Charleston vs Greenville for permanent relocation (North: cost of, to move, activities)
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Asheville doesn't make much sense if one of his problems with Oregon City is it is too expensive. Asheville is also a good bit colder in the winter, winter lasts longer, and it tends to be more overcast there.
My personal experience with Asheville is limited. I was just going off the city-data stats for Ashville. They look similar in most stats. I thought the housing would be more expensive but appears to be around the national average. It's still probably worth a look at the Asheville forums.
Florida was first on my mind. I have been to Sarasota and loved it. Researching Florida on the internet and reading books, I found out that Florida has unbearable high humidity for at least 5 to 6 months a year. I don't want to move to Florida and end up being stuck indoors with 5 months of suffocating heat and humidity outside. I still wouldn't be able to enjoy myself.
In Oregon we don't have much humidity, but we have many months where it rains day after day with no sun. It is very depressing, gloomy and dark. We have one of the highest suicidal rates because of it. I just want to get out. Years ago in 1977 my husband and I moved up from California where we could afford to live better. That very first winter we realized we had made a mistake, but it was to late we were trapped. We could never afford to move back.. I have researched AZ, Nevada, Las Vegas, NM but I don't care for the desert. Row after row of houses all lined up with no greenery, looked so stark and dry and so depressing. I would surely visit any place before moving and get a feel for it. Thanks to you who responded to me, I appreciate it. I just want to make sure that I make a right choice and your beautiful state seems like it could fit the bill. God Bless. P.S. I guess I am looking for the beauty and way of life like Oregon but without the rainy, dark weather.
I don't mind driving into town for things as long as it is not miles and miles away.
Most things in Greenville are no more than a 30 minute drive from any of the major suburbs to downtown Greenville (unless it is rush hour, but you would expect that). There is a lot to do there for retirees - restaurants, libraries, cultural events (look at the Peace Center calendar for an example). There are also wonderful programs at the local colleges. Both Furman University and Wofford College offer life long learning programs. My father is currently attending Olli at Furman (OLLI | Furman University) and has met a wonderful variety of people on top of attending really interesting classes.
Then if you like the outdoors, the Blue Ridge Parkway is 40 mins away. The beach is 2.5 hours away. If you want a big city museum, Atlanta and Charlotte are both less than 3 hours away.
I'd think Greenville would be a great place to retire.
My personal experience with Asheville is limited. I was just going off the city-data stats for Ashville. They look similar in most stats. I thought the housing would be more expensive but appears to be around the national average. It's still probably worth a look at the Asheville forums.
I look at city climate comparisons on outflux.net. They have graphs any aspect of climate that you want to compare. Asheville is about 10 degrees colder than Gville year around with many more days under 32 degrees F. It also has higher wind speeds in the winter which probably means it feels 15 degrees or more colder there in the winter. It is more overcast there, especially in the fall. Asheville is also a good bit more humid than Greenville which surprises people due to its higher elevation.
Greenville and Asheville housing costs in the downtown area are probably the same, maybe even higher in Greenville due to the popularity of the downtown. I was comparing housing costs between the two metroes because most people live in the burbs. Greenville and Asheville get compared all the time in the two forums and higher housing costs is one of the main cons for Asheville. Greenville is one of the most popular alternatives to Asheville due to the lower housing costs along with warmer weather, closer to beach, more shopping, more jobs yet still close to the mountains.
I like Asheville but I think Greenville winters are cold enough and living right in the mountainss isn't worth dealing with colder winters for me. You can see the mountains from Greenville and it does have a quasi alpine vibe. Greenville has a single mountain, known as a monadnock, near Main Street called Paris Mountain with a nice state park with hiking trails. http://southcarolinaparks.com/parism...roduction.aspx
Last edited by ClemVegas; 03-03-2016 at 02:15 AM..
I look at city climate comparisons on outflux.net. They have graphs any aspect of climate that you want to compare. Asheville is about 10 degrees colder than Gville year around with many more days under 32 degrees F. It also has higher wind speeds in the winter which probably means it feels 15 degrees or more colder there in the winter. It is more overcast there, especially in the fall. Asheville is also a good bit more humid than Greenville which surprises people due to its higher elevation.
