Has anyone regretted their move to Greenville area? (Spartanburg, Greer: homeowners insurance, neighborhoods)

[MrMr]

pros:cheap gas, housing, southern country fun, easy climate
cons:seccessionism, preppy geeks, connecting flights from GSP to beyond,
have to drive everywhere,

[RestedTraveler]

Originally Posted by gatorz

Ha! Nice try RestedTraveler, We're coming anyway!!!
By the way...great pictures on your website.

Hey...had to give it my best shot. Thanks for the kind words and GO GATORS!!!!! (I'm CIS '92)

[Doctor Mumbles]

I have not moved to Greenville (yet) but my parents live there, and have visited a million times, it's a great place. The only negative I see is if you are a huge Pro Sports fan or a beach lover, you have to drive 2-3 hours for both. Other than that it's the worlds last hidden Utopia.

[steven.s]

I've been here a month and have had no regrets.
Lived in Maryland (DC area) for +10 years.
Never felt like home.
Originally from NY and NJ. I liked it there and probably would have considered going back if not for the cost of housing and harsh winters.

I feel at home in Greenville.
We are closing on a house next month. We are here for awhile.

[clgrimes]

There seems to be an influx of people into the Greenville area and I'm wondering if the city/county planners allowed for such growth & expansion. The things that draw people to an area (a quaint, charming town with incredible beauty, 4 seasons with lots of outdoor recreational activities, moderate climate, great shopping & dining, easy access to both mountains & beaches, employment opportunities, ...) can over time become "not so great" because massive numbers of people & automobiles can ruin a place. When they start clearing away the greenery to make way for more buildings and residential construction to accommodate all the people, you end up with buildings and concrete as well as massive traffic jams, not to mention the price of housing skyrockets! I can totally understand why the natives/locals don't want to see people moving in like crazy because, in the long run, the quality of life diminishes for them due to all the people, traffic, crime, etc. increasing.

Just thought I would share my thoughts. I really hope the city/county planners took into consideration the possibility of a huge influx of people into the area.

[Skyliner]

You should check out the links on this page of the City's official website, and this entire website, which help to give insight into the planning for the future. Another fun and interesting way to help would be to attend the two-day design workshop that will seek to provide input on the latest updated downtown master plan.

[melissah]

I don't know where you read such wonderful things about greenville. We moved there from Michigan and hated it. Nothing but orange dirt and raod construction. We stayed for 4 years trying to sell our home so we could move further south to Myrtle beach. Much, MUch nicer placae than Greenville.

Originally Posted by VALOVE

I have read such wonderful things about the Greenville area. Is their anyone who has moved to Greenville, or the suburbs, from out of state and come to regret that decision? If so, why?

[exileinsc]

I have lived here six years, and I am afraid that yes, I now regret the move.

I work as a consultant, sometimes working with local busiensses and governments, thus I get to see a lot that people don't get to see of the Upstate:

1. Chauvinism: My wife, while calling around for contractors to work on our house, has been told by a large percentage of local contractors that she needs to have the man of the house call....

2. Racism...Sorry, but I have lived in many parts of the US...and South Carolina is the most racist society I have seen (apart from a brief early 80s visit to South Africa)...The attitude of many native Caucasians toward blacks and other minorities is at best condescending. (and no, I am not a minority or a liberal). Remember, this is the state the the Bush machine won the Primary in by pointing out that John McCain had adopted two non-white children. No, this isn't an isolated incident.

3. Low cost of living is a bit of a myth. If you take out the low real estate prices (more a result of lax building code enforcement and the resulting overbuilding), prices here are not lower than the rest of the US, and in fact in some categories, the Upstate is much higher. (though retirees might be better off here)

4. Horrible education system- From looking at entrance scores and talking to professors, you find a big difference in preparation between kids from the SC schools and from other states, with the kids from the SC schools needing a lot more help to get up to speed.

5. Despite what the Sanford machine wants you to believe, government is not more efficient since he took over. Consider a college near where I live :USC-Upstate. Same number of students as 7 years ago, double the budget. Efficiency in government. This is not an isolated example. And no, the assembly isn't solely responsible. Despite the line item veto, Sanford has never vetoed more than 2-3% of total spending, usually of items he knew they would override him on anyway. This state is poorly run, and unfortunately, it will pay for it only when Sanford is long gone.


6. Attitude - locally, they call it the "mill hill attitude", but if you actually venture out of Target and Starbucks in Greenville, you will find it the prevalent attitude around here: Essentially it means don't rock the boat, don't question your betters, and shut up if you ain't a rich man. If you don't do this, you will pay for it. As a result, most people around here have a win/lose attitude around here, and very little gets done to make the place better.

So yes, I do regret moving here, and I am looking to move on. There are too many other places in the world where the future isn't built on a crumbling real estate boom and the people have a slightly better attitude.

[tony123]

exile, sorry to hear you're having such a bad experience with the upstate. I'm not going to argue your points, as it sounds you have some pretty deep rooted opinions on them. However, most of them are the stereotypical knocks on the south and I haven't experienced them to nearly the degree you have. I have run into the "chauvenistic" comment on several occassions, which is a new one for me. In one case it was opposite though....our closet designer said he better wait until my wife could come to the meeting. hahaha

Anyway, it sounds as though you live towards Spartanburg, which has a much less progressive edge than Greenville. Our general circle of life here in Greenville doesn't include most of your comments.

It is nice to hear of your experiences though. I suppose in any given population (of any region) you will find a segment that, unfortunately, fits your comments.

[sandlapper]

melissah, & exileinsc I agree with your comments for the most part I lived in Greenville for 2 years and I had pretty much the same experiences there that you speak of. You certainly had to fit a certain mold to live there. I'm sure I'll get less than favorable responses but I'm used to it now.