Commuting to Duncan (Greenville, Spartanburg, Easley: real estate, condos, houses)

[jimdc58]

Can anyone give me a perspective on living in either Greenville or Spartanburg and commuting to Duncan? Is this a difficult or long commute? Which city would be more convenient? Is it possible to commute from just about anywhere in either city in a reasonable amount of time?

I have visited, but not tried the drive during rush hour, and am trying to get an idea of what I am in for, if I accept the job I am considering.

[gvlgal]

Duncan is closer to Spartanburg than Greenville--about 8-10 miles from Spartanburg and and about 20-22 miles from Greenville. I work in downtown Greenville and I have a coworker who used to commute from Duncan. It would take her 30-35 minutes to get to work during rush hour. If I were you, I'd consider living in Greer somewhere accessible to I-85.

[Skyliner]

Duncan is very easily accessible from both cities via I-85. I have a friend who used to commute from Piedmont (miles south of Greenville) to the Cryovac building everyday before he retired. He never had a problem and agrees that it was well worth the extra minutes to live where he did. He worked at Adidas in Spartanburg after retiring from Cryovac in Duncan and still preferred the commute from the Greenville area. I frequently commute from Greenville to Spartanburg and wouldn't reconsider otherwise at this point (I had looked at the possibility of moving to Spartanburg, but couldn't find what I wanted there). I have several coworkers who live in Greenville and Greer and commute to Spartanburg because they prefer the lifestyle options here. It is a matter of preference, not really necessity at this point, though for some it may be a necessity to live in one city or the other.

[justNancy]

Am I imagining this, or do most people in the Greenville area feel that a 30 minute commute is a long way to drive? I guess it depends where you come from, but I lived in NH and drove to Boston all the time which was 45 miles from my home. It's not uncommon for people to commute a lot further if they work in NYC or areas of CA. We've all seen TV shows and movies where some people even take a ferry to get to the office. When I lived in MA I drove to the MBTA station and took the subway. (about an hour total) I now live in South Florida on the West Coast and most of the jobs are in Fort Myers, so I have to drive 25 miles, which often takes over an hour in traffic.

I'm not saying this is something I find desirable, just that when I read "it takes 35 minutes...." on this board, I get the feeling that's supposed to mean it's a long ride, but to me that's average.

[Skyliner]

Originally Posted by justNancy

Am I imagining this, or do most people in the Greenville area feel that a 30 minute commute is a long way to drive?...

...I'm not saying this is something I find desirable, just that when I read "it takes 35 minutes...." on this board, I get the feeling that's supposed to mean it's a long ride, but to me that's average.

I know what you mean, it does seem that way at times. I have known people in other cities who have a 1.5 hour commute daily and they tell me that is on a good day. I have driven up to 2 hours one way for a short term job in the past, but that was not too fun. I consider anything around an hour to an hour and a half from Greenville to be well worth the commute if you can afford the gas. Considering the amenities and daily lifestyle available in this city, I see no other options worth my consideration at this point in time. The only other possibility would be if I lived in the mountains instead of the city.

[justNancy]

Skyliner, another reason I thought of this is because I called a real estate agent last week and mentioned Easley and Pickens, and he immediately discouraged me. He said "that's too far out" but then mentioned that Piedmont is a developing community if I didn't mind the commute. That's one reason I get confused. He said if I choose to move to Easley to look at a community called Cardinal Woods, but from the web site I can already tell it's a little too expensive for me. I mentioned this before, so I don't want to sound like a broken record, but I can't understand why I see so many homes listed under $130K (even under $100K) and yet every real estate agent tells me there isn't anything nice in that price range or suggests I look at condos. I just need 2 bedrooms and I don't care if I move to an older home as long as it's not a fixer-upper.

[jimdc58]

Originally Posted by justNancy

Skyliner, another reason I thought of this is because I called a real estate agent last week and mentioned Easley and Pickens, and he immediately discouraged me. He said "that's too far out" but then mentioned that Piedmont is a developing community if I didn't mind the commute. That's one reason I get confused. He said if I choose to move to Easley to look at a community called Cardinal Woods, but from the web site I can already tell it's a little too expensive for me. I mentioned this before, so I don't want to sound like a broken record, but I can't understand why I see so many homes listed under $130K (even under $100K) and yet every real estate agent tells me there isn't anything nice in that price range or suggests I look at condos. I just need 2 bedrooms and I don't care if I move to an older home as long as it's not a fixer-upper.

Thanks to everyone for their replies.

Nancy...I'm in the same boat with you. I have no interest in a condo, and see lots of homes in my price range on the internet. I often wonder if the realtors just don't want to bother with those of us looking for houses under $150,000!!!!!!

[gsfan]

Nancy & Jim, I'm with ya regarding the older homes, 2 bedrooms is all I need plus I love the older ones. I don't mind one that needs a little TLC but do want one in a good/safe area. I've chatted with an agent who does understand what I'm looking for.
The thought of just a 30 minute commute in the Greenville area vs the Atlanta nightmares..I can't wait for everything to fall in place so I can make that run.