Greenville and Asheville housing costs in the downtown area are probably the same, maybe even higher in Greenville due to the popularity of the downtown. I was comparing housing costs between the two metroes because most people live in the burbs. Greenville and Asheville get compared all the time in the two forums and higher housing costs is one of the main cons for Asheville. Greenville is one of the most popular alternatives to Asheville due to the lower housing costs along with warmer weather, closer to beach, more shopping, more jobs yet still close to the mountains.
I like Asheville but I think Greenville winters are cold enough and living right in the mountainss isn't worth dealing with colder winters for me. You can see the mountains from Greenville and it does have a quasi alpine vibe. Greenville has a single mountain, known as a monadnock, near Main Street called Paris Mountain with a nice state park with hiking trails. Greenville South Carolina - Paris Mountain State Park Camping - Paris Mountain State Park
One thing to keep in mind, is that there's a difference between humidity and mugginess. It's typically mugginess people don't like and while it's also a function of humidity, it also involves the dew point and temperature. Seattle is more humid than Miami, but Miami feels muggier because it has a higher dew point and much higher temperatures. If Ashville is running 10 degrees cooler year around, it's likely it has a lower dew point and may feel less muggy, regardless of what the humidity charts say.
Unfortunately it's harder to find a mugginess comparison between cities as most websites rather just chart humidity.
Florida was first on my mind. I have been to Sarasota and loved it. Researching Florida on the internet and reading books, I found out that Florida has unbearable high humidity for at least 5 to 6 months a year. I don't want to move to Florida and end up being stuck indoors with 5 months of suffocating heat and humidity outside. I still wouldn't be able to enjoy myself.
In Oregon we don't have much humidity, but we have many months where it rains day after day with no sun. It is very depressing, gloomy and dark. We have one of the highest suicidal rates because of it. I just want to get out. Years ago in 1977 my husband and I moved up from California where we could afford to live better. That very first winter we realized we had made a mistake, but it was to late we were trapped. We could never afford to move back.. I have researched AZ, Nevada, Las Vegas, NM but I don't care for the desert. Row after row of houses all lined up with no greenery, looked so stark and dry and so depressing. I would surely visit any place before moving and get a feel for it. Thanks to you who responded to me, I appreciate it. I just want to make sure that I make a right choice and your beautiful state seems like it could fit the bill. God Bless. P.S. I guess I am looking for the beauty and way of life like Oregon but without the rainy, dark weather.
Hello,
I will be spending winters in Florida. It has the mild winters, much warmer than anywhere north, although the summers are very hot and humid. It is very hard to beat California, yet the costs of homes there leaves it not a choice for many people.
Many like Grenville North Carolina, although it has far colder winters than most of California, other than the northeastern top of the state. The summers are lovely; they are very warm, but is is not the coastal gulf humid hot where I live. Pleasant summers, cold winters.
Hello,
I will be spending winters in Florida. It has the mild winters, much warmer than anywhere north, although the summers are very hot and humid. It is very hard to beat California, yet the costs of homes there leaves it not a choice for many people.
Many like Grenville North Carolina, although it has far colder winters than most of California, other than the northeastern top of the state. The summers are lovely; they are very warm, but is is not the coastal gulf humid hot where I live. Pleasant summers, cold winters.
They are talking about Greenville, South Carolina.
I prefer Greenville because I prefer the general scenery, more hardwoods and fall color, and mountains in distance, some rolling hills. Charleston is obviously flat, and it mostly pine trees. Charleston housing costs are higher for similar housing. Rush hour traffic on interstate is much worse in Charleston.
I've lived in both too. I'm now in Charleston and miss Greenville so much. Maybe one day I will go back.
The cost of living is so much higher here in Charleston and the crime seems to be getting worse and worse. I actually had to go buy an alarm system to be able to sleep peacefully at nights and I live in a nice neighborhood.
I miss seeing the mtns. I miss all the hiking places. I hate flat terrain. It's boring. Charleston floods every time it rains a little. It's humid and no distinct 4 seasons. Greenville has so much pretty country. Traffic is horrible in Charleston. Greenville has traffic too but I was always able to find work that was only 15 minutes from home....hardly doable in the lowcountry.
More jobs in G'ville area also.
Good luck in your decision.
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