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I am really confused about Greer. We just came back from visiting the Greenville area, as we are looking at moving to SC. We loved Greenville itself and were so excited to see the surrounding suburbs. We especially wanted to see Greer because of the great schools. We were expecting something similar to the suburb we currently reside in near Atlanta. We ate at Mutt's BBQ which was awesome but the rest of the trip seemed to be a huge disappointment. Greer's downtown was historic but I would not say it was wonderful or ideal. It was a Saturday and there were no people around and everything seemed closed. We drove by the city park and it was empty besides a trio of guys who looked like thugs. It was nothing like the city website. We turned just a ways from downtown and it was like the ghetto. It looked like the south side of Atlanta on a smaller scale. Horrible! We had to drive through a lot of old rundown areas to get to nicer homes near Riverside Middle and High Schools. They were average homes and neighborhoods. Seems to be a lot of "country" and the shopping was all built in one area around I-85. When we finally found the shopping areas (10 miles from the school area) it was crazy with traffic. Like I said all the shopping and restaurants were built in one area. I don't understand it. Where we live now there are pockets of shopping throughout the suburbs. I don't know if we missed something when we drove around or what. We never really found in any great neighborhoods with homes in the $250's plus. We never saw any "community" other than Greenville itself. We went to find a house in the Simpsonville area which was pretty decent. The middle school designated to that area was out in the countryside in the middle of nowhere. We thought we were lost and then out of the blue was a brand new school. Very strange. Please tell me if we missed something. We felt like Greenville was the star of the show and all the suburbs just decided not to try because they couldn't compete. Does that mean people only live and attend school and church in the suburbs? They must do everything else in Greenville. Very confusing to the point of looking toward Charlotte now. Someone please explain what is going with Greer and the entire suburb situation around Greenville. Thanks! We would love it if we felt there would be a sense of community and places to shop and eat nearby. Thanks again!
It was smart that you visited. I feel that when you are looking to move somewhere and you visit, most likely you will know this is for me or no it's not. Yes, downtown Greenville is the star of this area. The thing about downtown Greer is that it is up and coming. They are working with urban planning to incorporate positive changes. It takes time. To me, downtown Greer, has potential and is moving in the right direction. They have several festivals and holiday events throughout the year that are happening. They have some nice restaurants as well. That being said, it can't be compared to downtown Greenville which is way bigger and more developed.
If you leave downtown and head west, yes you are going to hit the areas that are not desirable. Otherwise, for the most part, there are decent areas around. I don't know what you're talking about for shopping. I think that you have shopping in most areas. You have all the basics you need and some more. For the mall or other shopping, you make have to drive 15 minutes or so away. If you live over by Woodruff Rd, you have everything right there. Did you visit Woodruff Rd? Wade Hampton on the other side has shopping up and down.
Charlotte is going to be more comparable to Atlanta. If you love downtown Greenville, you could live a couple miles outside on your budget. There are plenty places to shop and go out around here. Many festivals and events throughout the year. Maybe, this area just wasn't for you? Possibly check out Charlotte and then you can decide.
It was smart that you visited. I feel that when you are looking to move somewhere and you visit, most likely you will know this is for me or no it's not. Yes, downtown Greenville is the star of this area. The thing about downtown Greer is that it is up and coming. They are working with urban planning to incorporate positive changes. It takes time. To me, downtown Greer, has potential and is moving in the right direction. They have several festivals and holiday events throughout the year that are happening. They have some nice restaurants as well. That being said, it can't be compared to downtown Greenville which is way bigger and more developed.
If you leave downtown and head west, yes you are going to hit the areas that are not desirable. Otherwise, for the most part, there are decent areas around. I don't know what you're talking about for shopping. I think that you have shopping in most areas. You have all the basics you need and some more. For the mall or other shopping, you make have to drive 15 minutes or so away. If you live over by Woodruff Rd, you have everything right there. Did you visit Woodruff Rd? Wade Hampton on the other side has shopping up and down.
Charlotte is going to be more comparable to Atlanta. If you love downtown Greenville, you could live a couple miles outside on your budget. There are plenty places to shop and go out around here. Many festivals and events throughout the year. Maybe, this area just wasn't for you? Possibly check out Charlotte and then you can decide.
Hope this helps and good luck!
Thanks for the helpful reply!!
