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I have lived in Greenville, SC for about 6 years. The economy here is good and there are tons of restaurants, shops, and great schools in the area. There is not too much to say about Greenville that would be negative.
Since moving to the area, I have always loved Charleston, the beach, and Mt. Pleasant. I have a 6 year old and I already know the schools in Mt Pleasant are very good.
Here is my question, for those of you that are familiar with both cities, where would you live? I know that a lot of cities look enticing until you actually move there. Would you give up Greenville for Mt. Pleasant? My current position is a telecommute position so I would not have to worry about finding a job.
We are originally from New York and while I love Greenville, I think we can all agree there is a "bible belt" atmosphere that flows through the communities in Upstate SC. I am all for family values and morals -especially raising a child. Trust me, I would never want to raise my daughter in New York, however i also believe in accepting peoples differences.
To make it in this world, you must understand that people come from everywhere and are all not the same. In Greenville people stop and stare at anyone that is not dressed the same. Its really a bit too much. I know there is a lot of Charleston influence in Mt. Pleasant and that is why I have grown to love the city. So if anyone has an opinion I would love to read it. Thanks for your replies.
I love the beach and the mountains. I am not looking for a "free-love" style city like Asheville but more of a younger refreshing atmoshpere. Greenville can always be found as a top place to retire in AARP ya know. There is nothing wrong with that and maybe Mt Pleasant is the same but I am looking for peoples opinions of both cities.
Personally, I would choose Mt. Pleasant, but that is because I love the beach much more than I do the mountains.
However, you do have to be concerned about things like hurricanes living that close as you already know, and the cost of living is going to be higher there than it is in Greenville.
Charleston is definitely going to be more liberal than Greenville, but not by a lot as others as have said as you are still in the 'Bible belt' there.
And OleTomCat, Columbia is actually probably more liberal/Democratic than Charleston is don't you think? Richland County almost always votes majority Democratic while I'm pretty sure Charleston Co. is pro-Republican (some how Mark Sanford was elected in your district for example). [DISCLAIMER: I don't support either party and am Independent.] I realize Lexington County is very conservative so that kind of balances things out in our metro region.
Mt. Pleasant is probably more liberal than Greenville, but is more conservative than Charleston. Charleston proper is the most liberal city in the state. It's been my experience that if you are way outside the 'norm' people may stop and look. The question is what's the 'norm'. Most people here tend to be more laid back beachy, but there is a fair amount of yuppy here.
As a whole, most of the religious people I've met have been a 'I have my beliefs, you have yours, I'm not here to judge you, but I'm not going to back down from what I believe either'. Remember Mt. Pleasant was part of the district that re-elected Sanford if that puts things into perspective for you.
As OTC said, you should be fine. But, you tend to get what you're looking for. Come here expecting to find hate and oppression everywhere, and that's probably what you'll see. I have some very liberal friends that live in Mt. P. They do just fine and have a very happy social life with large groups of friends. But then, they don't base their friendship on politics.
And OleTomCat, Columbia is actually probably more liberal/Democratic than Charleston is don't you think? Richland County almost always votes majority Democratic while I'm pretty sure Charleston Co. is pro-Republican (some how Mark Sanford was elected in your district for example). [DISCLAIMER: I don't support either party and am Independent.] I realize Lexington County is very conservative so that kind of balances things out in our metro region.
Charleston has elected Joe Riley a Major Liberal Democrat for over 30 years, most of the town council is liberal, I live in Summerville so I don't get a vote for Charleston. Charleston county as a whole went to PBO in the last two elections
It is possible that the tourist and beach industry really influence Charleston communities as well. There are also a lot of colleges in the area too that gives the city a younger vibe.
Greenville has so many international businesses centered around it including BMW, Michelin, GE, Hubbell which really make it an interesting place to live too. I guess I am finding its just not a city that I can call home even after 6 years.
Tourists are good and bad. They congest the roadways and beaches, but pump vital money into the local economy. I've never really tried to put a label on the views of tourists as they are transient. They exist individually for such a short period of time. Downtown does have a large amount of colleges thus the city proper tending to be more liberal than the suburbs such as Mt. Pleasant.
Our beaches around Charleston don't allow alcohol so it's not the party scene that some of the FL beaches may be.
Charleston is really it's own vibe. It's something you have to experience. It's conservative and liberal. It's fully social (with all the good and bad that comes with that). It's history, fine dining, and a lot of focus on locally grown foods. It's not something that's easily put in a bottle and labeled. To me Charleston has always somehow been the last real essence of the genteel South by the sea.
What exactly are you really worried about? Are you the person these people are staring at because of the way you dress? The atmosphere here is going to be a little more laid back than Greenville, but it's not going to be substantial.. as a whole. I wouldn't base my move on that. I would look more at what things you like to do with your kids and compare the two based on that. We spend 80% of our time doing stuff outside work with the family.
Greenville hands down for one very important reason -- hurricanes. Also, I do prefer the mountains and while I like beaches just fine, I actually prefer Savannah more than Chucktown. If the question had been between Greenville or Savannah, that would take some serious thinking for to decide.
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