relocating to the beautiful south (Greenville, Spartanburg: sales, low crime, high school)

[Greenville]

JViello, I don't know who was mean to you in Greenville, but it is unfortunate that you regret your trip. With that said, I don't think anyone here is upset by the fact that you don't care for it. There are thousands of people who visit Greenville each year who fall in love with it. Our city is appealing to most people, and you happen to be an outlier. No problem.

You said that "this isn't about Connecticut," and you're right. Unfortunately, you brought CT into the conversation in an earlier post by talking about how much better it is than Greenville. Don't blame others for mentioning CT in their responses.

I have been to CT. I saw Greenwich, Norwalk, and New Haven. Aside from a few blocks in Greenwich, I wasn't impressed. The difference between us is that I don't go to the Connecticut forum talking about how old CT is, how lifeless people were, or how CT seemed like a bunch of small towns stuck in the 1940s. I also don't go to the New Haven forum to state how unhappy people were, how poverty stricken people seemed to be, or how dead the downtown area of New Haven was. No, I don't take the time to post such things there. Unlike you, I have the perspective to know that I might have missed some good aspects of those areas of CT on my trip. I also have the maturity to refrain from going to another city's forum to tell them how horrible their city is or suggest places I think are better. What would that accomplish? About as much as your posts in this forum have accomplished (hint: nothing).

FYI, before you lump me into the category of a dumb Southerner who has never lived anywhere else, I have lived in DC, Boston, and other cities in the South. Greenville is my favorite. To each his own.

[Skyliner]

Originally Posted by JViello

If you came here and pointed out the desparity of rich and poor, the problems we have in our inner cities, the high taxes and government employee legacy costs etc.

I would say you were being realistic.

I have little doubt that much more can be discovered as undesirable there. Of course, it would take much longer than a few days of driving around in my car to receive a true knowledge of your area before I could adequately formulate much objective criticism.

Originally Posted by JViello

I'm being a realist and not ignoring the bad parts and just showing the good parts of Greenville.

Is it "being a realist" to write off an entire city and region for the simple reason that it has a few negative elements? That is completely absurd because there is no place on the planet free of negative elements, especially if people live there.

Originally Posted by JViello

I guess if you live in a 400K condo on Main street and only spend time around Reedy Falls Park and Main Street, yea it's great.

Although this statement is probably true for those who may actually live that way, your implied assumption is entirely incorrect. I do not live in a $400k condo on Main Street and yet I am very, very content living here. Yeah, Greenville's great nonetheless!

Originally Posted by JViello

You go even a few blocks off Main Street and it's very poor run down small homes from the textile days. Head further out and it's 4 lane blvd with steel building transmission shops etc next to the latest cookie cutter subdivisions and a weird mix of development. Was I imagining the things I saw? Was my wife also some unrealistic snob when she kindly said "I don't like it here because of XYZ" and it was exactly what I was seeing.

You base everything on a very brief drive-thru tour of older mill neighborhoods, which look similar in most cities. You would probably be surprised by how sturdy those homes are. There are many more well established neighborhoods in town filled with older homes on quiet streets off the beaten path. Being a realist, you would have to acknowledge the tremendous effort given by our local leaders in focusing on revitalization in the blighted areas. You would have to admit that most of the inner portion of the city was at one point not long ago considered "dead" by many, yet because of the visionary leadership and sacrificial work of more than a few key individuals, Greenville has become a well documented example of urban renewal for cities across the nation. Of course there are imperfections and have been hiccups along the way, but that same spirit of forward-thinking determination is alive and well today, steadily driving this place to higher levels of excellence.

Regarding the suburban areas, I don't see how they are much different than the suburban areas around most growing southern cities, including Charlotte and Atlanta - except that those larger cities have more sprawling suburban areas.

Originally Posted by JViello

When I took her to Charlotte and showed her around and it was IMO another world were we both just homesick for someplace she never lived?

No, it's called being objective.

The key "words" in that statement are "IMO" ("In My Opinion"). Opinions often throw objectivity out the window and yours is no exception.

