Help!! Married Liberal New Yorkers Thinking Of Moving to Greenville!! (Columbia: appointed, transplants)

[moniker619]

Hello,

My husband and I are thinking of moving to Greenville sometime in late summer. We currently live in New York, New York and as much as it pains us to leave the city that we love, we are looking forward to having a children and neither of us has any interest in living in a tiny 1 bedroom apartment with a baby and our two cats. Greenville is an option high on our list for a number of reasons. My parents have lived there for a number of years and we have visited often, and liked most of what we saw (we were also married there). For job reasons, Greenville also is a good fit as my husband is a graphic designer and there aren't too many cities in the south that offer good opportunities for this field. I am an elementary teacher and so I can most likely find a job relatively easily.

We do have our concerns though. I was raised in Washington D.C. by very liberal parents, who were in some way or another involved in Democratic politics for most of my life. My husband, although less liberal than myself, is still fairly liberal. I have read some of these boards, and while the experiences all vary, we have read some accounts that paint Greenville as a very narrow minded city, while others have hailed it as a city full of diversity and we don't know what to think. We also are non-religious liberals that are so respecting of other's opinions and just want assurance that we will find the same in Greenville towards us.

We were wondering if there was any advice from youngish (late 20's, early 30's) people that moved there from relatively diverse and much larger cities than Greenville, such as NYC, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, or Boston. Anyone else with helpful advice, we would love to hear it as well!

Thanks so much!!

[Skyliner]

Hi moniker619!

This may help a bit. There are certainly quite a few hardcore liberals living here in Greenville, even if they are outnumbered. Greenville is home to the recently retired state Democratic party chairman, who is also owner of the state's largest (and rapidly growing) advertising agency located downtown.

[moniker619]

Skyliner,

Thanks for the reply. The company you are referring to is actually where my husband is hoping to work. Do you have any input as to the general feeling of Greenville, not strictly in terms of politics, but do you consider the Greenville area a tolerant and diverse enough bunch of folks

Any info is much appreciated!

[Skyliner]

I consider Greenville to be as tolerant a place as any, likely because of the large amount of international investment over the past few decades, and the influx of transplants from places across the nation within the past decade. There are many times in the city when I hear more Northern dialect than any other, though the local flavor is never completely lost.

[drewls]

I'm not a native and I'm in the process of moving down there from NY myself, but in my visits, I haven't found anyone being mean to liberals or running around ranting about things.

From your post, you seem like a very nice person, so I doubt you'd have anything to worry about. People in the area seem to respond in kind to nice people in spite of any differences.

Even if there were problems, they would pale in comparison to some of the problems a lowly, reviled, conservative such as myself who has dared to inhabit the Empire State, might have in NY. For instance, you won't be getting your car vandalized for having a Democrat bumper sticker.

Greenville is quite diverse, but in the true meaning of the word, meaning people who happen to be of different backgrounds and sometimes different skintones living in close proximity.

Besides the Republicans down there just voted for John McCain for God's sake! How conservative can they be?? lol

[southerngentleman]

Originally Posted by moniker619

Hello,

My husband and I are thinking of moving to Greenville sometime in late summer. We currently live in New York, New York and as much as it pains us to leave the city that we love, we are looking forward to having a children and neither of us has any interest in living in a tiny 1 bedroom apartment with a baby and our two cats. Greenville is an option high on our list for a number of reasons. My parents have lived there for a number of years and we have visited often, and liked most of what we saw (we were also married there). For job reasons, Greenville also is a good fit as my husband is a graphic designer and there aren't too many cities in the south that offer good opportunities for this field. I am an elementary teacher and so I can most likely find a job relatively easily.

We do have our concerns though. I was raised in Washington D.C. by very liberal parents, who were in some way or another involved in Democratic politics for most of my life. My husband, although less liberal than myself, is still fairly liberal. I have read some of these boards, and while the experiences all vary, we have read some accounts that paint Greenville as a very narrow minded city, while others have hailed it as a city full of diversity and we don't know what to think. We also are non-religious liberals that are so respecting of other's opinions and just want assurance that we will find the same in Greenville towards us.

We were wondering if there was any advice from youngish (late 20's, early 30's) people that moved there from relatively diverse and much larger cities than Greenville, such as NYC, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, or Boston. Anyone else with helpful advice, we would love to hear it as well!

Thanks so much!!

Your Parents live here,And they know you better than we do so what do they recomend. Most people are not very broad minded,and you will most often be asked where you go to church before any other question,but other than trying to convert you they will be polite.
Between My Wife and I we have lived in NYC,DC,Atlanta,South Florida,Boston,Seattle...We have a Small Son which was why we moved here.Living here is for some and not for others. If you like what you see when you vist,then that is prety much what you get!

[Skyliner]

I should think any true southern gentleman would have no problem with most of the people in the area.

