Interested in Moving to Greenville?

[NYTransplant]

Well, yes I was. And being gay and "expected" to always dress the best, it would have definitely been to a bad sweater theme party if you saw me with a bad sweater! LOL I would assume we have a mutual friend located in the Lofts?

Yes, that would be the person whom the party was in honor of.

[jr7777]

Hello Greenvillians (is that correct? )

I'm not looking to move to Greenville (yet...I'm still in college), but I want to take a trip down there sometime next month, and I figured this would be an appropriate topic to ask questions in.

Me and some friends took a random trip from Asheville down to Greenville last summer and we loved it. We walked down Main Street and were amazed by how lively everything was and how there was so much to do. Unfortunately we had to leave sooner than expected (we only got to stay 2 hours).

Last weekend, I was on i-26 coming back from Charleston. Instead of just taking 26 straight to Asheville, I decided to take 385 and go through Greenville. When 385 ended, I got lost downtown. While I was trying to find my way back to highway 25, I drove through many things we didn't get to see last time we went, such as West End/South Main and the rest of North Main. Once again, I was amazed and wanted to make plans to come back very soon.

So I ask all you Greenville residents for any suggestions for our next trip down there. Any help is appreciated

[vwsam]

I moved down to Travelers Rest from the Asheville area earlier this year. It is great! Like you said - downtown is very nice, but don't forget to see the north end of the county. From TR - I am close to 4 state parks. I still have the mountain views and commute to work in Hendersonville. I really enjoy the warmer weather. I never realized how much wind there was up there in NC until I left. The temps are about 5-10 warmer, but the lack of wind really makes the winter easier. Anyway - yeah, there's lots to do around here, and the cost of housing is much better than Asheville.

[Skyliner]

Hello Greenvillians (is that correct? )

I'm not looking to move to Greenville (yet...I'm still in college), but I want to take a trip down there sometime next month, and I figured this would be an appropriate topic to ask questions in.

Me and some friends took a random trip from Asheville down to Greenville last summer and we loved it. We walked down Main Street and were amazed by how lively everything was and how there was so much to do. Unfortunately we had to leave sooner than expected (we only got to stay 2 hours).

Last weekend, I was on i-26 coming back from Charleston. Instead of just taking 26 straight to Asheville, I decided to take 385 and go through Greenville. When 385 ended, I got lost downtown. While I was trying to find my way back to highway 25, I drove through many things we didn't get to see last time we went, such as West End/South Main and the rest of North Main. Once again, I was amazed and wanted to make plans to come back very soon.

So I ask all you Greenville residents for any suggestions for our next trip down there. Any help is appreciated

Edited December 12, 2006 by Skyliner

[J-Bo]

Hello. I went to college at Clemson and have been in Atlanta for the last 6 years. I am very interested in getting back to SC and I love Greenville. I appreciate the planning, design and beauty of the city as well as the size. I like smaller simpler places but still like to have access to good resturants and resources. Atlanta is not my style and find myself frustrated with the traffic and congestion. I feel Greenville might be the place I am looking for. Housing is also very affordable compared to what I am used to here and if you read the Greenville news this morning with the rate of growth in the Carolina's the work is obviously there.

I am wondering about location. I need a house with a garage as opposed to a condo because I am constantly working in my garage on projects and cars. I am still young and although I enjoy the city and the nightlife, I don't necessarily have to be in the city and in fact like rural settings. I have heard about Travelers Rest really growing in recent years. Is that a place to consider? How easy of a drive is that to downtown? Living in Atlanta, I am programed to look for convience and to make things as easy as possible due to the difficulty in moving around here. Nothing is less than a 20 minute drive around here. Does anybody have any suggestions for other places to look to live? Thanks for any ideas.

[Skyliner]

Welcome, J-Bo! I'm glad you found us and decided to join in the fun.

Contrary to what most "outsiders" might think, your preferences do not necessarily limit your options to the more rural parts of the suburbs alone. There are places very much within range of "all the activity" that feel quite suburban - even possibly rural. Travelers Rest is a decent place to check into, as is the Powdersville area (western suburb, on the Anderson-Greenville County line), Easley (Tri-Counties), and even places in Greer or Blue Ridge. I would suggest looking at places as far away as Dacusville, if you prefer to live more in the mountains but not too far from the City, but for most that is not really an option. Of the places I mentioned, I would advise that you look closely at Travelers Rest and Powdersville. There are plenty of homes in both locations that have what you want, plus they have sufficient shopping and dining options, and are within a short drive of downtown Greenville. Currently, the heaviest traffic in the metro tends to be on the eastside toward Greer and south toward Simpsonville, which is why the two places I mentioned are even more appealing.

