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I'm not interested further debate or in defending myself. I originally got involved in this thread as a resident trying to be helpful. My first attempt at some humor was not taken very well, and now you have cited me, twice no less, for using a word that I had the grit to admit I was using inappropriately and that Sonrise and CG made me realize so. What else can I tell you? You can call off the investigation, there was no crime. Simply a guy admitting he used a poor choice of words and that others said it better.
I think you will find Greenville a difficult place to live, as you would Denver, Atlanta, Houston, Richmond, New York............get my point. Living in a community is as much about presenting yourself in an accepted way as it is about whatever label you want to put on that community. Even in the "PROGRESSIVE" community.
You had a difficult time with humor earlier in the thread, so I hope I have been clear enough at what prompted my anger.
favoring or advocating progress, change, improvement, or reform, as opposed to wishing to maintain things as they are, esp. in political matters: a progressive mayor.
making progress toward better conditions; employing or advocating more enlightened or liberal ideas, new or experimental methods, etc.: a progressive community.
characterized by such progress, or by continuous improvement.
Yes, I do think this tends to describe Greenville (like it or not).
Greenville is NOT progressive. We have no aquarium, amusement park, large water park, IMAX, large airport, etc. We can't get a new tower built downtown even if it was free. Everything is so slow here. The only thing we have is traffic, sprawl, pollution, etc. The only minor league sports team we have is baseball. No football, basketball, hockey, etc.
Greenville is NOT progressive. We have no aquarium, amusement park, large water park, IMAX, large airport, etc. We can't get a new tower built downtown even if it was free. Everything is so slow here. The only thing we have is traffic, sprawl, pollution, etc. The only minor league sports team we have is baseball. No football, basketball, hockey, etc.
Jacob: no offense, man, but GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE SAND!!! I'll forgive you since I know you're a teenager and these things are important to you at this point in your life, I'm sure.
We really do not need an aquarium with ones so close in Charleston, Atlanta, and Chattanooga.
I'm not so sure we could support an amusement park. A large water park we could support and one will no doubt arrive within the next 5-10 years.
I could also see at least one IMAX screen in a theatre somewhere in town within the next 5 years.
We do have an international airport, but don't have the volume of flyers needed to make it a large airport...and quite frankly, I find that refreshing.
As you know, there are a few towers in the works (Pinnacle on Main, 98 East McBee, the condo tower at McBee Plaza on South Main, etc.), but you're right...things are very slow to develop here. That much I'll agree with.
Traffic here is practically nonexistent (especially compared to places like Charlotte, Atlanta, or Orlando).
We do have our share of sprawl, but what major southeastern metro area doesn't?
Any pollution we have comes from Atlanta and Charlotte thanks to our beautiful mountains trapping it and the prevailing winds blowing it up against the mountains...especially in the summertime.
We do have a minor league football team though - don't forget about the Greyhounds. We did have both arena football and ECHL hockey as well as an NBDL team, but as you know the ECHL team took a very successful franchise and priced themselves out of existence and the arena football and NBDL teams are a tough draw practically anywhere you put them.
Does any of this make me regret moving here? Heck no. There's so much more to offer here that goes well above and beyond these trivial little things, man. If I were your age, I'd be frustrated probably at some of this stuff, but I'm a husband and a father of two young kids and my priorities are different.
Location: Comunistafornia, and working to get out ASAP!
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TR, I agree! I'm looking for slow development not explosion. I'm looking for good area, low crime, lots of Christians, friendly folks, less expensive cost of living.
I've been in Greenville since 1973. I think Greenville is a great place. But it defies easy descriptions. Whenever people paint Greenville with a single brush - positive or negative - I get impatient.
Greenville is, in general, an economically conservative place. Most people like low taxes, support business development, do not support unionism. That's not to say that you won't find some people who are more economically liberal, but the large majority are economically conservative.
Greenville has a lot of churches and a tradition of social conservatism. However, there is more diversity in thought socially than economically. In general, the city is less socially conservative; the county is more socially conservative. For example, Bob Jones University, a truly socially conservative academic institution, has for years had a very influential impact on county politics. But even within the county there are differences. The Eastside, with the highest concentration of non-natives, is less socially conservative. Travelers Rest is influenced a lot by Furman University, and is less socially conservative.
It is pretty difficult to find a Greenville native is some of the newer, more high-end subdivisions on the Eastside. People have been transferred to Greenville from all over the country and have retired to Greenville from all over the country. Also, Greenville County has more international investment per capita than any other county in the US. So there is a pretty strong international presence. But there are areas on the Westside of Greenville where there are few non-natives (and other areas that are very heavily Latino).
Weather is good, compared to most other places. However, that even defies easy description. Greenville is a large county, especially north to south, and has lots of micro-climates. In general, the further north in the county, the nicer the weather in the summer, but the more likely to get ice in the winter.
Schools also vary a lot. Riverside High School has the highest average SAT score of any public high school in South Carolina. Southside High School has a very well-respected International Baccalaureate program. The Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities recently dominated a national competition for young writers and artists. My two kids both got very good public educations in Greenville, both scoring over 1400 on the old SAT format, and both being accepted to some of the best liberal arts colleges in the country. But there are some mediocre and bad schools as well.
So, are there any reasonable generalities to make about Greenville? One, economic conservatism, I have already mentioned. From a negative perspective, Greenville is not known as a place with a great bar/nightlife scene for single 20-somethings. Asheville offers a lot more for that set. Greenville has very limited public transportation. Greenville does not have a movie theater that focuses on indy movies. For a non-religious liberal like myself, some common attitudes can be irritating. Planned growth is often high on the "growth" part and low on the "planned" part.
On the positive side, Greenville offers very good arts and theater for a community of its size. The Symphony Orchestra is remarkable for its quality. There are several excellent community theaters. There is a growing Visual Arts community. The downtown Greenville area is outstanding - one of the very best small city urban areas in the country. In general, Greenville has an amazing variety of restaurants - especially downtown. Greenville is a gateway to a variety of outdoor activities - particularly in the mountains - but is also an easy half-day from beautiful beaches. There are four true seasons, including a gorgeous Autumn. Charlotte and Atlanta are easy drives. There are lots of competitive sports events to take in. The airport is a joy for a business traveler (and I fly multiple times per month). Real Estate prices in most of Greenville County are amazingly low when compared to most of the rest of the country. Taxes are low. Greenville has a kind of "can do" attitude that attracts a lot of investment and growth.
I think most people could be very happy in Greenville, if they keep in mind that choosing where to live - and finding kindred spirits for social outlets - are very important.
I disagree that Greenville is conservative, but agree that the city has great values and a great work ethic! It does have conservatives, it has liberals, and has all of us who are in between the two extremes.
As part of a long term gay couple, my partner and I love it here! Greenville is welcoming to all, conservative or not.
Brokeback Mountain did play here......Vagina Monolgues played on stage here.....people know who Amy Sedaris is and for those of you interested, there are several gay/alternative stores,restaurants and bars.
I enjoyed Brokeback Mountain and saw Vagina Monologues in NYC. I am glad to read both have been in Greenville.
That makes me very happy as Brokeback Mountain was an excellent book and film, and the Vagina Monologues are much more than a bunch of monologues about a woman's anatomy.
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I'll forgive you since I know you're a teenager and these things are important to you at this point in your life, I'm sure.
That's good news!
