Really Liked Greenville (Columbia, Easley, Simpsonville: live, shop, vacation)

[orlandoyankee]

Every Christmas vacation for the last several years, we've been taking trips to various possible retirement choices in the south. This year, it was Greenville's turn. I've got to say that I was quite impressed with the Greenville area as a whole and the downtown area in particular. We spent about 2 days there. Not enough to get a detailed look at everything. But, just enough to get a flavor of the area. I loved the look and feel of the downtown area. Very walkable and vibrant for such a modest size city. The people were all very friendly and there seemed to be quite a diverse mix of people. Really liked all the business establishments along Main Street. And Falls Park was really an outstanding place.

Got to check out Easley, Travelers Rest and Simpsonville. As others have said in other threads, TR is more rural. Simpsonville seems newer and more suburban. Lots of shopping. I don't know how to describe Easley. Maybe a little of each.

In any event, I am making plans to come back in the summer for a look see during the hotter part of the year.

Overall, very impressed.

[Made_it_To_the_Metroplex]

Glad to hear your impressions. The folks on this forum are usually informative and helpful, so if you have questions, ask away!

[pgriss]

Thanks for the positive post on our town. We love it here & hope you do come back. Yes, we are pretty friendly--we will even talk to you in the grocery store line.

[Greenville]

So glad you enjoyed your trip! You certainly got to see some of the highlights, but when you return be sure to explore as much as you can. The further you look, the more Greenville will wow you. Its beauty really is in the details - especially downtown.

[gsupstate]

Great to hear you loved Greenville. Try to come back in Spring....the area is absolutely beautiful that time of year.

[flgargoyle]

Greenville can be very hot in the summer- hotter than Orlando, on occasion. Bear in mind that the summer is significantly shorter than it is in FL, and you'll be fine. You can also drive an hour up the road to the NC mountains and cool off. Try that in Orlando!

[Skyliner]

The combined heat and humidity are nowhere near as unpleasant as a central Florida summer though.

[PhotogGal]

Glad you came away with a great impression of Greenville. I've only been here two years but absolutely love it myself. Yes, the summers are hot, but not unbearable and not with as many miserable days in a row like Florida, where you can't escape to the mountains like we can here.

One of my most favorite things about this area is how long and beautiful both the springs and falls are. Both are drop-dead gorgeous.

[orlandoyankee]

Originally Posted by Skyliner

The combined heat and humidity are nowhere near as unpleasant as a central Florida summer though.

Looking at weatherunderground.com, it looks like the temperature does hit 90 fairly regularly in the summer. But as others have said, it's not as long-term as Orlando. Also, I'm sure the humidity is nowhere near as brutal as down here.

[gsupstate]

Originally Posted by flgargoyle

Greenville can be very hot in the summer- hotter than Orlando, on occasion. Bear in mind that the summer is significantly shorter than it is in FL, and you'll be fine. You can also drive an hour up the road to the NC mountains and cool off. Try that in Orlando!

I bolded up part of your statement. While summer can be hot, the nice thing is that Greenville has 4 true seasons....all right at 3 months. Summers are average to short in length, not long. I'ved lived in Birmingham, Jackson and Mobile.....want to talk about hot and hummid, try any of those three. One looooong hot period, with a couple of months of cool. Heck, even Columbia seems to have a much more brutal summer than Greenville and it is only 90 miles South.