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To be fair, the city of Richmond and Greenville County should not really be compared against each other. Richmond is a geographically compact, very historic, urban city that has about 20% of its metro area's population. Greenville County contains the city of Greenville in addition to numerous suburbs, exurban areas and small towns, so it would be more equivalent to the city of Richmond plus Henrico, Chesterfield and various other counties combined.
Just to put the political alignments in perspective, a location that voted 60% for one party still has 40% who supported other alternatives - plus a large number of people who didn't vote at all. There are plenty of people who are happily residing in areas where their own viewpoints are in the minority.
To be fair, the city of Richmond and Greenville County should not really be compared against each other. Richmond is a geographically compact, very historic, urban city that has about 20% of its metro area's population. Greenville County contains the city of Greenville in addition to numerous suburbs, exurban areas and small towns, so it would be more equivalent to the city of Richmond plus Henrico, Chesterfield and various other counties combined.
Just to put the political alignments in perspective, a location that voted 60% for one party still has 40% who supported other alternatives - plus a large number of people who didn't vote at all. There are plenty of people who are happily residing in areas where their own viewpoints are in the minority.
Fair enough, but there is no easily available Greenville city data, so I went with the county. Richmond is a county-equivalent. That said, Henrico + Richmond is the same population as Greenville County and Henrico voted 37 percent Trump. So Richmond+Henrico was about 28 percent Trump, making it far less Trump than Greenville, and still to the left of Mecklenburg and Wake.
Raleigh urban area is 38.4% GOP
Richmond urban area is 38.8% GOP
Charlotte urban area is 40.3% GOP
Greenville urban area is 63.8% GOP, making it the 9th most right-wing urban area.
Among CSAs over a million people, it's No. 1 in the country, followed by Knoxville - 62.4% GOP - and then Tulsa - 62.2%. No other urban areas of that size register over 60% GOP.
There's not really an argument that can be made that Upstate SC isn't conservative and right-wing.
And it's not a question of living there or not. Nobody in Greenville is going to stab you for being a Democrat.
But...you will be outvoted time and time again and you will disagree with most policy being enacted at the local, county and state level.
Political segregation exists, not because people hate those of other parties, but because we want to be a part of a community that shares our values. I lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma for 20 years before I left. Why? COL was nice, and the city is underrated. But I couldn't live with the mentality that low taxes was more important than fixing potholes, or improving our crumbling schools, or cleaning up the river.
I eventually gave up and moved to a city - Alexandria, Virginia - where I would be happier.
All I'm saying is it policy is of importance to you, and you do not subscribe to right-wing ideology, Greenville might not be a good choice.
How did the crime seem when you lived in Richmond and on your most recent visits there? I ask as a lot of the research I have done on crime in Richmond seems to indicate Richmond as having a crime problem. Given the size of the city, the crime stats do seem pretty worrysome.
Well, I'm a reformed criminal. When I lived in Richmond, as a teenager and adult, I was actively engaging in criminal activities. So I had more dealings with criminals than the average citizen. I have known people who have been unaffected by the crime in Richmond...
My advice on Richmond is that violent crime is easily avoidable. There isn't alot of random stuff so like most places, if you aren't involved in those lifestyles, it is rare for it to touch you...
As I've gotten a little older, I view some things differently. Richmond's violent crime issue is one of its few detractors to me. It isn't rampant or out of control, and like most cities, it is nowhere near as bad as it was in decades past. It is certainly something to keep in mind but if you are looking to live in the center of the core, Downtown or Uptown, trust me on this, it will be a rarity to hear or be affected by violent crime. Places in the 90s early 00s that were literal war zones like Jackson Ward, Randolph, etc, are much, much different today. There is nowhere in the core urban area of Richmond city that can be described as crime-ridden, so if you are aiming for an urban lifestyle in or near the center of town, you will be rewarded many times over...
You provided a lot of solid facts colored with some very strong opinions, but the above doesn’t seem to be based on anything.
Richmond has the lowest unemployment rate of the group, has the 2nd highest job growth in the last 12 months (only to Charlotte). That's current...
Richmond is last in decade-to-date GDP growth, and in '17 finished third of this group in one year growth 16 to 17. But the first two things I highlighted (unemployment and job growth), are data based on 2019, the year we are currently in, hence my saying Richmond seems hotter at the moment...
