Why do most people choose Spartanburg over Greenville? (Piedmont, Pendleton: appointed, real estate market)

[justNancy]

All I really care about is convenience and safety. Woodruff & Moore seem to be very centrally located and the houses are reasonably priced. As a single woman, the #1 thing on my mind would be feeling secure in my own home. I also like very quiet places. I don't think just visiting or driving around is enough. I think someone has to live in a community to know if it's the right place for her/him.

[ShabbyChick]

We are thinking of leaving Northern Michigan, and have been looking into real estate in Spartanburg and Greenville. I found my dream house in Spartanburg, and at a great price! I just love it! It's a quaint, older, very charming home for our family of 6. It is hard to tell without visiting, though, which town is better for us. Maybe someone can steer us in a clear direction so we can proceed without having to make several trips down there, we'd rather take care of it all from up here, and be ready to move in right away. Also, please try to steer us to the safest parts of town. And how far is a drive to the ocean from either of these? My husband sells real estate, do realtors do well in these towns? If either of these towns are high in rapes, murders, gangs or drugs, please let us know about that, too.

What we are looking for:

A Charming downtown w/ town square, sidewalks & historic feel, not so much hustle and bustle, quiet neighborhoods, low crime, GOOD PAYING JOBS, mall is important but it doesn't have to be the biggest or newest. We don't care about nightclubs, bars, the latest "scene", or haute cuisine. We are very conservative Christians (Baptist). Want a bed-and-breakfast type town w/friendly people, good schools, not all subdivisions w/ cookie cutter houses and tiny yards, we love sprawling wooded lawns, not have to drive a long way to get to things. Farm markets and good grocery stores are important, too. That's all I can think of right now...a big thanks for your help!

[Carolina_1690]

Spartanburg has a lot to offer and is not a dying city. Anyone who would tell you that is flat out lying. The city is more alive today than it has been in quite some time, and is making great strides to improve its already excellent quality of life. In fact, Spartanburg was the only city in SC to make the list of top 25 places to move to from "Relocate-America." The major factors were Spartanburg's high quality of life, great schools, and low cost of living. Last year we were the ranked the best city to live in on Bert Sperling's list of great places to live (48th nationally). Reasons again were for our high quality of life, great schools, and low cost of living.

Now you can say what you want about Spartanburg, but a city just can't achieve rankings of any sort on national lists if it is not growing and not a good place to live.

Spartanburg has a steadily redeveloping downtown with a lot to offer including our beautiful new Cultural Center that opened late last year. Outside of downtown there are tons of new subdivisions going up all around town, and even the in town neighborhoods are starting to be redeveloped. I simply can't stress enough that SPARTANBURG IS NOT A DYING CITY.

Both Spartanburg and Greenville have their advantages, and there is only so much you can get from online message boards. Check it out for yourself. Greenville does have a lot to offer, but don't dismiss Spartanburg.

[Spartanburgh]

Hi ShabbyChic,
I have no doubt that you would love Spartanburg. Our city has a town square that is very historic, active, safe and attractive. The skyline is small, but dotted with church steeples of very active and growing churches that I'm sure you would feel welcome and at home in. The schools are outstanding, the neighborhoods vary from the older Mayberry type to new of all kinds. As mentioned before Spartanburg was the only City in SC to be ranked in the top 25 Cities in Relocate-America, 2007 Bert Sperling rated us The top in SC at #48, Greenville was # 99. This ranking is based on most of the criteria you mentioned. You may want to check out their website and read their comments as an independent professional analysis. This will give you an unbiased look. Spartanburg is the only SC city to receive Biketown USA designation.
Our mall is the second largest in the State, but I don't go there much so I can't tell you much about it. I know Costco and some others just opened new stores over there. We are about 3 hours to the Charleston area beaches and 30 minutes to the NC mountains. We have a North South Interstate I-85 (Atlanta to Charlotte) and an East-West Interstate I-26 (Asheville to Columbia/Charleston), with I-585 and Business I-85 making for easy travel and access.
I would like to ask you a question as well. Why are so many people moving here from Michigan? Michigan and Ohio people seem to be moving here in droves. Anyway, we welcome you and hope you choose Spartanburg as your new home. If you have any more specific questions, please ask.

[ShabbyChick]

Spartanburgh--Thanks so much for the info!

