Nice Places To Live Near Gaffney (Greenville, Spartanburg: low crime, home, neighborhoods)

[morningbecomeseclectic]

Hi. My husband has been offered a job in Gaffney. From posting in the Greenville/Spartanburg forum, I can see that the town of Gaffney, itself, might not be a good match for us. Does anyone know of anywhere close to Gaffney (within a 20-30 minute commute) that is a really nice place to live? We have two young sons, so we're looking for somewhere family-friendly, with a small-town feel, low crime, decent cost of living, clean environment, playgrounds/parks, etc. Somewhere we can walk to shops/restaurants if we want. It sounds like we would really like Greenville, but I think that's too far. Another poster mentioned Boiling Springs--does anyone know anything about that?

Sorry to sound so stupid about all this, but we know virtually nothing about the area and are having trouble finding information. Any help anyone could give would be really appreciated.

[Skyliner]

Boiling Springs would be my recommendation. It is Spartanburg's only true suburb at this point and is growing enough to provide plenty of suburban amenities, depending on what you need. The high school seems halfway decent as well. The driving distance to Gaffney will be determined by how far from I-85 you live. Some of the newer developments are further out, which would make the commute longer, but there are a few new neighborhoods closer to the interstate.

[SpartanburgNative]

I have laughed reading about how great Greenville is and how bad Spartanburg is. Other than the downtown area they are not much different. The surrounding communities are very much alike and some like Greer are in both counties.

Now to Boiling Springs, it is a growing community. It is not a town and has no town center. Along SC highway 9 is a large retail area leading into the city of Spartanburg. It consists mainly of subdivisions. Walking to stores or restaurants would not be recommended. Most people who live outside of the downtown areas of Greenville or Spartanburg drive everywhere. The communities are not set up for walking.

The schools in Boiling Springs are good. Most are new buildings and they continue building. Spartanburg County has seven school districts, so most of the elected school board members are locals. It is not a hugh combined district like Greenville. We like it this way. Spartanburg County has some of the best schools in the state.

I would not rule out the Chesnee area as it is closer to Gaffney via Hwy 11. Again it will depend on what area purchase a home in.