[linkerjpatrick]

Welcome, J-Bo! I'm glad you found us and decided to join in the fun.

Contrary to what most "outsiders" might think, your preferences do not necessarily limit your options to the more rural parts of the suburbs alone. There are places very much within range of "all the activity" that feel quite suburban - even possibly rural.

[vwsam]

I have heard about Travelers Rest really growing in recent years. Is that a place to consider? How easy of a drive is that to downtown?

[J-Bo]

Yeah, TR seemed to be really a place that fit. I love the mountains and 10-15 minutes is not bad at all. I appreciate all your responses. I really think I will be good and ready to push the button come early spring. I am excited about getting somewhere where the pace is a little slower and the quality of life is better. Folks in Greenville seem to really enjoy and celebrate life. I want to get to a place that feels like home and is community. Atlanta does not have that feeling. To each his own I guess.

BTW...I love the site. I stumbled upon it reading the online version of the Greenville News. I am in commercial construction with a major at Clemson in landscape architecture, so the topics are right up my alley. I look forward to visiting the site often. Thanks again.

Edited December 22, 2006 by J-Bo

[RestedTraveler]

Hey J-Bo! Welcome aboard!

Although I, too, want T.R. to become nothing like Mauldin/Simpsonville (just as vwsam does), I must admit that I moved here for many of the same reasons you're seeking.

It's extremely convenient to jump on to Poinsett Highway (U.S. 276) and drive right into downtown from here. Just as vwsam said, it takes around 15 minutes total. It can take as long as 20 if you get caught in traffic (such as after Furman Football Games).

As Skyliner said, there is ample shopping and dining nearby; however, it's not a retail mecca by any means. It's a quiet suburban/rual community for the most part, yet T.R. is still developing into a much nicer city and will continue to do so.

There is plenty of housing here, too, in spite of the fact that vwsam and I literally live right next door to one another. And the housing costs run the spectrum, too.

[gs3]

Yeah, TR seemed to be really a place that fit. I love the mountains and 10-15 minutes is not bad at all. I appreciate all your responses. I really think I will be good and ready to push the button come early spring. I am excited about getting somewhere where the pace is a little slower and the quality of life is better. Folks in Greenville seem to really enjoy and celebrate life. I want to get to a place that feels like home and is community. Atlanta does not have that feeling. To each his own I guess.

BTW...I love the site. I stumbled upon it reading the online version of the Greenville News. I am in commercial construction with a major at Clemson in landscape architecture, so the topics are right up my alley. I look forward to visiting the site often. Thanks again.

[mystikwidow]

Hi everybody. My name is Tara, and my husband and I are planning on moving to the Greenville area after we're done with our terms in the Air Force. We are both currently Weather Forecasters for the USAF, and were wondering if there might be any jobs out there that we could use this experience in? He also has worked for Bank of America, and I worked for Raytheon, so if there aren't any weather type jobs there, we could always fall back on those.

Also, where is a good area to buy a home, as far as development? The last few times we've been up there (we live in AZ, his parents live in Simpsonville) we've seen that Greenville is developing nicely in the commerce areas, but we're not sure which residential areas are developing as well.

Sorry for all the talking! Thank you in advance for your answers!

~Tara

[gs3]

^

Hi Tara,

Welcome to UP and to Greenville!

For weather related jobs, I know Greenville has a regional office for NOAA as with most other decent sized cities. Not sure beyond that. Someone else can probably give you more insight. For your husband and banking jobs....Greenville is home to The South Financial Group, a top 50 bank in the US with headquarters in Greenville. They are starting construction in the next few months on a new headquarters campus and looking at adding around 600 jobs. If you've worked for Raytheon, you may want to check out Lockheed Martin, as they have a division based here.

On housing, you can't go wrong with the Northern Greenville County area. This area is really growing, it's close to the mountains, close to downtown and your dollar will buy you more than on the Eastside or in the Simpsonville area.

Again, welcome!

[Skyliner]

Hello Tara! I am glad you found us here.

One of our local television stations, WSPA-TV in Spartanburg, was recently looking for a Meteorologist, but whether that position has been filled or not, I cannot confirm. While the station is not located in Greenville, many of the employees live here and commute up I-85.

