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We are contemplating a move to Greenville, and could really use some insight from transplants there. We've visited and it's a gorgeous area, looks like lots to do, a nice small city with culture, which we love. The concern is a consistent message about religion---people judge and treat you in a certain way based on your religion or lack thereof. Natives don't like the outsiders, and people in general aren't friendly, open, and welcoming. This is not how I envisioned a southern city! Do you find these things to be true? Any other thoughts on what you love/hate about Greenville and suburbs? I would really appreciate your thoughts!
My husband and I moved to Greenville last year from another (smaller) community. We are in our late 20s, no kids, and not religious at all. So far, we really enjoy it here - everyone has been nice and friendly, including our coworkers/people who are native to the area. I haven't had a problem with anyone pushing their religion onto me and neither has my husband. I do have coworkers who talk about church a lot, but its just because it is a large part of their life outside of work. Nothing more than that. They just talk about how they had choir practice, the youth group they help with, etc. I've been asked if I wanted to go to church maybe once since I've been here, but after I said 'no thanks', it hasn't been brought up again. No biggie. I'm not one to debate religion or politics with anyone though, so if you like to debate that often with people other than those you know well, maybe its an issue.
I'm sure that some people will push whatever system of beliefs onto you (happens everywhere, there are always some people like that where ever you go...met some pushy Scientologists in Denver once, different story there though) but I haven't experienced it yet and my husband's been here for a year, and I've been here for 10 months.
You may meet some people who aren't quite as open-minded if you live in one of the very rural towns (from what I've been told), but we live in Greenville and really love it so far.
Dislikes? Cookie-cutter suburbs - some people love them, good for them, not for us though. There are lots of them. But that is just a thing, and it is everywhere and not unique to this area. I miss my old favorite, regular BBQ joint in our hometown...but there are some really, really good ones here...thats about it. Woodruff Road traffic on a Saturday is a bear, but that is just a choice you make by heading that way on the weekend. Eh, nothing else so far that we dislike. We like it here a lot.
The above post is very good. Religion is big here; I actually changed offices because of it. However, people are really friendly here; haven't had any issues with people being judgmental or unwelcoming. We moved here becuase of some of the same reasons you are thinking of- nice small city, easy to get around, enough culture for the most part, beautiful downtown, and proximity to the mountains.
We didn't want the suburban lifestyle anymore and I knew I would be going downtown a lot so we moved relatively close to downtown.
I am a transplant who moved here from FL but grew up in PA. It took some adjusting when we moved here. It took longer to meet friends here than FL but it did happen. There are friendly people here and some not so friendly like anywhere else. Some people tend to keep to themselves but that doesn't mean they aren't friendly. It just takes time for them to warm up to you. You may have to be the one to start the conversation. Some people are just not as outgoing and are stand offish. Our neighbors wave when they drive by. Once you frequent certain places, you will meet friends. Is this the friendliest place I've ever moved to? No, but people are friendly enough. (If that makes sense) Don't worry
As for the religion thing, yes it is present here. People don't push it on me but they will mention it. They will ask you where you go to church. They will also ask you if you believe in god and faith. They will invite you to their church as well. That is about as far as it goes. Many people go to church here. I don't feel they judge you on your choice of religion or lack of.
Do we like it here? Yes, we do. We love downtown and definitely it is a place to visit when you come here. We like all the festivals, live music, events and proximity to the mountains. The COL is very reasonable and houses are inexpensive. Sometimes, if you move to a cheaper place, you have to sacrifice some things......NOT here. Would I recommend Greenville to anyone? Yes, for sure It's the perfect size for us. It's close to Charlotte and Atlanta if you want a bigger city.
The cons: The allergies are bad here. I like four seasons but don't care for the cold in the winter but it's short lived. The rest of the year is wonderful.
I tried to be as honest as I could with my experiences and I hope this helps.
We are contemplating a move to Greenville, and could really use some insight from transplants there. We've visited and it's a gorgeous area, looks like lots to do, a nice small city with culture, which we love. The concern is a consistent message about religion---people judge and treat you in a certain way based on your religion or lack thereof. Natives don't like the outsiders, and people in general aren't friendly, open, and welcoming. This is not how I envisioned a southern city! Do you find these things to be true? Any other thoughts on what you love/hate about Greenville and suburbs? I would really appreciate your thoughts!
There's nothing I "hate" about this area, and as a family we're doing very well. Both my wife and I are gainfully employed in jobs we enjoy, working for good people. She's from Columbia, I'm from Rochester, NY. We live on the edge of Traveler's Rest, mere minutes from downtown and our jobs.
People are curious as to why I'd want to live here, and I'm sure other Northern transplants are asked about it, as well. The Upstate has a good mix of locals, Southerners who are transplants, Northerners, and some foreigners who have settled here. I guess I've assimilated, well Really haven't encountered any hostility. There's a strong evangelical vibe across the region, but that's part of the local culture, and true of much of South Carolina. I tell people I grew up Catholic, and usually that either A) Invites some form or another of appreciation or whatever, or B) It ends the conversation I'm respectful of others' beliefs, and I expect others to respect mine (I no longer consider myself a Catholic).
