Balanced review of Greenville, SC
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7/11/2021
I moved here in 2019 from the northeast. There are a lot of positives about living in the city of Greenville and there are negatives as well. Overall, I am mostly satisfied living here and hope my review will help others who are researching the best places to live.
First the positives. The City of Greenville has one of the nicest downtown areas that I have seen/experienced. The Falls Park on the Reedy is a beautiful place to walk, bike or just relax. It was very well planned out to be a part of the downtown area as well as linking Traveler's Rest and other areas (more extensions are planned). There are a ton of restaurants with a wide variety of food choices. There are lots of free outdoor events like festivals and concerts. There is an active, great arts scene. The weather is so much better than the northeast. Traffic is reasonable (the locals think it's terrible but apparently they've never seen Atlanta, NYC or Boston traffic). Real estate is much cheaper here. Overall the cost of living is less. There are a lot of people relocating here so if you want to make new friends (now that we are past the worst of COVID), it's possible to do so but you do have to make the effort. (Join Meetup groups, bookclubs, join a gym and talk to people, wave and say hello to your neighbors, join a church or clubs). I bought a house here in a mixed neighborhood and absolutely love it. I know my neighbors and everyone waves/says hello when you walk down the street or around the neighborhood. People are much friendlier in that regard than they are up north. I'm sure every neighborhood isn't like mine (the high-priced, snobby areas where everyone is locked inside their houses afraid of everyone) so be choosy about where you want to settle down. And you have to make the effort as well to say "hello" and get to know people.
Now for the negatives. I am a moderate/independent (don't belong to any political party and have voted for both Democrats and Republicans in the past but this current Republican/Trump-worshipping regime gives me nothing to be voting Republic for), so I knew I would not be comfortable with the current political climate here. While you will find more Democrats or moderates here than in the outskirts of the city, it is still very much "T-rump country". This is heavy Bible-belt and gun-toting country. (Personally I'm perplexed as to how one can be "Pro-Life and Pro-Gun" at the same time but we'll leave that discussion for another forum.). The education system is appalling except for perhaps a handful of schools or private ones. (I don't have children of school age but if I did, I would not have moved here.). Many people home-school their children who really shouldn't. Their level of education leaves much to be desired and the school system doesn't seem to take much interest in ensuring that home-schooled children are actually learning anything). There are daily news reports of people being shot/murdered, (not in the downtown area but in the outskirts). The most egregious was hearing about a 2 year old who had picked up a gun that was left lying around in the house and shot himself dead. Was ruled an accident and no further action was taken against the parents for being negligent, etc.. (WTH???). The roads are not maintained nor are they wide enough so there are many more fatal accidents here than in the northeast. I was really shocked by this when I first moved here but have become somewhat adjusted to it (I guess). I try not to drive too much or at night out on those "country" roads. The bugs here are ridiculously large and of varieties I'd not seen in the northeast. Lots of spiders and poisonous ones as well (Black Widow spiders). Regular treatments outside and around the house by an exterminator are mandatory here.) Lots of snakes here also, some poisonous. But there are many beneficial snakes as well, so you have to learn to differentiate. Fireworks are legal here and every ya-hoo around seems to be shooting them off all year long for no particular reason. July 4th and New Years are fine and to be expected, but Memorial Day? Every single Friday night? Random Tuesdays or Wednesdays? Enough already. There is an international airport (GSP) nearby but the number of places with direct flights to/from is quite limited compared to what I was used to in the northeast. COVID has limited my travels this past year and a half so it's not been a major issue, but it does mean that when friends/family will be visiting that they mostly will not be able to get a direct flight here. Same for going other places (obviously). Lastly, medical care here is just okay. I was used to the best-of-the-best up north so am a bit spoiled. Luckily I am quite healthy but if something major were to happen, I'd be going back north for treatment. You just won't find many doctors down here who graduated from the top medical schools. I think that about sums it up. Hope this helps someone decide whether Greenville, SC is for them.
Kate | Greenville, SC