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My wife (41) and I (36) are planning on relocating this coming summer to the Greenville area, I already have a job where I can work from anywhere, so that is not a consideration. We currently live in the Rocky Mountain Region, so being close to the mountains is important, but also a place where we can have about 1+ acre lot, can be rural, but within 30 minutes of the city. Any opinions on Travelers Rest, Cleveland, Slater-Marietta, Landrum, Pickens? Schools are important as our children will be in 1st grade and K, they currently attend a very good charter school where we current live, but are open to very good public schools. We love to Kayak, Hike and Mountain Bike, so being close to those types of activities are important. We don't want to live in a neighborhood with a majority of 50-60 year old retirees (no offense, we just prefer a neighborhood with families our age), we are not religious either, will this be a problem in Greenville (I do not care if people are, but we lived in Utah and well let's say its not so easy living with 75% Mormons) Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.
I'm scratching my head at the above post - if you can work anywhere, why are you moving specifically to Greenville, SC? To be closer to family? Low cost of living? Proximity to the mountains?
Yes, Greenville is a "foothills" location; but, we're still (at a minimum) 30 minutes from mountainous locals in northern Greenville county.
I'd highly recommend the Asheville/Western NC area - much easier access for mountain biking, hiking, and kayaking. However, inexpensive, relatively flat acreage (in the mountains) is very difficult to obtain (but, I don't know your housing budget). Additional considerations: 1. the cost of living is greater in Asheville when compared to Upstate SC locations and 2. overall economic outlook/job prospects are much better in the Upstate when compared to Western NC.
Public schools in the Upstate can be a concern especially in the rural areas. The best schools (in Greenville county) are generally considered to be in the Powdersville and Riverside areas.
Please also be aware that there are few typical "neighborhoods" in the rural areas of the Upstate.
If you have not visited, I highly recommend you spend at least a week in the Upstate/Western NC. Additionally, if your not originally from the South, a move here (especially to the rural locals) may be somewhat of a culture shock.
Last edited by drfranklin; 11-08-2012 at 08:33 PM..
Have you ever been to the area? Coming from the Rockies, our mountains aren't very impressive. As drfranklin suggested, you might want to spend some time here before making any kind of commitment.
Assuming you do like it here, you might want to check out the Blue Ridge area, which is around Travelers Rest, Taylors, northern Greer, etc. There are some nice mountain views (for South Carolina), nicer subdivisions, and I hear good things about the schools, although I have no first-hand experience. Travelers Rest seems to be doing better than a lot of small southern towns, being the northern terminus for the Swamp Rabbit bike trail, the downtown has been refurbished, and small local businesses seem to be making it there (as well as Wal-Mart, Tractor Supply, and all of the usual fast food joints). What I like is that the national chains are not in the downtown area, but a mile away on the main highway (US 25).
Cleveland is not much more than a wide spot in the road, and Marietta is a scruffy little town.
Landrum has some nice areas, but I think it would be over 30 minutes to the city. The same goes for Pickens.
The rural south has a lot of pockets of poverty and shabby areas. It's not uncommon to see a big, beautiful home right next door to a shack or run-down mobile home. About the only way to avoid this is to buy in a rural subdivision, or embrace the local lifestyle. My neighborhood is definitely a mixture of mostly poor people, yet they are the nicest neighbors I have ever had. YMMV.
The best schools (in Greenville county) are generally considered to be in the Powdersville and Riverside areas.
The Powdersville schools are actually in Anderson County.
To me the big difference between Asheville and Greenville is hard to explain - it's just a different vibe between the two towns. Asheville has more of a liberal minded hippy feel to it - I don't mean that in a negative way, either. Greenville has more of a quiet, conservative feel to it - don't mean that to be negative, either.
Not sure what the driver is to move to the southeast from the Rockies - I think once we know that, we can give better advice.
I kayak and Greenville itself doesn't have much for whitewater kayakers but there is a lot in the nearby area. I don't mountain bike but know a lot of people that do and the same can be said there - trails near Clemson and in Dupont State Forest in NC are both excellent from what I have heard. Hiking can be found all around the mountains just north of here.
I recommend looking at Paris Mountain (neighborhoods connected to or near Altamont Road) because it provides "mountain living" within a short drive from Downtown (~15 minutes), includes a decent state park for hiking/biking/swimming within walking distance, and is also a short distance from the gorgeous Furman University campus — including the popular Swamp Rabbit Trail.
The Powdersville schools are actually in Anderson County.
Doh! I did know that - thanks for the correction. I have acquaintances that live in the Powdersville area and often forget it's actually in Anderson County.
Please note that the OP has posted similar questions in the Western NC sub-forum.
To me the big difference between Asheville and Greenville is hard to explain - it's just a different vibe between the two towns. Asheville has more of a liberal minded hippy feel to it
Here is one glaring difference as recently articulated by a friend living in the Upstate: While visiting Asheville, you cannot avoid noticing a significant number of "people who look and smell like they live in the woods."
Thanks information everyone. The main driver is to get "closer" to family, my wife and I have divorced parents (both of us) that are spread throughout the east (SC, PA, IN, FL) and we want to be in a place that is nice, family oriented, but within 6 hours from any of our parents. They are all in their 60's and we have younger children and want our parents to have a chance to spend more than 1 trip a year to Utah. Plus one day there may be a health reason to be closer to our parents, and quite frankly family comes first in our opinion.
We live in Utah now so we would consider ourselves conservative (but not mormon). We are considering Asheville, but I have heard the economy is not great there and the property appears to be quite expensive compared to Greenville. We are also considering Raleigh (which we know is not in the mountains).
We are also considering Raleigh (which we know is not in the mountains).
We used to live near Raleigh. The taxes are high there as is the cost of living. The local school board in Wake county is also out of control and has been for years.
There is a tiny bit of mountain biking, hiking, and whitewater there. That being said, I love the mountains and was pretty miserable there. The Upstate part of SC is at least close to the mountains. I feel the Upstate has good proximity to outdoorsy stuff, while also having a decent economy, low cost of living, and good quality of life.
I am much happier here than I was in Raleigh.
I like Greenville myself. You might also look into Knoxville, TN; Roanoke, VA; or Blacksburg, VA. Virginia is more expensive but it would be in-between PA and SC. Knoxville connects to I-81 which is a straight shot to PA.
I want to add to the post above - if you're looking at city with close proximity to the Appalachians, you need to look at Chattanooga, TN. I lived there for nearly 2 years - fantastic city and very similar (in most aspects) to Greenville, SC.
Chattanooga is much more scenic than Greenville (with Signal and Lookout Mountains adjacent to the city center). Chattanooga's downtown has been revitalized (much like Greenville's) but covers a larger area.
Chattanooga has a long, paved biking trail (called the Tennesse Riverpark, very similar to the Swamp Rabbit) and lies very close to the Ocoee River for whitewater rafting.
Additionally, TN has no state income taxes and no annual car tag fees!
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