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Lots of good info here - keep it coming! I have visited CH/Durham area already. I have not been to Greenville yet, but I'm planning to visit both areas soon.
What about flights? I know that Charlotte is the biggest airport in the area, but if I did want to fly from the "local" airports, are there more flight options out of Greenville or Raleigh airports? (I'm sure it depends on where you are traveling to, but I'm trying to assess which area has more robust airport in general.)
GSP is located off I-85 in the suburbia between Greenville and Spartanburg...as a poster said before it is a lot slower than your other preferred area. They are doing quite an impressive overhaul of the building, however the flights are still less extensive and it is really expensive to fly out of there compared with other areas (they know their other competition requires you to drive a long way into either NC or GA).
Based on the criteria presented by the OP, I'd say it's a lot closer of a choice based solely on those criteria. But, the Chapel Hill area is a huge center of education, so that should probably be a big consideration. Otherwise, Greenville/the Upstate have the other items covered, including a large number of people who have moved here from other places.
Besides the education factor, Durham/Chapel Hill and Greenville have most stuff included in common, however I'll say there's two other areas that Durham/Chapel Hill takes the cake and eats it in Greenville's face on...
Infrastructure
The roads are better maintained there than here, and you'll also find less traffic and more highways and freeways that'll make it better to get around in by car. Also, walking is easier and transit is much better. Did you know Durham area is actually planning on building 51 miles of light rail transit soon? That's more miles of rail than Atlanta has! The area is also served by excellent bus service that runs twice as late as GreenLink, twice-three times as often in the hour, and everyday of the week...to more locations. Greenville has one of the biggest systems in SC and it pales in comparison.
2. Employment
The triangle is very diverse in it's workforce and pays better than here. Greenville has a good, strong manufacturing base and a few offices and other businesses, but Durham provides you with better diversity with the employment market and I believe their job market may be growing faster than ours. I also feel the diversity is better as far as people too, but maybe it's just me...a lot of people when they move here seem to adopt the Greenville mindset and after a while it's hard to tell they're not local anymore. Perhaps not everyone, but I just don't come across many people I get even a hunch they might be from anywhere else but born and raised here.
Everything else is mostly subjective and comes close between the two. I like Greenville's downtown, I like Durham and most of the triangle's downtowns. I feel the quality of life up there is better, most people around here seem to either like what's already here or coop. The OP said he/she is coming down to Greenville to visit and hopefully that'll give you some idea between the two. Just having visited the cities for a couple ideas can't tell you half what you need to know, but first impressions mean a lot.
it is really expensive to fly out of there compared with other areas (they know their other competition requires you to drive a long way into either NC or GA).
Correction: It used to be really expensive. While fares have crept up somewhat after Southwest's initial impact on fares, they're nowhere near their previous levels.
Correction: It used to be really expensive. While fares have crept up somewhat after Southwest's initial impact on fares, they're nowhere near their previous levels.
I don't care what they used to be...they are flat out expensive to fly out of. You can take a family of five by train to Atlanta or Charlotte cheaper than it is to fly one person out there.
I don't care what they used to be...they are flat out expensive to fly out of. You can take a family of five by train to Atlanta or Charlotte cheaper than it is to fly one person out there.
Greenville by far. I've lived in Raleigh...along with several big cities and my wife and I pro actively moved to Greenville. It is a special, special place. As the license plate says...nothing could be finer.
Greenville by far. I've lived in Raleigh...along with several big cities and my wife and I pro actively moved to Greenville. It is a special, special place. As the license plate says...nothing could be finer.
I am glad that you love having moved to Greenville, but could you describe what it is that makes Greenville a better choice over the Durham or Chapel Hill areas beyond just an opinion.
I am glad that you love having moved to Greenville, but could you describe what it is that makes Greenville a better choice over the Durham or Chapel Hill areas beyond just an opinion.
An "opinion" is all we non-experts have to offer...
An "opinion" is all we non-experts have to offer...
...I believe the difference is relatively clear.
On one side you could say, "Greenville is great! I wouldn't want to live anywhere else!" or "Durham has a lot of great features, I can't imagine anyone wanting to move into the upstate."
Or..."Greenville has (blank) which is really great, and if you enjoy (blank) or (blank) then you'll really love it here. Also, the (blank) tend to be really nice." or "Durham and Chapel Hill both have great (blank), which you should really consider."
On one side you could say, "Greenville is great! I wouldn't want to live anywhere else!" or "Durham has a lot of great features, I can't imagine anyone wanting to move into the upstate."
Or..."Greenville has (blank) which is really great, and if you enjoy (blank) or (blank) then you'll really love it here. Also, the (blank) tend to be really nice." or "Durham and Chapel Hill both have great (blank), which you should really consider."
Which do you think I'm referring to?
Not a clue. Just saying all you're going to get here is opinions, and an occasional nugget of Truth.
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