstate" because its either Chicago or its not. Its kinda like how Upstate NY is everything that is not NYC and west of something (I've never been 100% clear on that one).

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We have a downstate, we just call it the Low Country, now what other state can say they use that term.

[RestedTraveler]

Brad Toy, on Jun 24 2005, 08:00 AM, said:

We have a downstate, we just call it the Low Country, now what other state can say they use that term.

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Georgia?

[Spartan]

RestedTraveler, on Jun 24 2005, 08:57 AM, said:

Georgia?

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True- but I think that is much less common there as a regional term. GA's regions are much less unique than ours: North GA, Middle GA, South GA, Coastal GA, and of course Atlanta.

[krazeeboi]

North Georgia and Atlanta are practically the same thing.

[gvillenative]

I don't really think Georgia has a "Low Country" they call it the Coastal Empire, everything else inland I think is just Georgia, lol. I've never heard anyone from there refer to it as low country. I believe SC has that one all to our own.

[Greenville]

My only terms for southern Georgia are negative ones, because it seems to go on FOREVER between Atlanta and Florida.  Talk about rural.  I'm always like, "It doesn't look this big on a map!!"  Ha ha.

[Spartan]

gvillenative, on Jun 26 2005, 03:29 PM, said:

I don't really think Georgia has a "Low Country" they call it the Coastal Empire, everything else inland I think is just Georgia, lol. I've never heard anyone from there refer to it as low country. I believe SC has that one all to our own.

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The Lowcountry is used as more of a cultural term in GA than a regional one. The area of SC and GA that is mostly marshes and islands (from Georgetown to  the Florida line) is basicly where that name comes from and referrs to. I stayed at a place below Savannah one time and they served some Lowcountry Stew. That was some good eatin'

[Greenville]

I have been reading posts in the regional and national areas of this forum, as well as in other forums like Skyscraper City and Skyscraper Page.  It seems that cities are thought of in tiers.  In the South, cities like Atlanta and Charlotte are in tier 1.  Birmingham, Louisville, and Richmond are in tier 2.  Greenville, Columbia, and Chattanooga are in tier 3.  Asheville and Savannah are in tier 4.  These tiers seem to be mostly based on population, but also other factors.

People who are familiar with Greenville tend to consider the city to be a "nice mid-sized city."  Most point to the downtown revitalization as impressive, but many also dislike the city and talk about its sprawl.  With Greenville being in the process of what I consider to be an unprecedented facelift, how do we want people to view our city?  What are our strengths and weaknesses, and how do we want to be seen?  How much flexibility does the city have in molding its future?

I really want to hear people's thoughts on this.  Hopefully we can get a nice multiple-page thread going with positive input from many posters.

[Greenville]

I will go first, since I started this topic.

Strengths:

-We have left our "textile capital of the world" identity behind (a good thing) and created a new identity (an international city which has been able to recruit high-end manufacturing, as well as a city quickly becoming a force in the automotive world)
-Our current projects seem to be unrivaled in most other cities our size, as well as in many cities larger than Greenville (is this an accurate statement?)
-There is great interest in our downtown, which is key for the continued development of a city (it draws people and businesses to the area)
-Close to Atlanta and Charlotte (our proximity to these cities has certainly enhanced Greenville's economic development)

Weaknesses:

-The image, whether accurate or not, that Greenville is very conservative and not very progressive as a city/metro area
-The association some people make with Bob Jones University (this is not meant to offend those who went to Bob Jones, but it is important to point it out since some outsiders view it negatively)
-Sprawl
-Close to Atlanta and Charlotte (also a weakness, in that we are sort of living in their shadows)

I am sure there are other strengths and weaknesses, but these are the first that popped into my head.  I don't know if Greenville will ever jump up to being considered equal to tier 2 cities like Richmond and Birmingham (does Greenville even want that?).  What I hope we don't lose is the uniqueness of our city.  There is a charm about Greenville that I miss every time I am away, and I can't be the only one who sees that.

[krazeeboi]

Not to but a damper on the thread, but I was just browsing through a religious magazine distributed nationally which spoke of a large church in Greenville which has managed to form a multicultural congregation in spite of Greenville being a "bastion of racial division." I know the city has had its fair share of negative press regarding such issues (MLK Holiday, interracial dating @ BJU), but I'm not sure I would go so far as to say that the city is a "bastion of racial division." Thoughts?

[Greenville]

I can offer a perspective on this.  I am white, and my girlfriend is Indian.  When we are downtown, people are very friendly to us.  People look our direction, in a positive way.  Smiles and even comments such as "you two are such a handsome couple" occur frequently.

I was a bit surprised by these positive and enthusiastic reactions.  Not that I was expecting people to look at us strangely, because I wasn't, but it is certainly nice to see that people think our relationship is a good one.

Greenville is certainly conservative politically, but people shouldn't equate that with racism, discrimination, and closed-mindedness.  Sure, you can go to rural areas outside the city and find that, but that is no different from rural areas outside of any other city in the US.

One final remark: what are we supposed to do with the negative press regarding Bob Jones's stances and the MLK holiday?  It's not like either of those things speaks for the opinions of Greenville residents.  BJU is a private school that happens to be in our city, and the MLK holiday was voted on by a handful of people on the county council.  It is unfortunate that these things are assumed to be endorsed by our entire metro (or even a significant portion of it).  After all, I don't consider Birmingham people to be racist based on the history there, or people in Waco to be Branch Davidians and followers of David Koresh.

[NYTransplant]

I think another strength is the art scene here in Greenville.  

Performance arts are strong with the Peace Center,  Greenville Little Theatre, Warehouse Theatre, Shakespeare in the Park, All the free music during the week, and of course the Governor's School.  You can tack on the Handlebar, Bi-Lo Center and some of the smaller venues too.

Visual arts are also strong with the Greenville Art Museum, which has a very large (if not the largest) Andrew Wyeth collection.  Also, the Bob Jones Museum as well as all of the Galleries opening in the West End.  Don't forget "Art in the Park" and Artisphere.