Originally Posted by JViello

Why am I posting these things? Perhaps to bring balance to the fanboy club you seem to have on this forum that ignores the reality that surrounds you.

The reality is that people post helpful information on this forum so that others reading will have a bit more reason to visit and make decisions based on their own person preferences and experiences. Nobody is trying to brainwash people into thinking something that is not true. If someone expects perfection, then that is the product of their own misconception. The reality is that some of us who regularly post this helpful information live here everyday and have lived here for many years, having built a solid bank of knowledge and personal experience about the area, which carries countless more weight than the minuscule knowledge and experience gained during a three-day drive-thru tour.

[Mjames]

Originally Posted by nixon13

hello everyone.
oh, and also is there any baseball in the greenville area.

Hello nixon13;

It looks like your thread got off track a bit, so I'll try to answer at least one of your questions about baseball in the Greenville area. The Greenville Drive (greenvilledrive.com: Home) minor league baseball team plays in Greenville.

As far as things I like about my community, I live in the Fountain Inn/Simpsonville area of Greenville County. I really like the fact I can find all the stores I need for groceries, clothes, home and garden supplies, etc. within a few minutes of my home on Fairview Rd. It is very convenient. I can also quickly reach less developed areas in a few minutes with great scenery and no congestion. For me it is very relaxing and enjoyable. I'm an avid bass fisherman as well and I can leave my house and an hour later be fishing from my boat on Lake Hartwell. This lake is in both SC and GA and is huge.

I am a native Californian and that state will always have a special place in my heart. However, the Greenville area is now my home and I love it and do not regret my decision to relocate here. Like others who have posted on this thread, I am very well travelled (both in the U.S., Europe, and Asia). Plus, I've lived in other parts of the U.S. and Germany both as a child and an adult.

Good luck with your decision and make sure you visit any area you are interested in at least a few times before you relocate there.

[ga2email]

Here are my answers to jviello:

Are there Greenville fanboys on this messageboard? - Yes

Is greenville a nice city? - Yes

Have I lived in many places? - No

Is the majority of the city and its outlying areas poor? - No

Are there tons of tacky sub divisions? - Yes

I believe jviello is keeping it real and not sugar coating it. I appreciate that!

I personally love Greenville, but I fall into a cagegory of people that jviello spoke about. The group of people that don't know any better. I've only lived in South Florida which was a dump IMO.

[nixon13]

thanks everyone! keep em coming.

[LadyRo]

No, you were not imagining the things you saw. A lot of places here are exactly as you described and the truth hurts for some people. This "East Side" that everybody is so crazy about is new - as recently as 10-12 years ago the area was nothing but huge tracts of woods - so of course it's going to be prettier and fancier than the "West Side", which is the older part of the city and at one time WAS the city.

But, I can honestly say that things are changing for the better. Everything takes time, and the infusion of "new blood" is (IMHO) great for the city (but I'm disturbed by this "us vs them" vibe I'm feeling from some of the newcomers). Change also takes money, so it also makes sense that the areas that will attract companies to move here, and send their people here, will be built up first. Get the companies here and use the resulting revenue for more renovation and development. It's the cost of doing business.

I was born and raised here and Greenville used to be MUCH MUCH worse (except, of course, for the rich who could stay in their own little Utopian enclaves). I see the changes and only pray that they continue and eventually start making their way into the older parts of the city. I just hope the people living in these blighted areas will be given a chance to retrain so they can find a place in what is going to be a very different Greenville than the one we grew up in. It was bad for poor people (regardless of color), and a lot of people lost hope and gave up, and now have to be convinced that things are different and their lives can be better. Everybody is going to have to do their part, but getting the past disenfranchised on board is a challenge.

Originally Posted by JViello

I guess if you live in a 400K condo on Main street and only spend time around Reedy Falls Park and Main Street, yea it's great.

You go even a few blocks off Main Street and it's very poor run down small homes from the textile days. Head further out and it's 4 lane blvd with steel building transmission shops etc next to the latest cookie cutter subdivisions and a weird mix of development. Was I imagining the things I saw?

