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I need your help. I would like to hear from anyone that has lived in both Nashville, TN & Greenville, SC. We have narrowed down our choice to these two cities and have visited both but frankly cannot decide. It would be helpful to have a boots on the ground perspective. Weather, schools, people, lifestyle, traffic, etc.... and simply which did you like better and why. Thanks!
They're two distinctly different cities beginning with population most obviously. Since Greenville has a population of just 67K it would perhaps suit comparison better to choose a comparable Nashville suburb like Franklin, which is slightly larger and holds up well in terms of comparing amenities. Personally I would choose Franklin as it's close to the big city amenities and not isolated like Greenville, which is nearly two hours from a big city (Charlotte).
Greenville's population is much larger than 67K. There are 400,000 people in the urban area.
It is the most populated county, MSA and CSA in SC.
There's also no need to go to a bigger city. There is plenty of restaurants and shopping and nightlife in Greenville.
Nashville doesn't have any 'amenity' that Greenville does not have other than a pro football team or the country music tourist stuff. Clemson is 45 minutes away if a person likes going to football games. College football is more exciting than NFL in my view.
Last edited by ClemVegas; 02-25-2018 at 09:29 AM..
I'd generally prefer to live in Greenville, provided I could get a job. It has most amenities I'd need, and is only a short drive from Atlanta or Charlotte for bigger city stuff.
Greenville's population is much larger than 67K. There are 400,000 people in the urban area.
It is the most populated county, MSA and CSA in SC.
There's also no need to go to a bigger city. There is plenty of restaurants and shopping and nightlife in Greenville.
Nashville doesn't have any 'amenity' that Greenville does not have other than a pro football team or the country music tourist stuff. Clemson is 45 minutes away if a person likes going to football games. College football is more exciting than NFL in my view.
I thought Greenville’s MSA is closer to 900K, not 400k.
I thought Greenville’s MSA is closer to 900K, not 400k.
Greenville's urbanized area is around 400k. It is a different metric than MSA. I'm not sure how it is defined. The MSA includes Anderson. Generally people living in Greenville don't interact with Anderson that much.
Wikipedia has a page that talks about urbanized areas and ranks them by population.
I lived and worked in Greenville and loved it there and I worked short term in Nashville and was very impressed with it as well. My feeling is that if you need career opportunities, then Nashville has much more so if I were younger, I would opt for Nashville. As one getting ready to retire, I would pick Greenville.
Both are kind of hard to compare as Nashville is much bigger, but they're fine. Both are booming economically, but Nashville is just on fire in terms of jobs. I don't know how old you are, but Nashville is popping up all over best place for millennial rankings, and does feel more youthful.
Both are good in recreation. Nashville easily wins in culture and entertainment, and has a surprisingly diverse feel. I like that it's not all country music like you see on TV. And it's not all Broadway either, which is great. The nightlife there, and even daylife, is just one of the best nationally. Nashville is an established foodie city, but Greenville's food scene is growing in recognition. Nashville also has 2, soon to be 3 pro sports in town which is a plus.
Nashville has worse traffic and a pretty confusing highway layout, and the housing stock imo is not the most impressive. Feels like housing is either new and shiny, or old and crummy, not much in between. Nashville is also gentrifying much faster than Greenville, which I guess is good or bad depending on who you are. Flipping and luxury building is rampant, and rent has shot up in Nashville. It's baffling what some apartments are asking for consider where they are. Greenville's housing has more of a "smooth" transition from old to new imo, and you can live in a nicer area for a good rent.
Greenville has more of a hometown feel, and wins in location imo, being closer to the beach. Nashville is no slouch though, and is easy drive to the mountains and other cities like Memphis, Louisville, Atlanta, St Louis, Cincinnati, Birmingham, and Knoxville. Nashville's airport is on fire and offers more getaway options, and punches above its weight for a non-hub.
In terms of schools, I believe it would go Williamson County > Greenville County > Davidson County? Think it depends more on the school than the district. Don't know your politics, but Nashville is a dot of blue in the red sea of TN. Greenville is red. If that matters to you at all.
Can't go wrong with either, but imo it all comes down to size. Nashville is much larger, more cosmopolitan, with a more vibrant culture, more amenities and a national brand. Greenville is much larger than it appears on paper, but still has a hometown feel and is a very regional city. Nashville is in the same league as somewhere like Charlotte and Austin, while Greenville is down there with Knoxville and Greensboro. So guess it depends which size you'd be more comfortable with!
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