One thing we are very interested in is the job market in Spartanburg vs. Greenville. It is important that we live/work and have our church/private school all in the same town, and we have to consider pay scale. My husband is looking at a commercial loan officer (or similar) position, but would consider continuing his career in real estate, but only if the market down there is good and strong. The salaries for the loan officer position differ greatly in the two cities, and we wondered why? I don't mean to be offensive in any way when I ask this, but is Spartanburg more factory jobs, blue collar, lower income--and Greenville more banking and finance, medical professional, white collar, higher income? I just ask because the difference in pay scale that we found between the two cities was nearly $30,000 a year!

We are trying to decide between two houses, one is on Friar Tuck Road, and the other is on Brookgreen Court. Do you happen to know these areas at all, and if so, could you tell me which area best meets our desires, as listed in my first post? My dream house is the one on Brookgreen Court, but we want to make sure it's a good neighborhood.
Spartanburg sure sounds like it's what were looking for in terms of aesthetics, I think the job thing will be the deciding factor for us, though.

As for why so many are leaving Michigan...I can only answer for us. This state is experiencing something that can only be described as a slow, painful death for many people. The government nearly shut down twice this year. My husband is a Real Estate Broker, it's his family's business, and the government is killing business owners with all of the taxes. Gas prices here keep rising, housing is out of reach for most people so of course the real estate sales are reflecting that. I know it isn't only in Michigan. There is a housing crisis everywhere, due to the unscrupulous lending practices that are now forcing people out of their homes.

Besides that, we are really just looking to change direction, career wise, to get into warmer weather year round...my husband loves the mountians, we love the ocean, too! It has been my dream to move to S.C. for a long time. Maybe everyone else is feeling the same way!!!!

Thanks for all your help!

[ShabbyChick]

Originally Posted by sherri rc

Just wondering, thinking about moving to the area from michigan. It seems like more people talk about how great Spartanburg is. What are the differences between both towns?

Hi Sherri!
We are also from Michigan, and hoping to move to Spartanburg.

I am wondering, have you moved yet?

If not, did you find that you didn't care for the area?

And if you have moved, how do you like it? Did you move to Spartanburg or a different town? How are jobs and the economy?

Maybe you are still considering a move, can you tell me why you hesitate?

Please share your experiences, and whether you are happy with your decision.

Thanks so much for any advice!

[ShabbyChick]

We would also be interested in any towns between Spartanburg and Greenville, which are quiet, beautiful, charming and have affordable housing...just in case it is necessary to get a job in Greenville, but we don't want to live there, or commute from Spartanburg. Any suggestions??? Thanks so much!!!

[the 7 oh 4]

I am gonna give you an opinion from an Outsider who lives in Charlotte. And I don't have ties to either city. This is just what I observed.

Spartanburg seemed more like a mill town that was kinda dead but turning around. I am not bashing, just giving an opinion.

Greenville is more cosmopolitan, larger and is quite up and coming. Downtown Greenville is quite cute. Loved the cafe's on Main St.

If I had to move to the Upstate, it would be Greenville.

You even have Anderson on the otherside. Have only driven through on I-85 so can't give you an opinion about Anderson.

[ShabbyChick]

Originally Posted by the 7 oh 4

I am gonna give you an opinion from an Outsider who lives in Charlotte. And I don't have ties to either city. This is just what I observed.

Spartanburg seemed more like a mill town that was kinda dead but turning around. I am not bashing, just giving an opinion.

Greenville is more cosmopolitan, larger and is quite up and coming. Downtown Greenville is quite cute. Loved the cafe's on Main St.

If I had to move to the Upstate, it would be Greenville.

You even have Anderson on the otherside. Have only driven through on I-85 so can't give you an opinion about Anderson.

What is a "mill town"? I've read that Spartanburg is...run down. I've found that Greenville pays more for the same jobs, as Spartanburg.
Thanks for the info!

[JViello]

Originally Posted by ShabbyChick

What is a "mill town"? I've read that Spartanburg is...run down. I've found that Greenville pays more for the same jobs, as Spartanburg.
Thanks for the info!

Mill town - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia And from what I understand Spartanburg was/is a milltown. Nothing wrong with that, just stating facts.

Generally speaking, when one says "milltown" they mean a burnt out, once was place with empty factories and no economy. Not saying that's the case with Spartanburg, but they did lose a ton of textile manufacturing...again, just a fact as I know it.