ClemVegas, I guess you didn't get the hint when I said to please not come on this post and get defensive. You seem to do this with every post that mentions Greenville and anyone who indicates they aren't too happy with Greenville. As I originally stated we prefer the coast, so I don't really see the point of coming on here and posting about how great Greenville is because it's close to the Blue Ridge Mountains. I believe Greenville is probably the farthest from the coast except for maybe Charlotte, I'm sorry to blast you but when you come onto a post that ask politely not to get defensive and you come onto a post and get defensive its disrespectful. If you'd like to have a debate on Greenville create a post and I'll be happy to contribute.
I've gotten some great feedback here and I appreciate it. I must admit, Richmond looks like a fantastic place other than the crime. Within a days drive to DC, the mountains, and the beach. I grew up in Metro Atlanta before I moved to Greenville, and left Greenville for Myrtle Beach for a few years. LOVED the beach life. Atlanta was okay - plenty of things to do but very sprawled. It's also a great example of a city with some suburban areas that still have quite a bit to do. Obviously its much bigger than Greenville as well given you could walk Greenville's main street from end to end in 30 minutes or less.
Part of the appeal of Greenville is that you have the nice, urban downtown with tons of great eats, bars, and a pretty park, but that you can be out of all that and back in bed in the relative country within a half hour. Places like Greer and Traveler's Rest are fine, but I don't think they compete all that well with somewhere like Cary.
I'm from northeast TN, and Greenville is on my weekend trip rotation every six to eight weeks or so. The downtown is that nice.
I like Raleigh overall a lot better, but Greenville's downtown is special.
Richmond has the lowest unemployment rate of the group, has the 2nd highest job growth in the last 12 months (only to Charlotte). That's current...
Richmond is last in decade-to-date GDP growth, and in '17 finished third of this group in one year growth 16 to 17. But the first two things I highlighted (unemployment and job growth), are data based on 2019, the year we are currently in, hence my saying Richmond seems hotter at the moment...
Richmond’s economy still wouldn’t be in the same realm as Raleigh’s or Charlotte’s, though you’ve pointed out the job market the last year in Richmond is doing very well. But that’s fine. You’ve got an agenda, so get back to it. I actually think you are right in the main, that given what we know about the OP, Richmond makes sense. Though a lot of this is subjective and things that make sense on paper don’t always materialize in real life.
Richmond’s economy still wouldn’t be in the same realm as Raleigh’s or Charlotte’s, though you’ve pointed out the job market the last year in Richmond is doing very well. But that’s fine. You’ve got an agenda, so get back to it. I actually think you are right in the main, that given what we know about the OP, Richmond makes sense. Though a lot of this is subjective and things that make sense on paper don’t always materialize in real life.
If you're looking for urbanity, Richmond makes sense, but even within its own state, Richmond is in the back seat in a way the other metros are not.
Places like Greer and Traveler's Rest are fine, but I don't think they compete all that well with somewhere like Cary.
Cary, along with neighboring Morrisville and a few other communities, would have more in common demographically with upscale suburbs around metro areas such as Boston or Seattle than with most of the towns on Greenville's outskirts. The majority of adults in Cary are college educated transplants from all over the US and beyond, and residents tend to work in industries such as software, biotech and academic research. Certainly by the numbers, Cary and vicinity is an extremely successful area and it has very tasteful zoning standards ... but is probably not the best fit for those preferring a more laid back, less driven and "perfectionist" environment.
Richmond’s economy still wouldn’t be in the same realm as Raleigh’s or Charlotte’s,
Can you clarify what you mean by this? I don't see this at all but you also gave no insight to support this statement...
You're once again blindly declaring things like Raleigh has a better restaurant culture, though you've self-admitted you know little about Richmond. Who has the real agenda? Lol...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Serious Conversation
but even within its own state, Richmond is in the back seat in a way the other metros are not.
Could you clarify this as well? For people like the OP looking at Richmond, let's help paint as full a picture for him as we can. I'm not sure what you mean by this, in what ways is Richmond in the back seat within it's own state? Its not even in the back seat in this comparison if cities...
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