Not ideal for raising a family.
-
3/19/2023
My wife and I were prospecting Greenville, looking for work and a place to raise our son and grow our family. There's nothing inherently wrong with Greenville. The people are very kind and if you're looking for work; they've got it. However, there were a numbers of pros and cons about the city and outlying areas.
Pros -
1. Plenty of work.
2. Wonderful weather most of the year.
3. Resources/amenities are in abundance.
4. Clemson is a short drive and has a beautiful campus.
Cons -
1. Salaries here are roughly 10-15% less than in the Midwest. While prices (especially on groceries) are 10-20% more.
2. There is no land available; at least not 1-4 acres for home plots. The ones that do exist are either heavily forested OR they are cleared and very expensive. In many places the land will be worth almost the value of the house if you can get some.
3. The driving is poor at best. Everyone is in a hurry and everybody is up your rear - all day - every day.
4. The city sprawl and opportunities have already brought in a lot of riff-raff from Atlanta and Columbia. There are numerous groups of young men that roam around all areas of the city (mainly the business districts and Haywood) looking for amusement. Most of them are not from Clemson. They cause a lot of problems with disturbances and assaults.
5. The worst aspect I must say, is the number of people living in the 25 mile radius of Greenville is insane. Roads are packed and trying to maneuver around town always seems to be a struggle.
Overall, the city and suburbs (like much of the east coast) are packed in like sardines. You can't drive down the state routes to Easly, Lyman, or Traveler's Rest without a car line up your rear and traffic ahead of you.
It's a nice place to stay for a few days and they quite a few unique and excellent restaurants. However, if you're looking to raise children here. Understand that they will be playing on a 0.1 acre lot in a densely packed city sprawl.
Rorik | Lancaster, OH