[paullySC]

Originally Posted by moniker619

Hello,

My husband and I are thinking of moving to Greenville sometime in late summer. We currently live in New York, New York and as much as it pains us to leave the city that we love, we are looking forward to having a children and neither of us has any interest in living in a tiny 1 bedroom apartment with a baby and our two cats. Greenville is an option high on our list for a number of reasons. My parents have lived there for a number of years and we have visited often, and liked most of what we saw (we were also married there). For job reasons, Greenville also is a good fit as my husband is a graphic designer and there aren't too many cities in the south that offer good opportunities for this field. I am an elementary teacher and so I can most likely find a job relatively easily.

We do have our concerns though. I was raised in Washington D.C. by very liberal parents, who were in some way or another involved in Democratic politics for most of my life. My husband, although less liberal than myself, is still fairly liberal. I have read some of these boards, and while the experiences all vary, we have read some accounts that paint Greenville as a very narrow minded city, while others have hailed it as a city full of diversity and we don't know what to think. We also are non-religious liberals that are so respecting of other's opinions and just want assurance that we will find the same in Greenville towards us.

We were wondering if there was any advice from youngish (late 20's, early 30's) people that moved there from relatively diverse and much larger cities than Greenville, such as NYC, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, or Boston. Anyone else with helpful advice, we would love to hear it as well!

Thanks so much!!

I moved here from Trenton,NJ in 1994. I guess all I can say is as long as you understand it is a good big different, and are willing to accept that and treat people here with respect you'll be fine. There are def. some liberal people, but there are also some very conservative people. Personally, I love this place just the way it is. A few people I know were disappointed because it wasn't like living up north, and it's not like that. That's why I love it here.

[Nausikaa]

Originally Posted by drewls

I'm not a native and I'm in the process of moving down there from NY myself, but in my visits, I haven't found anyone being mean to liberals or running around ranting about things.

From your post, you seem like a very nice person, so I doubt you'd have anything to worry about. People in the area seem to respond in kind to nice people in spite of any differences.

Even if there were problems, they would pale in comparison to some of the problems a lowly, reviled, conservative such as myself who has dared to inhabit the Empire State, might have in NY. For instance, you won't be getting your car vandalized for having a Democrat bumper sticker.

Greenville is quite diverse, but in the true meaning of the word, meaning people who happen to be of different backgrounds and sometimes different skintones living in close proximity.





Besides the Republicans down there just voted for John McCain for God's sake! How conservative can they be?? lol

Greenville county voted for the evangelist preacher Huckabee. Don't confuse religious right Greenville with Charleston and Columbia.
After all, Greenville is the home of Bob Jones University. It is VERY much a Republican enclave.

[Art123]

We are Liberals who have recently moved here from the DC area, although we had barely lived there long enough to know the place well (2 years). The main thing we miss are the museums, the arboretums, music and other high-caliber cultural aspects of a large, world-class city. But there is some of that here as well.

The transition has been interesting. I live with my long-time girlfriend, but we are not married. Most everyone we meet assumes we are married, however, and greets us as "husband" and "wife." We are still adjusting to the area and the people, but the differences we have encountered are as much North v. South and West v East (We are really from Colorado) as they are conservative v liberal. People mention their church sometimes, waiting for my reply that never comes.

My biggest suggestion would be to live in the city of Greenville itself - North Main and Augusta Rd areas are nice. Our next-door neighbors are liberals; the husband is a professor at Furman University. Two doors down has a "Hillary" sign in the yard, as do several yards in our neighborhood (N. Main). The man across the street has a Mitt Romney sign in his yard and he doesn't say hello - an anomaly in these parts. Conservative, liberal or whatever, most everyone says hello and is friendly. I doubt that happens in NY. There are not a lot of kids on our block, but I would have no problem letting kids play in the streets in this neighborhood.

People sometimes "preach the gospel" loudly downtown, but that doesn't bother us. Most everything is closed on Sundays -which is a bit of a pain and probably hurts the local economy. And you'll hear Christian radio on in the waiting rooms of local businesses sometimes. I don't know how any of this manifests in the local schools as we have no children. Also, this neighborhood is nearly all white, with maybe an Asian guy down the street. The South is still surprisingly segregated.

Our new best friends here are hard-core fiscal, atheist conservatives, and we get along famously - enjoying the local restaurants and fine wines that they serve, with an occasional interesting and civil discussion about politics (they are from Minnesota originally). I went to see Senator Obama the other day (he was introduced by the former head of the SC Democratic Party that Skyliner mentioned) and came damn close to shaking his (Obama's) hand. The auditorium was packed.

As far as meeting any hostility, I am still not sure. I have an anti-Bush sticker on my car - which was hit with paintball pellets during the night. There was a brick on our front porch the other morning and our Buddha statue seems to have been the target. Probably just kids, but I've still got my eye on the unfriendly Romney guy across the street.