thinking of moving to Greenville (Simpsonville, Hampton: fit in, insurance, home)

[Chele91]

Hello all,

My husband and I are thinking of moving to Greenville and would like your comments and honest opinions of the economic conditions in Greenville at present. We are living in Michigan and things are not well here, although I have not lost my job, many, many others have.

We have been thinking of moving to the sun belt for the past two years and have considered Hickory, NC, Johnson City, TN and Bowling Green, KY but Greenville is the most beautiful and progressive city by far. We have drooled over the pictures posted by Skyliner and others and it reminds us so much of our beloved Holland, MI only on a much bigger scale.

The big question is whether its going to be possible to find employment in Greenville. I'm a receptionist, accounts payable/receivable, office assistant person with 25 years experience.

Have forclosures been a huge problem in the area?

[Kkirch123]

The economy has def. hurt things in this area. I would say not as bad as other places. There are still places hiring just many people going for a job. Lots of the plants have laid off causing more people to look. I do think you would lovew the area. Not to pick on it but we too looked at Johnson City TN and it did not feel like home there. The people seemed different then when we came here. Of course no where is perfect, but we would not leave.

[Chele91]

Thank you for the info, we are looking forward to a visit to Greenville soon and need to gather info so that if the opportunity to sell our home comes up we can quickly make the best plans to move or stay where we are.

[Rapunzll]

I recently moved from MI and I love it here, but I would say, you might be better off waiting a bit since you do have a job right now. Greenville isn't going anywhere, and although Holland is certainly not doing as bad as SE MI is, the move would be pretty risky.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by Chele91

Hello all,

My husband and I are thinking of moving to Greenville and would like your comments and honest opinions of the economic conditions in Greenville at present. We are living in Michigan and things are not well here, although I have not lost my job, many, many others have.

We have been thinking of moving to the sun belt for the past two years and have considered Hickory, NC, Johnson City, TN and Bowling Green, KY but Greenville is the most beautiful and progressive city by far. We have drooled over the pictures posted by Skyliner and others and it reminds us so much of our beloved Holland, MI only on a much bigger scale.

The big question is whether its going to be possible to find employment in Greenville. I'm a receptionist, accounts payable/receivable, office assistant person with 25 years experience.

Have forclosures been a huge problem in the area?

Please, PLEASE do yourself a favor and visit before settling on Greenville, and realize the photos represent a small portion of the area as a whole. I dragged my family all the way down there to find that it's much smaller and not quite what the pictures lead you to believe for every day living.

This is more what you can expect outside of the "bling spots" that are a very minor piece of the city IMO.





I personally prefer Greensboro NC and/or the Triad as a whole.

Check out the discussion about this in these threads:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/green...l-south-5.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/green...nville-sc.html

[gsupstate]

Originally Posted by Chele91

Hello all,

My husband and I are thinking of moving to Greenville and would like your comments and honest opinions of the economic conditions in Greenville at present. We are living in Michigan and things are not well here, although I have not lost my job, many, many others have.

We have been thinking of moving to the sun belt for the past two years and have considered Hickory, NC, Johnson City, TN and Bowling Green, KY but Greenville is the most beautiful and progressive city by far. We have drooled over the pictures posted by Skyliner and others and it reminds us so much of our beloved Holland, MI only on a much bigger scale.

The big question is whether its going to be possible to find employment in Greenville. I'm a receptionist, accounts payable/receivable, office assistant person with 25 years experience.

Have forclosures been a huge problem in the area?

Please do check out Greenville and you'll be pleasantly surprised. I lived in Dallas, Pittsburgh and Atlanta prior to Greenville and Greenville is my favorite! Quaint downtown, beautfiul heavily treed neighborhoods (Augusta Street, Cleveland Park, Hampton Pinckney, North Main, Overbrook) in the immediate center city area. Green Valley, Thornblade, Paris Mountain further in the burbs.

[roadpony]

Originally Posted by JViello

Please, PLEASE do yourself a favor and visit before settling on Greenville, and realize the photos represent a small portion of the area as a whole. I dragged my family all the way down there to find that it's much smaller and not quite what the pictures lead you to believe for every day living.

I personally prefer Greensboro NC and/or the Triad as a whole.

I was a life-long North Carolinian who moved "south of the border" last year with my husband's transfer. It was not my choice, but we have come to love Greenville. I lived a significant part of my adult life in the Triad (mostly Winston-Salem and a short stint in Greensboro) and while I do miss W-S at times, I think that Greenville has every bit as much to offer as do Greensboro and the Triad.

Of course, it is always wise to visit and get your own personal feel for a community before moving. No community is perfect, or perfect for everyone.

[caluig]

I have been living in Simpsonville, 10 miles from downtown Greenville, for over 2 years now. We moved from South Florida and love here. The weather is just PERFECT !

The only problem: a very tight and small job market! You do not have a lot of options as far jobs are concerned. I moved here with relo paid by my new employer. I worked for them for 1.7 years when I got laid off last year. Since then, no jobs came up in the area. I am in the IT/Logistics field. A temp position came up in Florida and I took it but that ended in January 09. Since then, I have been looking but most, if not all opportunities, are showing up from areas outside of SC. We have the highest or second highest unemployment rate in the nation.

My wife was only able to find a job in accounting in the same company I was working before. Of course, I helped out but that illustrates how limited the job market is around here. Even if you have something already lined up, just think about all possibilities, what would happen afterwards if you lose that job?

Although Charlotte and Atlanta are relatively close by, I have not been able to land a job in neither places!

Bottom line is: this is a great area to live if you can find and stay in a job for many years. The south has a very different job culture as well and some clashes are inevitable. If you can put up with that south mentality, you probably will stay in your job like many others stay around here: over 20 years with the same company!

We will consider living here again when we get closer to our retirement as the cost of living is affordable, and housing, taxes, and insurance are reasonable.

[caluig]

Oh by the way, do not forget the low, low wages around here. my wife was in for a shock when she started to look for a job, A/P was paying $10-13/hr, bookeepper from $12-15/hr....bare those in mind as well.

The biggest downside in this area is jobs. If you can find a good one, keep it for life, like many around here do. If you are unhappy or does not fit in, you are in for a shocking ride. If you are a retiree, come on down and enjoy the beautiful and almost perfect weather. But if you are still working, just be aware of those pitfalls.

[Skyliner]

There are precious few cities in the U.S. where jobs are not being sought by many unemployed individuals these days. The Upstate is no different in that regard, although there are many wonderful free events provided in the city to enjoy while looking for a job.