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If you live out in the suburbs, then you will definitely want two vehicles, even if one of them is a beater with high mileage and isn't driven much. If you are able to live in Greenville's downtown and work there or closeby, then one vehicle should be perfectly fine.
I grew up in Greenville and have also lived in FL, the Washington DC metro area in VA, and I've been back in SC for over 7 years now. 2 of those years our family spent in Spartanburg. I can't tell you how beyond happy I am to be back in the Greenville area. Look in Greer near I-85, Pelham Rd., Hwy 14 and GSP airport. You have easy access to 85 which takes you to Spartanburg within about 25-30 minutes. Greenville is much, much nicer. My experience with Spartanburg was that there were pockets of bad/ghetto neighborhoods mixed in with the good areas. The crime was much higher than in the Greenville/Greer area. Yes, there are bad areas in Greenville, but you know where they are and can stay away from them- in Spartanburg they were just mixed in everywhere. In Greenville you would want to avoid the Berea and White Horse Road area and parts of the west side of Greenville (when speaking of crime). Greenville just has many more stores, restaurants, etc available. They have a beautiful zoo set within a beautiful park, an AMAZING downtown, great festivals year round- I could really go on and on. My husband works out of Charlotte, so we decided to try Spartanburg as a way to get closer to Charlotte (so his drive would be shorter), but to still remain near friends, family, etc. After 2 years there, we couldn't stay any longer. We decided that living back in the Greenville area was worth the extra 30 minutes he has to drive. I know some people really like Spartanburg, but for us (young family with small kids and 3 dogs), there is just NO comparison. We had a great neighborhood in Spartanburg, but when your neighborhood is surrounded by bank robberies and other not so great neighborhoods, it makes you really uneasy. We found ourselves constantly driving to Greenville to shop or go out to eat. Greenville has Whole Foods and Trader Joes. Retail-wise they have Macy's, Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma and pretty much anything else you can think of. Spartanburg has none of that. Restaurant-wise, Spartanburg is full of fast food chains and chains like Applebees and Olive Garden. I have nothing against those restaurants, but we love GOOD food and we love to eat out. There is an endless array of restaurants to choose from in Greenville. Sorry for the long post, but when choosing between the areas you mention, I feel really strongly about my opinion.
Hi FitMom. Thank you so much for your post. You have provided us with some very useful information. Being from Dallas, shopping and dining are very important to us. Thank you again for your detailed response!
If you live out in the suburbs, then you will definitely want two vehicles, even if one of them is a beater with high mileage and isn't driven much. If you are able to live in Greenville's downtown and work there or closeby, then one vehicle should be perfectly fine.
Thanks Skyline. I think we will stick with 2 cars. BTW, we loooove the pictures you posted. I have forwarded the link to all of my family and friends to give them an idea of where we will be moving. Thanks!
Natalee did not mean to scare you. I think that Greenville is a nice city as long as people understand that it is a place that just started changing about 10-15 years ago....can't expect it to have the same job opportunities as cities that have been established a lot longer. The other thing is that the only part of Greenville that is walkable is the downtown area because the restaurants and shops are right next door to eachother....if you can afford it then living downtown Greenville would be great...but it is expensive. The rest of Greenville is spread out and requires a car to get around....otherwise you will be dependant on Greenlink which is Greenvilles bus service and it does not take passengers everywhere.
When I lived there all I had was one car so yes it would be possible to live in Greenville with one car. Also living on one income that pays for housing, vehicle, food and utilities in a place like SC that does not pay the majority of its citizens a livable wage may be a bit difficult...especially without a support system (family) near by. My advice would be that if you decide to take a chance as you said have a definite job offer before you move.
Good luck to you and your husband.
Thank you NewYorkBorn. I understand and can appreciate your concern. Since we are in a large metropolitan area, it is hard for us to wrap our minds around smaller "town" living. Thank you again for your response and your well wishes. ~Nat
My husband and I currently live in Dallas, TX (where I grew up). My husband was just accepted into the new medical school (VCOM) in Spartanburg. It looks like we are moving to SC this summer. I currently work for a government agency and will start looking for a job there soon. I was told that I will probably have the best chance of finding work in Greenville, SC or Charlotte, NC. Knowing that, what cities should we look to move to? Again, my husband will have to commute to Spartanburg and I will probably have to commute to Charlotte or Greenville. **Note: Where we move has to be very very safe and very friendly. I dont want to be anywhere near any type of ghetto. Thank you so much!
If you find a job in Greenville-Spartanburg area then neither of you would really have much of a "commute". Since VCOM is going to be in downtown Spartanburg, and let's say you worked in downtown Greenville--you could choose lo live in some parts of Duncan or Greer and pretty much be in the middle of both locations. I don't know if you are going to want an apartment first, but for instance there are some nice apartments on Hwy 290 in Duncan in western Spartanburg County that put you closer to Greenville, but also roughly the same distance to downtown Spartanburg. You're talking about roughly 25-30 minutes of drive time (give or take) from my experience.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Originally Posted by Natalee
My husband and I currently live in Dallas, TX (where I grew up). My husband was just accepted into the new medical school (VCOM) in Spartanburg. It looks like we are moving to SC this summer. I currently work for a government agency and will start looking for a job there soon. I was told that I will probably have the best chance of finding work in Greenville, SC or Charlotte, NC. Knowing that, what cities should we look to move to? Again, my husband will have to commute to Spartanburg and I will probably have to commute to Charlotte or Greenville. **Note: Where we move has to be very very safe and very friendly. I dont want to be anywhere near any type of ghetto. Thank you so much!
Try to nail down the job before you move.
I tried to help a woman on the Charlotte board whose husband had a job in Uptown Charlotte & she had a job in Greenville. She thought that South Charlotte would be a great place to live, or maybe Union County (NC).
IF you end up with a job in Charlotte & your husband is at the school in Spartanburg, look in Kings Mountain NC. It's 30 miles west of Charlotte & 40 miles from Spartanburg, on I 85.
Obviously, Greenville would be better for you, but Charlotte is doable. If you end up with the Charlotte scenario, ask on the Charlotte board concerning Kings Mountain. Good luck!
If you go with Spartanburg / Greenville, look at communities in Greer. Communities off of Wade Hampton Blvd offer a pleasant 30 minute drive to Spartanburg or Greenville city centers. Here is a site that might be a good starting point:
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