Since you have family in Simpsonville, that is a decent area to live, commute from, and raise a family, although traffic can be a bit heavier on the main roads in town. There are plenty of options around town, and new residential developments are commonplace nearly everywhere. Other places around suburban Greenville to check out would be, Travelers Rest, Greer, Powdersville, Easley, or Mauldin, which is bursting with new growth. The great thing about relocating here is that there are so many different options that you should have little or no trouble finding exactly what you want.

Hope to hear more from you.

[gs3]

Hey guys, I need help. Was just on the phone with someone considering a move to Greenville.....they have two kids.....7th grade and 10th grade (so I guess middle and high). They ask me about public schools here. Not having kids, I really couldn't answer. Which schools are considered the best? Is there a map of zones showing that if you live in a given area, your children attend a certain school? Recommendations? I'm kind of dumb to all this. Any help would be appreciated, as I'd like to get back to them.

[Skyliner]

I would check out the official website of Greenville County Schools for starters.

[Skyliner]

Here is a link to aerial photography of some of the recent construction. It can be helpful to anyone interested in seeing the schools for the first time.

[gs3]

I would check out the official website of Greenville County Schools for starters.

[Greenville]

Well that's it! Thank you!

Never been on this site....just checked it out...it list all the schools SATS, etc. I'll forward this to him and if he has questions, I may ask again. OR, I'll just give him the UP site info and encourage another new member.

[gs3]

^ Thanks Greenville.

[Spartan]

I would give the Dept. of Education website a look over as well. It ahs lots of information about schools, and you can access all of the report cards and stuff there.

[nutkitty]

Can anyone recommend any good apartment complexes? My lease runs out in May, and I really want to get out of the one I'm in. Too many kids running wild here, and I already have big scratches on my 2007 car.

I moved here from cross country and didn't get to see the apartment first - it was NOT as advertised. I'll never make that mistake again. The apartment is so run down, and I have to have constant repairs done. We were also told the building was only 15 years old. Yeah, maybe in 1960.

There was a big hit and run in the parking lot soon after I moved in which damaged a truck we were driving, and the cop told us the area had been opened up to section 8 housing, that there was a lot of crime, etc. too - ugh! "Luxury apartments", my arse. >.>

Edited January 7, 2007 by nutkitty

[jarvismj]

Can anyone recommend any good apartment complexes? My lease runs out in May, and I really want to get out of the one I'm in. Too many kids running wild here, and I already have big scratches on my 2007 car.

I moved here from cross country and didn't get to see the apartment first - it was NOT as advertised. I'll never make that mistake again. The apartment is so run down, and I have to have constant repairs done. We were also told the building was only 15 years old. Yeah, maybe in 1960.

There was a big hit and run in the parking lot soon after I moved in which damaged a truck we were driving, and the cop told us the area had been opened up to section 8 housing, that there was a lot of crime, etc. too - ugh! "Luxury apartments", my arse. >.>

[nutkitty]

Well, for starters, which complex is this "luxury complex"? I had lots of trouble with Oak Ridge at Pelham, being "luxury" but having tenants with meth addictions, and the accompanying crime that ensued only cemented the reasons to break my lease. The thing that I've learned is that for a good complex, you have to go somewhere where the kids and irresponsible type can't afford to live.

Edited January 7, 2007 by nutkitty

[cheryl]

Hey, Nutkitty, I'm from CA, moving to Greenville in a few months. Any advice on moving across country? I'm planning on just loading up my car with what it will hold and then buying things when I get there. I don't have all that much stuff: A mattress and box spring, a washer and dryer, some small antique pieces, but other than that. just some electronics that will fit in my car, and I found out I can ship some things via Amtrak, small boxes of unbreakables. So I figured it would cost more to move those few pieces of furniture than it would to buy new ones.

But as far as planning and timing and everything, it's kind of stressing me out. I guess you have to line something up before you leave as far as your living situation, but I don't want to end up in a bad place like you. I'm from Orange County, next to Los Angeles, and I have not had good luck with things I've tried to do on craigslist, whether it be finding a roommate or hiring a mover, etc. If I could get some personal recommendations, it would be much better.

Nutkitty, if you're living there already, aren't you able to find another place since you're already there and can drive around and check things out? Or maybe I didn't read your post clearly and misunderstood.

And jarvisj3, what about this McDaniel Heights? Is that an area of the city or the name of a compelx?

If anyone has advice about any of this, it would be most appreciated!

Cheryl