Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We may be relocating to the area within a few months and I would like to narrow down which areas of Greenville we would want to live. We are looking for a newer home (no older than 15 years in a VERY family oriented, friendly, active neighborhood with a community pool in the 200-250,000 price range. We have 3 boys so excellent schools are our top priority. We would also like easy access to parks, sports activities and shopping.
From the research I have done on here and talking to a realtor it seems that Simpsonville and Powdersville are our best bets. Would you please tell me the pro's and con's of each area as well as any neighborhoods that you would recommend? I have heard that Mauldin/Mauldin/Mauldin is the best school district in the Simpsonville area. Would you all agree? We will have children in elementary & middle school.
Thank you for any advice you can give me!!!! When we come up there we will only have 2 days to find a house so I need to do as much research online as possible.
If schools are your absolute top priority (over access to downtown Greenville, shopping, parks, etc), I'd look into the Powdersville area (Anderson 1 school district) and the Riverside area of Greer/Five Forks. However, you couldn't pay me double my salary to live off Wade-Hampton (the purest definition of ugly sprawl) or Woodruff (traffic!).
Mauldin is its own town/city and is separate from Simpsonville.
You need an experienced realtor to help you while browsing Upstate properties in person.
Lastly, I'd urge you to rent for at least a year - after my initial move to the Upstate, I'd thought I'd live in Five Forks and live happily ever after. Well, no - I worked in Greer for over a year and didn't like it (my opinion only) - I just kept driving to Greenville to shop, dine, play, etc. I now live in the city of Greenville and wouldn't live anywhere else in the Upstate. My only compromise is the public schools are somewhat inferior to those mentioned above.
Last edited by drfranklin; 12-30-2012 at 01:41 PM..
I just did an MLS search with your criteria. There are no homes in Simpsonville that will provide you access to the 3 Mauldin schools. I did find 8 that are in Simpsonville that will get you into Mauldin Middle and Mauldin High.
What is your requirement for sq ft and number of bedrooms?
Thank you drfranklin! Your post was very helpful. I'm wondering if my "perfect area" is possible. Schools are the most important thing & I don't mind living in the suburbs at all as long as stores, parks, libraries and preferably a YMCA is easily accessible. I'm not a big fan of traffic but have lived in the suburbs of Orlando & Atlanta for over 20 years so I'm certainly used to it.
I would love an area with newer homes (no older than 95) that have at least 1/4 acre with TREES!! I despise neighborhoods that are completely leveled and only have tiny trees.
I just did an MLS search with your criteria. There are no homes in Simpsonville that will provide you access to the 3 Mauldin schools. I did find 8 that are in Simpsonville that will get you into Mauldin Middle and Mauldin High.
What is your requirement for sq ft and number of bedrooms?
The home doesn't have to be in Simpsonville. At this point I'm just trying to figure out which area works best for us. If there's another area that you would recommend based on what we're looking for please let me know.
We would like at least 2400 sq. ft. and 4 bedrooms. My husband works from home so bigger is better for us.
With that in mind, go to realtor.com and look at these 3 MLS listings.
1241978,1244894,1246142 They all look like what you described and are all in the Mauldin School district for all 3 schools. I belive two are set up with home offices.
Please note that none of these are in any way associated with me or my company. Just trying to help and give you an idea of what is available in this area. There is a YMCA near I-385 and Hwy 14 which would be 15 or 20 minutes from these homes.
Again, good luck.
Aribitrary opinion here as I didn't get much of a feel of Powdersville in my own search, but Mauldin feels "ghetto-ish" to me when I drive thru the main strip (Butler Road), and Simpsonville is weird shaped enough that parts are all along the 85/385 quadrant (4). I'd drive around Butler Road, Anderson Road, route 14, main street, and of course the wonderful Woodruff.
As for schools, if you really want Mauldin, you're going to have to live in Mauldin or just east of the 85 line in Simpsonville.
There are many subdivisions that meet your criteria in the Powdersville area. Some of them include: Pendleton Plantation, Leacroft, Hornbuckle, and Watson Grove. Good luck to you in your home search!
Thank you drfranklin! Your post was very helpful. I'm wondering if my "perfect area" is possible. Schools are the most important thing & I don't mind living in the suburbs at all as long as stores, parks, libraries and preferably a YMCA is easily accessible. I'm not a big fan of traffic but have lived in the suburbs of Orlando & Atlanta for over 20 years so I'm certainly used to it.
I would love an area with newer homes (no older than 95) that have at least 1/4 acre with TREES!! I despise neighborhoods that are completely leveled and only have tiny trees.
Sounds a lot like Powdersville to me but I live there so I may be biased. The Powdersville area will feel more rural than Simpsonville or Mauldin. In my opinion, the schools are better in Powdersville as well (Anderson District 1). Powdersville just opened a new high school last year so the performance is not yet reported on the SC state school report card site but I would expect it to rate very well based on the history of the middle school and of Wren High School, which is where those students went before the new school was opened. More importantly, we have found the teachers in the schools where our children are attending (daughter in Powdersville Middle last year and Powdersville High this year, son in Wren High School) to be receptive and helpful.
Almost all of the shopping we want to do is available in Easley, which is within 10-15 minutes. About the only thing missing is a bookstore and a Target. You can get to both of those off Woodruff Road in less than 30 minutes. We can also get to downtown Greenville in 20-25 minutes.
I also really like that Powdersville is a bit closer to the mountains than Simpsonville since I am an outdoorsy kind of person. Saves me some miles and time when I want to go hiking, kayaking, etc.
We bought a house a bit older than you are looking for but as a previous poster mentioned, there are neighborhoods with newer homes and community pools available.
I live in Powdersville and really like it. I am so glad we wound up here rather than in Simpsonville. That said shopping, parks etc... are really lacking in the Powdersville area. I spend alot of time driving to the Augusta Road area, downtown Greenville and Woodruff Road (Woodruff for Whole Foods, Target and Costco). The good news is it is only 8 miles to downtown from my house, the bad news is my daughter goes to preschool downtown so I am driving back and forth 4 times a day. Still being from Atlanta it is still a lot less driving than I was used to.
I second enjoying the views of the mountains and hills in my neighborhood.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
