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I live in Southern California (born and raised) and am considering moving to Greenville SC. I love California but it is so expensive and too much traffic (7 miles is 35 min drive after 4pm). I'm just not down with working to just to barely be making enough to pay the bills. I've lived all over southern OC and in riverside county (Temecula winery area). Temecula is a lot slower pace compared to OC and San Diego but it's constantly growing to where there is constant road construction to widen roads due to rapid growth. So I'm looking for a little hidden gem and I'm thinking Greenville SC? Somewhere that's not too much of a shock. I have only visited Connecticut on the east coast, some feedback would be great!
I live in Southern California (born and raised) and am considering moving to Greenville SC. I love California but it is so expensive and too much traffic (7 miles is 35 min drive after 4pm). I'm just not down with working to just to barely be making enough to pay the bills. I've lived all over southern OC and in riverside county (Temecula winery area). Temecula is a lot slower pace compared to OC and San Diego but it's constantly growing to where there is constant road construction to widen roads due to rapid growth. So I'm looking for a little hidden gem and I'm thinking Greenville SC? Somewhere that's not too much of a shock. I have only visited Connecticut on the east coast, some feedback would be great!
Man, I miss the Temecula Pizza Kitchen and their pickled Jalapeno slaw; always put it on the Vanilla's Pugilist. Burbank here, btw. Been here almost 8 years and will never go back to SoCal except to visit family.
Hi Kelly, Im from San Diego and very much considering the same move! You are right about it being so expensive, I am thinking it just isnt worth it anymore. Plus with greenvilles booming automotive manufacturing industry its exactly where I want to be! I am hoping to visit in the next month or so.
I'm a native Californian who is also from San Diego and lived in Greenville for 10 years. We recently relocated to the Charlotte, NC area so I've got some insight about what Greenville is like compared to SoCal or Cali in general:
1. Be warned, this is the BIBLE BELT. Nearly everyone will ask you where you go to church on a regular basis. Coming from Cali where faith is a very private thing, I was quite surprised by this. If you are non-religious I recommend you tell them you "home church" and that usually ends the conversation nicely.
2. Greenville is definitely a slower pace and the people are very friendly. At first it will kind of freak you out when everyone starts a conversation with you. They really aren't going to mug you later, they are just that friendly.
3. The roads are AWFUL. That is not an exaggeration. There is no shoulder, no bike lane, no median. The streets and roads are quite narrow and it will take time to get used to. The neighborhoods rarely have sidewalks, which seemed like insanity to me, considering that CA has had them everywhere for about 50 years .
4. People are much more conservative and basically behind the times. I'm no bleeding liberal by a long shot, but if someone gay or unmarried had moved into my neighborhood, people would have had a heart attack. This is very traditional country and not what you would call "progressive". For instance, my kids still made "Indian Vests" during Thanksgiving one year. Can you imagine how that would have gone over in Cali? Someone would have filed a lawsuit for not using the term Native American.
5. Greenville is a small town, too small for my taste. We have enjoyed being closer to a large city and I didn't realize how much I missed it. The downtown is lovely, but there isn't much more than that.
6. Schools are hit or miss. Be careful. Greenville County is one of the largest districts in the nation and that makes it tough. The district is very much a "good ole boys" network and I am very happy to have my kids out of it. There are some good schools, mainly in Simpsonville, Greer and Mauldin.
7. The weather is very different. The seasons are gorgeous, but it will be much hotter/colder than you are used to in SoCal. Everyone asks me how I handle the humidity. You get used to it!
I know how you feel about escaping the rat race of CA. I could never go back there to live. It's too crazy now with too many problems. Greenville is not a bad place to live, but I would highly recommend you look in the Charlotte/Fort Mill area or the Raleigh Durham area. You will get great value for your housing dollar and a more progressive feel, with all of the Southern Charm.
Feel free to send me a private message with any questions. Best of luck to you and your family!
Whether you can find a "little hidden gem" that meets your needs in SC depends on your needs and expectations. Depending on what you do for a living, some towns will not offer you employment potential. Also, on what you mean by "little" and "hidden"; there aren't any places you won't find described around here.
Some places I'd suggest you might look at in addition to Greenville: Traveler's Rest, Beaufort, Summerville, some of the suburbs around Charleston. Outside of SC, you might look at Chapel Hill and Asheville in NC, and Charlottesville and Williamsburg in VA. Be aware that some of the areas like Greenville and Charleston are growing, and you can expect things like traffic problems to increase over time. There aren't any "gems" that only a handful of people know about.
Yeah, it's culturally, ethnically, and politically different. Take the South on its own terms and you'll be fine; don't expect to change it into a warmer version of Orange County because that isn't going to happen. Read about towns here in the forum, and plan a visit to get a feel for the places you think you're interested in.
First a few corrections........I would not classify Greenville's growth as booming. It is not growing anywhere on the scale of Charleston in SC....Vasily-they are very different. When looking at growth in SC, Greenville bounces around depending on the timeframe but does not lead the state and most often is behind Charleston, Columbia, Fort Mill, & Myrtle Beach. Traffic is not bad around town but the roads are terrible. Get insurance for your tires & rims if you move here, you will need it.
