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A little. Main Street and surrounding area is wonderful. Outside of that its very average and forgettable, or unforgettable but for bad reasons. Its not awful, just not what we had hopes.
What cities would you consider above average outside of its downtown area?
In my view, Greenville outside of Main Street is similar to other cities outside of their downtown.
What cities would you consider above average outside of its downtown area?
In my view, Greenville outside of Main Street is similar to other cities outside of their downtown.
In my case, I compare it to Raleigh. When we first moved there, to north Raleigh, I could not believe that all those trees and greenway trails were actually in the city of Raleigh. It is really beautiful, and well-manicured compared to most of Greenville, which, with the exception on some of the affluent neighborhoods, looks scruffy. Our downtown is amazing, though, and those scruffy areas are improving.
What cities would you consider above average outside of its downtown area?
In my view, Greenville outside of Main Street is similar to other cities outside of their downtown.
compare Greenville, SC to Birmingham, AL (I consider a peer city):
DT Birmingham is much larger than Greenville but very gritty/rough in areas - not as refined/polished as Greenville - however, over the past 10 years, Birmingham DT improvements have been significant - the medical complex/UAB in DT Birmingham is absolutely enormous and compares nothing to anything in most, if not all, of SC
outside of DT Birmingham are cities/towns/suburbs that are superior to anything in Upstate SC - Mountain Brook, Vestavia, etc have no equal to anything in Upstate SC - Birmingham shopping venues are also superior - there is no comparison to The Summit to anything in Upstate SC
aesthetically, metro Birmingham is (much) more "mountainous" than immediate Greenville - the view of DT Birmingham from Vulcan Park is amazing - compare B'ham's topography to Tuscaloosa -Tuscaloosa just 45 min WSW of B'ham is flat as a pancake
compare Greenville, SC to Birmingham, AL (I consider a peer city):
DT Birmingham is much larger than Greenville but very gritty/rough in areas - not as refined/polished as Greenville - however, over the past 10 years, Birmingham DT improvements have been significant - the medical complex/UAB in DT Birmingham is absolutely enormous and compares nothing to anything in most, if not all, of SC
outside of DT Birmingham are cities/towns/suburbs that are superior to anything in Upstate SC - Mountain Brook, Vestavia, etc have no equal to anything in Upstate SC - Birmingham shopping venues are also superior - there is no comparison to The Summit to anything in Upstate SC
aesthetically, metro Birmingham is (much) more "mountainous" than immediate Greenville - the view of DT Birmingham from Vulcan Park is amazing - compare B'ham's topography to Tuscaloosa -Tuscaloosa just 45 min WSW of B'ham is flat as a pancake
People think Woodruff Road is bad, they've never seen 280.
People think Woodruff Road is bad, they've never seen 280.
LOL
the vast majority of this country know nothing of Birmingham or the state of AL
metro B'ham is a vibrant, large city that has great aesthetic appeal (reminds me of a larger Chattanooga or Asheville)
"280" as referenced above is B'ham's "Woodruff Road" - BUT, Highway 280 is a six-lane, well-maintained state highway with MUCH worse traffic than anything in metro Greenville (and 280's traffic lights ARE synced)
the infrastructure in metro B'ham is fantastic compared to Upstate SC - recently ALDOT installed new electronic signs for the metro - coming back to Upstate SC (from AL, after a recent roadtrip at Xmas), I feel like I've warped back to the mid-1990's
In my case, I compare it to Raleigh. When we first moved there, to north Raleigh, I could not believe that all those trees and greenway trails were actually in the city of Raleigh. It is really beautiful, and well-manicured compared to most of Greenville, which, with the exception on some of the affluent neighborhoods, looks scruffy. Our downtown is amazing, though, and those scruffy areas are improving.
The Capital Area Greenway has been developing since the mid 1970s. I don't think it's a fair comparison to Greenville's progress - Raleigh's been working at it a lot longer.
I first visited Greenville in October 2013 - my next visit was in March 2018. I could see the changes that had happened in the 4.5 years between visits. I chose to move here last September because I see the potential, and the city seems to be committed to improving the experience of its citizens as well as providing resources to attract business. As for scruffiness -- there's plenty of scruffiness in Raleigh and Durham, too.
I was only replying to the question about a city that is above average outside of the downtown area; that's why I mentioned Raleigh. Not meaning to actually compare Greenville to Raleigh- and we DID voluntarily move here from there. And I was speaking just about north Raleigh- yes there are scruffy areas and yes in Durham but I am not talking about Durham just as when I say Greenville I am not referring to Spartanburg.
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