[JViello]

Originally Posted by LadyRo

No, you were not imagining the things you saw. A lot of places here are exactly as you described and the truth hurts for some people. This "East Side" that everybody is so crazy about is new - as recently as 10-12 years ago the area was nothing but huge tracts of woods - so of course it's going to be prettier and fancier than the "West Side", which is the older part of the city and at one time WAS the city.

But, I can honestly say that things are changing for the better. Everything takes time, and the infusion of "new blood" is (IMHO) great for the city (but I'm disturbed by this "us vs them" vibe I'm feeling from some of the newcomers). Change also takes money, so it also makes sense that the areas that will attract companies to move here, and send their people here, will be built up first. Get the companies here and use the resulting revenue for more renovation and development. It's the cost of doing business.

I was born and raised here and Greenville used to be MUCH MUCH worse (except, of course, for the rich who could stay in their own little Utopian enclaves). I see the changes and only pray that they continue and eventually start making their way into the older parts of the city. I just hope the people living in these blighted areas will be given a chance to retrain so they can find a place in what is going to be a very different Greenville than the one we grew up in. It was bad for poor people (regardless of color), and a lot of people lost hope and gave up, and now have to be convinced that things are different and their lives can be better. Everybody is going to have to do their part, but getting the past disenfranchised on board is a challenge.

Thanks for the honest transparent reply. I wish you were around when I was getting the boosterism speech.

I do agree that the city seems to be making some good strides. I see that. What I fail to see is the folks around here addressing the reality that smacks you in the face when you are there that all is not well. The pictures shown are very selective.

[Greenville]

Originally Posted by JViello

What I fail to see is the folks around here addressing the reality that smacks you in the face when you are there that all is not well.

I am not sure what you saw, but the true reality is that Greenville is a growing, progressive, and diverse mid-size metro which has made amazing progress over the last 15-20 years. That progress was made because area leaders and citizens addressed problems head-on and worked hard to improve things. You are assuming that people "around here" are in some sort of denial, when in reality they are part of the group who has changed (and continues to change) Greenville for the better.

Nobody said Greenville was perfect, but for many people it is close to it. If you happen to disagree, that's your right. But your insistence on trying to convince everyone on this forum otherwise is not productive.

Originally Posted by JViello

The pictures shown are very selective.

Of course they are selective! I think most people (you being the obvious exception), realize that pictures of an area are a small sampling of what you will find. The pictures chosen are almost always the best areas, as nobody wants to look at pictures of slums, poverty, etc. Did you really think that all of the pictures posted were all-inclusive as well as representative of the entire area?!? Greenville County (the most populated county in the state) is over 400,000, and the metro area is much larger than that. It would take a lot of picture threads and many man hours to photograph every square foot of the area. It just isn't possible, and just about everyone seems to realize that.

I think you probably realize it as well. But instead of simply deciding that the area is not exactly what you want, you choose to blame people who post on a message board for misleading you and causing you to waste your time and money. That's weak, man.

[MichelleEllyn]

Originally Posted by JViello

Thanks for the honest transparent reply. I wish you were around when I was getting the boosterism speech.

I do agree that the city seems to be making some good strides. I see that. What I fail to see is the folks around here addressing the reality that smacks you in the face when you are there that all is not well. The pictures shown are very selective.

Greenville, SC is not the only place that publishes pictures of the nicer parts of the city for websites, brochures, etc.
If you look at any other City's website or visitor's bureau, it's the same way.
Miami doesn't post pictures of the ghetto slums to show what their city is about; they show the parts that are clean, fun, and productive.

It's just the way it goes. Greenville isn't some evil misleading corporation any more than any other place you check out.

[JViello]

When I say selective, I don't mean just the "ghetto's." I'm talking about the REAL Greenville, and not just "main street" and a few new bling neighborhoods and the ONE new Shopping center that are taken over and over from different angles and perspectives to make the place seem like it's not.

BTW We do post the "bad" pictures too on the CT forum as it's just being honest about what's here.

City Data is not the Chamber of Commerce or State Tourism Office. It's for real people looking for real information about a possible life move/change.