I think the problem we found was the lack of retail near the subdivisions. Where we live now there is a Publix, CVS, and some restaurants scattered through the residential areas (we live in a town 30+ minutes north of ATL). There is something always close by in case you need it. Each Atlanta suburb is this way. It seemed as though the Greenville suburbs were lost in time until you reach the I-85 area where it is ALL in one area. Maybe the Greenville suburbs are just slow to grow out near the subdivisions. It didn't seem to impress my husband or the kids much. May take another look though in a couple of months. I don't think we would get anything more out of Charlotte since it is as large as Atlanta. I am looking for the sense of community with all the comforts we are used to. Would you suggest a different suburban area other than Greer? I think Wade Hampton High School looked to be another good choice for our son and daughter. Would that area near the H.S. be more of what we want? I really do want a sense of community - getting to know people and having the community come together for events, festivals, farmer's markets, etc. Thank you again for the help!!!
I wanted to jump in and give my generalizations of the Upstate/Greenville - I'm not a native to SC and have lived/visited many of the larger cities of the Southeast.
If you are trying to find an expansive, upscale suburb in the Upstate, it's not here. I'm comparing (the Upstate) to areas such as Alpharetta/Cumming, GA, Mountain Brook, AL, Brentwood/Franklin, TN, and Irving Park (Greensboro), NC. People in the Upstate will point to Thornblade/Greer but this pales in comparison to any of the areas listed above.
I've made some realizations:
the Upstate of SC is gigantic/expansive - with this, the wealth is spread from Lake Keowee/Anderson to Spartanburg County - there are few (if any) large areas of upscale suburbia
with some exceptions, people don't flaunt wealth - much less "keeping up with the Joneses" than other larger cities - I know several families with modest homes and significant wealth
the city of Greenville, esp near downtown, has tremendous affluence and very pricey real estate (I know firsthand!)
My suggestion: forget Greer, Simpsonville, or any of the average suburbs around here - focus on being close to downtown Greenville - investigate North Main, Parkins Mill areas, Cleveland Park, Augusta Road, or even downtown (if you can afford it!). These areas have the easiest access to the Upstate's best shopping: downtown Greenville, Augusta Road, Haywood, Target/Trader Joe's/Magnolia Park. The Point (with Whole Foods, REI, etc) and Greenridge (Total Wine, Best Buy, etc) are both a little further. The public schools, esp in the Parkins Mill area, are very good to excellent.
Last edited by drfranklin; 12-29-2014 at 08:11 PM..
I wanted to jump in and give my generalizations of the Upstate/Greenville - I'm not a native to SC and have lived/visited many of the larger cities of the Southeast.
If you are trying to find an expansive, upscale suburb in the Upstate, it's not here. I'm comparing (the Upstate) to areas such as Alpharetta/Cumming, GA, Mountain Brook, AL, Brentwood/Franklin, TN, and Irving Park (Greensboro), NC. People in the Upstate will point to Thornblade/Greer but this pales in comparison to any of the areas listed above.
I've made some realizations:
the Upstate of SC is gigantic/expansive - with this, the wealth is spread from Lake Keowee/Anderson to Spartanburg County - there are few (if any) large areas of upscale suburbia
with some exceptions, people don't flaunt wealth - much less "keeping up with the Joneses" than other larger cities - I know several families with modest homes and significant wealth
the city of Greenville, esp near downtown, has tremendous affluence and very pricey real estate (I know firsthand!)
My suggestion: forget Greer, Simpsonville, or any of the average suburbs around here - focus on being close to downtown Greenville - investigate North Main, Parkins Mill areas, Cleveland Park, Augusta Road, or even downtown (if you can afford it!). These areas have the easiest access to the Upstate's best shopping: downtown Greenville, Augusta Road, Haywood, Target/Trader Joe's/Magnolia Park. The Point (with Whole Foods, REI, etc) and Greenridge (Total Wine, Best Buy, etc) are both a little further. The public schools, esp in the Parkins Mill area, are very good to excellent.
Great advice if the OP can afford it. There are some nice neighborhoods in Taylors as well that are very pretty and near the shopping on Wade Hampton. Might be worth a look.
I wanted to jump in and give my generalizations of the Upstate/Greenville - I'm not a native to SC and have lived/visited many of the larger cities of the Southeast.
If you are trying to find an expansive, upscale suburb in the Upstate, it's not here. I'm comparing (the Upstate) to areas such as Alpharetta/Cumming, GA, Mountain Brook, AL, Brentwood/Franklin, TN, and Irving Park (Greensboro), NC. People in the Upstate will point to Thornblade/Greer but this pales in comparison to any of the areas listed above.