Will it be a shock to move here from SoCal........for most, yes. I would visit and spend time in and out of downtown. Most people live out of the downtown area so that is more of the reality of living in Greenville. Downtown is nice, very small but nice.
Break Down.....I have lived in both places and in no way is Greenville ANYTHING like Charlotte.......sorry, that is just flat wrong. The differences are a mile long but to the OP, it all depends on what you want. Some like the slow neo conservative lifestyle that Greenville provides. The few blocks of downtown are nice but outside of that, not much to see. Politically, this area is not diverse by any definition. Not sure what you like but they will vote out a Republican if he is not conservative enough....the area would be more of a tea party type crowd. If you like that, then you will like this area.
If you are looking just in SC, I would also look at the suburbs around Columbia. Columbia currently has over $1b in projects developing downtown and is a nice place to live.
I would stay away from places like Greer that surround Greenville.
To add on to another poster above, I would look at Fort Mill and Indian Land around Charlotte (on the SC side). On the NC side, Davidson is a great town north of the city. If you want to be in the city, there are a ton of options.
First a few corrections........I would not classify Greenville's growth as booming. It is not growing anywhere on the scale of Charleston in SC....Vasily-they are very different. When looking at growth in SC, Greenville bounces around depending on the timeframe but does not lead the state and most often is behind Charleston, Columbia, Fort Mill, & Myrtle Beach. Traffic is not bad around town but the roads are terrible. Get insurance for your tires & rims if you move here, you will need it.
Good to know. I lived in the Research Triangle area before I moved here 25 years ago, and one of my biggest concerns about that area now (and Charleston) is the rate of growth there. I didn't see the bad roads during my visit to Greenville last year, but I didn't get around as much as I would have liked.
Good to know. I lived in the Research Triangle area before I moved here 25 years ago, and one of my biggest concerns about that area now (and Charleston) is the rate of growth there. I didn't see the bad roads during my visit to Greenville last year, but I didn't get around as much as I would have liked.
Don't get me wrong, Greenville is growing, just not on the scale of Charleston. Fort Mill and Myrtle Beach consistently outgrow Greenville and depending on the year/timeframe Columbia grows faster (with a more balanced economy). But, for a lot of people, growth is more of an irritant so it depends on what one wants.
As for the roads, they are in poor shape. I don't think I85 has been touched since I left over a decade ago.
First a few corrections........I would not classify Greenville's growth as booming. It is not growing anywhere on the scale of Charleston in SC....Vasily-they are very different. When looking at growth in SC, Greenville bounces around depending on the timeframe but does not lead the state and most often is behind Charleston, Columbia, Fort Mill, & Myrtle Beach..
From someone like me who wants to work in automotive manufacturing, it seems to be growing quite well, but I can certainly understand that the economy as a whole is growing less than other places. Do you agree that the automotive manufacturing sector is doing well? I am basing my observations on the amount of job postings I see on craigslist, indeed etc.
Californians are used to roads not being touched for 15-20 years LOL
I live in Southern California (born and raised) and am considering moving to Greenville SC. I love California but it is so expensive and too much traffic (7 miles is 35 min drive after 4pm). I'm just not down with working to just to barely be making enough to pay the bills. I've lived all over southern OC and in riverside county (Temecula winery area). Temecula is a lot slower pace compared to OC and San Diego but it's constantly growing to where there is constant road construction to widen roads due to rapid growth. So I'm looking for a little hidden gem and I'm thinking Greenville SC? Somewhere that's not too much of a shock. I have only visited Connecticut on the east coast, some feedback would be great!
I can't agree with any of the above comments Kelly. That just means we all look at places with different eyes and needs. I love Greenville. Actually, I'm in Travelers Rest but spend entertainment time in Greenville - theater, dining, dancing, tennis.
I moved here 7 years ago from Banning, CA (a country town) and I grew up in Fallbrook. My Mom taught in Temecula many years ago. I know how it's grown.
Some people recommended suburbs of Columbia or locations near the beach over Greenville. I've talked to so many people from Columbia who would never move back. It and the beach are quite hot, quite level, and yes, growing fast. But Greenville is growing fast enough to have low unemployment. Maybe they think a town should grow overnight into a large city to be attractive. That doesn't attract me. I like the reasonable size of Greenville, the beauty of the downtown, and the nice people.
If you make friends in educated circles, with eclectic people who are professionals or at least have moved in from out of state (many here from the NorthEast and Florida and Michigan area) you aren't going to bump into the vocal "church" crowd much. I found it very rare to be asked about my religious affiliation. Once at a garage sale I remember. Maybe another one or 2 times in 7 years. Don't worry. I doubt you'll be shocked coming from Temecula.
And Greer (some say) to avoid? I think it's adorable. Great restaurants, nice neighborhoods. All it needs is a downtown Cineplex (which Simpsonville, a little town south of Greenville now has) and it will be a nice hangout for a lot of people.
It all depends on what level of activity and what types of activities and friends you need to feel comfortable. Greenville is only 20 miles from the Blue Ridge escarpment (North Carolina line) which is a fantastic region for hiking and kayaking. Not many areas of many states are this close to outdoor beauty and adventure without sitting right on the border of a national park!
Keep asking questions with specifics to learn more, and good luck.
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