What is Greenville (& area) really like? (Greer, Simpsonville: appointed, transplants)

[radlife899]

I have so many questions for all of you Greenville residents? Sorry if there are too many. But, my husband and I are very close making a decision on moving with our two children to Greenville (Simpsonville area) from southeastern PA. Our main motivation is PA's long, freezing, bleak, snowy winters and a rash of negitive people in the north (PA, NJ, NY). Berks county PA is not really known as a friendly area and it is getting worse everyday (and crime levels are through the roof). Are people especially welcoming and friendly in upstate SC? That is a must for us! Also we are Christians and love everybody but we feel alone in our faith in our current community. Does Greenville have a higher than average Christian population? On to weather, is it as mild as you hear about on the web? PA is winter from about November until mid to late March, cold and dark. Is Greenville a sunny place most of that time of year and does it often dip below freezing? Also, what is the humidity like?
Two other questions if I could. Our main hang up on leaving PA is the beauty. We live on two acres up on a hill with an amazing view of farm fields, trees, mountians and one amazing sunset. Does upstate SC compare? Maybe better? All I see on the web is housing developments? And the final question how do allergy sufferer's fair in SC?
Thanks for all of your help. The decision is agonizing!!

[g-man430]

Yes, people here are very friendly. Don't be suprised if people start waving at you when driving through neighborhoods. That is one thing that makes Greenville's quality of life so high. I don't know about Greenville having a higher than average christian population, but it's definitely not low. It's fairly mild here. Summer usually has temps. in mid 80's-lower 90's. Spring and Fall are mid 60's-mid 70's. Winter is lower 50's. These are highs only. Winter and Fall are usually fairly dry here, while Spring and Summer can get fairly wet. The average low for Winter is around 30 degrees. Only in the winter time and maybe in the late fall/early spring is when you'll get temps below freezing at night time. Humidity can be fairly high here in the summer, seeing how it is the south, but it's not bad other times of the year. Does upstate SC compare to the beauty where you currently live? You better believe it. Mountains are just north of here and the views you will get in the fall are absolutely breathtaking. Many lakes and waterfalls too. You won't be disappointed in the beauty of the area. Allergies can get pretty bad here. Be sure to take your medicine if you have them.

[p2y2r7o]

Hey radlife, there are plenty of topics on this forum answering many of your questions! It may be helpful to use the search function. Not trying to be mean! Just saying many of the answers are already here. And check out the thread with pictures of Greenville,EDIT! I see that you already have!

[flgargoyle]

The area north and west of Greenville, such as Traveler's Rest, is hillier and more rural than the Simpsonville side, if that's what you like. As for churches, there are nearly as many houses as there are churches in SC. Very heavily Baptist, but in town there's just about everything. Winter weather? We visited the week after Christmas and the daffodils were out! Even having lived in FL for 27 years, SC winters are very mild. We have found people to be very friendly and courteous, something you don't see much anymore. We have property about 15 miles north of Greenville, and will be moving in a couple years. As nice as it is, you really should visit and drive all around the area before you commit. After that, if you don't like it, then it wasn't meant to be. In reading the forums, the successful transplants embrace the southern rural lifestyle and blend in, rather than complaining about how it's not like it was up north. Good luck!

[tony123]

I'm going to second the comments by flgargoyle. If hilly open countryside and views to the mountains are important to you, the choice is clearly for the northern half of the county. Travelers Rest, Blue Ridge, northern sections of Greer, Tigerville, Marietta, etc.

Simpsonville is slated to become the next mass suburbia of the area. If you're looking for proximity to shopping, restaurants, etc. and the traffic that goes with it, choose Simpsonville or the east side.

[bigT0BACC0]

Start packing. Greenville is in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains. Very beautiful. My parents met at PENN STATE and live in Greenville now. As far as Christians... well lets just say when we were younger, we used to call Greenville the buckle of the Bible Belt. Bob Jones University has the second largest collection of religious art in the world ( the pope has more)!

[g-vegas]

Let me first just say, it sounds like you have found the right place. Greenville is very friendly to relocating people. I have liver here my whole life, and the biggest thing I noticed when I went up north is, you wave at someone you dont know they get mad, here everyone waves at everyone. I am also a very strong Christian and there is definitely more Christians in Greenville than other places. Most stores dont open up on Sun. until after church, and close at 6, before church. The majority of church here are Bible Believing Baptists. Summer temps are 85-95, Winter 45-55, Spring/Fall is 65-75. The biggest problem in my opinion is the humidity. Normally the humidity is pretty high; however, this year we did not have any at all, because of the lack of rain. The biggest reason for this, is we have mountains surrounding Greenville and it keeps a real breeze from blowing the humidity out, but it only lasts during the hottest part of the summer. The flip side is, we have gorgeous mountains and beautiful views, and it is amazing. If you get a chance, look up the "Blue Ridge Parkway" on line, you'll love it. And on your last question, I have bad asthma and allergy, but have not needed my inhaler since I was diagnosed, so it should be OK. I really hope you choose this area, and good luck with your research.

[TRISH68]

My husband, teenage son and i are looking to leave northeast pa nd relocate to sc. I am partial to the greenville are because it still has hills and has rural areas. That is the area where we live now. The frigid winters and lack of job opportunitiy are fueling our decison to relocate. I am a ct/mri technologist and my spouse a new home construction foreman. Any ideas for decent paying jobs??? Can't wait to visit in the spring.

[jbar1]

Originally Posted by TRISH68

My husband, teenage son and i are looking to leave northeast pa nd relocate to sc. I am partial to the greenville are because it still has hills and has rural areas. That is the area where we live now. The frigid winters and lack of job opportunitiy are fueling our decison to relocate. I am a ct/mri technologist and my spouse a new home construction foreman. Any ideas for decent paying jobs??? Can't wait to visit in the spring.

Greenville Hospital just announced plans to hire 800 people. There are many homes being built all over Greenville.

[Studyin'2Show]

Originally Posted by g-man430

Yes, people here are very friendly. Don't be suprised if people start waving at you when driving through neighborhoods.

We lived there for almost a year 10 years ago and that was something we had to really get used to. When we first got there my hubby and I would look at each other with a dumbfounded "Do we know them?" look on our faces. That and walking up to the grocery store and having people speak to you like they are genuinely happy to see you. When we got back to Florida we had started doing it ourselves but people would stare at us blankly and keep walking. We'll be so happy to move back in June '09!