It's easy for me to see why some people might feel like they're a fish out of water, here, but like where I'm from Greenville is a 'working town', people here work and are just trying to get through life, which includes enjoying life, which people here are very good at doing. If we feel like heading out of town for a weekend, there are any number of places within a 2-3 hour drive from here to head to, and have fun. Most of the time we hang out closer to home, and areas outside of Greenville remind me of Upstate, NY, and parts of PA. Farmer's markets during certain seasons, quiet countryside, nice people, etc. You can't beat the areas along the state line, both states offer beautiful views and places and parks to hang out. Going the other way, we'll head to Fountain Inn for a meal or ice cream if we're close by. It's a laid back area and lifestyle, really, I had to slow down when we moved to SC, and am glad we made the move.
We are contemplating a move to Greenville, and could really use some insight from transplants there. We've visited and it's a gorgeous area, looks like lots to do, a nice small city with culture, which we love. The concern is a consistent message about religion---people judge and treat you in a certain way based on your religion or lack thereof. Natives don't like the outsiders, and people in general aren't friendly, open, and welcoming. This is not how I envisioned a southern city! Do you find these things to be true? Any other thoughts on what you love/hate about Greenville and suburbs? I would really appreciate your thoughts!
Remember Greenville is the buckle of the Bible Belt. Everyone's experience will be different. Some will love it as it is very nice there & affordable. Some will hate it.
This is just one person's experience, but my wife and I moved to Simpsonville from the San Francisco area in January. We love it, though she is talking about a weekend trip to New York to "remember what a city feels like"!
After researching I told her that in San Francisco people think we're stupid for being Christian; in the South we'd probably be called evil for being the wrong type of Christian. But on the whole it just does not seem to come up. People talk about their church in passing, but only one ever asked about ours. Most people here are nice and take pride in being civil to strangers. The take more time to enjoy life, and ask "why do you like it here more than San Francisco." That's easily answered, starting with "no 2 to 3 hour commutes each way to the office ..."
To be fair: the wife and I work at home. So mostly we meet people when we actively seek them out. That will bias my opinion. But we do make a strong effort to meet people, having joined local meetup groups we are interested in, going to fairs and other events, and trying to be very talkative.
Visit, if you can, and form your own opinion. May is a great time -- Artisphere is a good art festival; the weather should be great; and I hear there are free Thursday night concerts downtown. We visited family here for 2 years before committing to moving.
Last edited by Hofstader; 03-25-2015 at 05:33 AM..
If part of your relo search is for a truly "Southern" town, just realize that Greenville is different from historically Southern cities. It is rather an (Appalachian) "Mountain" town in terms of its people and culture. Figuring this out a few years ago cleared up some confusion about this area of the country for me. You can really see it in the politics and religion. It is more comparable to Tennessee, Western NC, West Virginia, etc. culture than most of the rest of Southeast US.
That's the part that bugs me about living here currently, as I have really felt more comfortable and "at home" in the cultures of Raleigh, Charlotte, Charleston, or Savannah much more so than here in Greenville.
Just my opinion, I know people in this area don't take kindly to any type of criticism of their region, so not meaning to be critical, just want to help the OP in their decision.
We are contemplating a move to Greenville, and could really use some insight from transplants there. We've visited and it's a gorgeous area, looks like lots to do, a nice small city with culture, which we love. The concern is a consistent message about religion---people judge and treat you in a certain way based on your religion or lack thereof. Natives don't like the outsiders, and people in general aren't friendly, open, and welcoming. This is not how I envisioned a southern city! Do you find these things to be true? Any other thoughts on what you love/hate about Greenville and suburbs? I would really appreciate your thoughts!
I moved here from Orlando ~8 years ago. I'm an Atheist and so is my wife. I don't go around shouting it on the rooftops or anything (because to be honest religion or the lack thereof really isn't important to me at all) but I hardly ever even hear people talking about religion around here, our neighbors have never mentioned it (and we know almost everyone in the neighborhood), nobody at my office talks about it (and I'm pretty sure I work with quite a few atheists), etc. It really isn't that big of a deal. I think as far as SC goes, the upstate is the least religious area (obviously there are still tons of churches here and tons of religious people but in my personal opinion not being religious won't affect you at all here).
If part of your relo search is for a truly "Southern" town, just realize that Greenville is different from historically Southern cities. It is rather an (Appalachian) "Mountain" town in terms of its people and culture. Figuring this out a few years ago cleared up some confusion about this area of the country for me. You can really see it in the politics and religion. It is more comparable to Tennessee, Western NC, West Virginia, etc. culture than most of the rest of Southeast US.
That's the part that bugs me about living here currently, as I have really felt more comfortable and "at home" in the cultures of Raleigh, Charlotte, Charleston, or Savannah much more so than here in Greenville.
Just my opinion, I know people in this area don't take kindly to any type of criticism of their region, so not meaning to be critical, just want to help the OP in their decision.
That criticism probably has more to do with who it is than the criticism itself. If you live to criticize the area on here, people are going to call it out. If you make opinion as you just did without constantly beating it in, people on here accept it and move forward. I accept that the area isn't for everyone, but it works for me.
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It's close to Charlotte and Atlanta if you want a bigger city. 
Really haven't encountered any hostility. There's a strong evangelical vibe across the region, but that's part of the local culture, and true of much of South Carolina. I tell people I grew up Catholic, and usually that either A) Invites some form or another of appreciation or whatever, or B) It ends the conversation 