I've made some realizations:
the Upstate of SC is gigantic/expansive - with this, the wealth is spread from Lake Keowee/Anderson to Spartanburg County - there are few (if any) large areas of upscale suburbia
with some exceptions, people don't flaunt wealth - much less "keeping up with the Joneses" than other larger cities - I know several families with modest homes and significant wealth
the city of Greenville, esp near downtown, has tremendous affluence and very pricey real estate (I know firsthand!)
My suggestion: forget Greer, Simpsonville, or any of the average suburbs around here - focus on being close to downtown Greenville - investigate North Main, Parkins Mill areas, Cleveland Park, Augusta Road, or even downtown (if you can afford it!). These areas have the easiest access to the Upstate's best shopping: downtown Greenville, Augusta Road, Haywood, Target/Trader Joe's/Magnolia Park. The Point (with Whole Foods, REI, etc) and Greenridge (Total Wine, Best Buy, etc) are both a little further. The public schools, esp in the Parkins Mill area, are very good to excellent.
Thanks so much! It's funny...we actually live in the Alpharetta/Cumming, GA area now. So you understand what I am talking about. We have lived in a nice suburb of Memphis (Collierville) as well. We are also familiar with suburbs in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. We just didn't see anything like those communities in the Greenville area. We are NOT wealthy by as means but we like to live in a nice, safe community with people we feel are a good influence on our children.
I think we would love living in Greenville, but I'm afraid we wouldn't get that sense of community (where people come together and you easily get to know one another) because of the size of the city. Don't know if you or anyone else has an opinion on that.
One of our reasons for looking at Greenville is it's proximity to Clemson. Our daughter wants to go to school there next year. Also, my husband's sales territory is the southeast. You can be in Columbia or Charlotte in an hour and half, Asheville in an hour, Atlanta in 2 hours, and Charleston in 3 hours. There is easy access to major airports for him to fly as well. The area offers a lot in those respects. The difficult part is knowing your children will have to attend school, make friends, and you all have to live in a new community. So you need to make the right decision the first time .
Thanks for you opinions. I appreciate it so very much!!!
I think we would love living in Greenville, but I'm afraid we wouldn't get that sense of community (where people come together and you easily get to know one another) because of the size of the city. Don't know if you or anyone else has an opinion on that...
I disagree with that - the city of Greenville is not that big - additionally, it's divided into well-delineated neighborhoods - for example, check out Gower Estates - Gower has the best neighborhood swim team in the entire county (SAIL).
...We have lived in a nice suburb of Memphis (Collierville)...
I used to live in Germantown many, many years ago - nothing like Germantown anywhere in Upstate SC - I don't know much about Collierville (I understand everything in Memphis continues to move/build east).
I disagree with that - the city of Greenville is not that big - additionally, it's divided into well-delineated neighborhoods - for example, check out Gower Estates - Gower has the best neighborhood swim team in the entire county (SAIL).
Was going to say the same- Greenville itself is actually pretty small, and has some lovely older neighborhoods where there is indeed a sense of community. We live in a new neighborhood not too far from Gower Estates, and we love it. The location is fantastic and the neighbors are friendly.
I disagree with that - the city of Greenville is not that big - additionally, it's divided into well-delineated neighborhoods - for example, check out Gower Estates - Gower has the best neighborhood swim team in the entire county (SAIL).
Thanks again drfranklin!! Our favorite BBQ restaurant is Germantown Commissary in Germantown, TN!
I agree Greenville is small for a "city" yet has so much to offer. What I really meant was...larger than your typical suburb and so much more going on. Although I have lived in burbs of 90,000 people. There are probably more tourists in Greenville than any suburb area I have lived in . My comment was more of a concern about whether we could get a sense of community there. If there are pocket communities within the city of Greenville that would be easier to meet people and feel apart of things. It's hard to beat when it comes to walkable and family friendly. I think it's a pretty safe city as well. Lots of charm.
The problem is my husband and I are looking for the quintessential southern community - when Savannah and Charleston are not good options for our work situation. It's a lot to ask I know .
I think Greenville is worth another trip and more exploring since we won't move until this summer. Thanks again!!
BTW...Germantown, TN is just to the west of Collierville. They are right next to each other. Such a great community of about 40,000 with a fabulous town square!! You should visit again.
Was going to say the same- Greenville itself is actually pretty small, and has some lovely older neighborhoods where there is indeed a sense of community. We live in a new neighborhood not too far from Gower Estates, and we love it. The location is fantastic and the neighbors are friendly.
Thanks! We will check it out. We've decided not give up on Greenville since we were in love the minute we drove into town. Problem was we quickly fell out of love the minute we drove outside the city limits into the suburbs. I look forward to visiting again in the Spring to see what we missed.
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