my two cents

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9/18/2009
If you're single or have school aged kids, I would not recommend moving to Greenville.
My husband and I moved to Greenville from Colorado when I accepted a job. The two years we spent there were very hard because we were treated like outsiders. Once I was even called a "Yankee" to my face! It was a common occurrence to see people driving around with confederate flags flying high.
A friend of mine had a daughter enrolled at the public high school who had a very tough time although she'd grown up in the area. Just going to school sounded dangerous. (She ended up quitting school and getting her GED.) Another friend who was a transplant to the area had a son who also went to the public high school and experienced difficulties. The impression I got was that if you wanted to get a decent education in an environment where they wouldn't be under threat of violence, it would be better to enroll your children in a private school.
One morning as I walking out door to go to work, I found a small piece of paper with excerpt from the Bible handwritten on it placed under our front door mat. I checked to see if any of my neighbors had been recipients of anything like that and no one had. My husband and I were not church goers, but apparently the quiet lifestyle we lived (monogamous couple with no kids who worked, enjoyed keeping fit, going to the movies on Saturdays, and hanging out at home mostly) had been deemed unacceptable by someone. It totally creeped us out.
I worked with some very nice local people, but also had the misfortune to work with a few that were anything but nice. (which I know is normal anywhere) I'd never seen a true "good ole boy" network in action until we moved to Greenville.
Economically, Greenville residents seemed to fall into one of two very distinct groups: the haves and the have nots.
If you must move to NC, I would recommend living near Raleigh or in Wilmington. Greenville, even though ECU is there, was more backwoods than I expected especially given the number of people that live there and that it was a university town.
Willy | Fountain Hills, AZ