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My husband and our 2 young kids are moving to Greenville this Spring. We live about 2 1/2 hours from there now and are hoping to make another trip next week to check out some prospect neighborhoods. Can anyone direct us towards desirable areas in Greenville to live with kids? We are looking for an established neighborhood within a good school district that is safe and kid friendly. Also, could anyone recommend the best preschools and dance studios in the area? My daughter does ballet and tap and will be starting preschool in the fall so I want to get her onto any necessary waiting lists. Thanks in advance for your help, I really appreciate it!
Welcome to the area! I find Greenville to be a great place for a family with kids. I think you'll get better guidance if you include a price range you're looking in. I like the North Main neighborhood (zoned for Stone Academy or Summit Elementary for elementary schools) but it is getting pretty pricey.
I added about preschools but that text disappeared... There are many preschools with good reputations but that are associated with churches. Their waiting lists can be long especially for non members. Places like Buncombe Street Methodist, Christ Church, Westminster Presbyterian, and First Baptist all run good programs. A program not associated with a church that is supposed to be good but is expensive is Carolina Prep. I understand there is also a good program at Greenville Tech. There is an excellent program for 3-6 year olds at Furman but it can be hard to get a slot if you're not a Furman employee.
Registration for the new year is usually in January / February but many places work off a ranked list based on when people paid a registration fee to get on the list.
Last edited by Downtown27; 11-23-2016 at 06:53 PM..
your family is a near mirror image of mine from about 8 years ago - I will save you some legwork:
(where specifically do you currently live?)
established neighborhoods with kids: many, many neighborhoods - really depends on where one works/commute time and public school zone - in the city of Greenville: North Main area, Parkins Mill/East Parkins Mill Roads, Collins Creek, Parkins Lake, Kellet Park, Gower Estates, Verdae/Hollingsworth Park, "Augusta Road" area, etc - these areas are the best in terms of proximity to DT Greenville and retail/shopping amenities - I feel that JL Mann is an overall better public high school than Greenville High - so, those areas south of DT Greenville win out IMO
best preschool: Christ Church Episcopal Preschool - it's the only NAC-accredited preschool in the area - incredible staff and curriculum
Awesome, thank you so much for your replies! We are looking for a house under 250k. I am originally from Cape Cod, MA but we currently live in Florence, SC. I will look into those preschools and Carolina Ballet! I'm excited to explore these neighborhoods in a couple days
We are a young family with a 2-year old, and you may want to throw Half Mile Lake into the mix for neighborhoods. It is on the north side of Greenville, near Paris Mountain State Park. It's about 10 minutes to downtown by car. We have been very happy with the neighborhood in the 4 years we have been here. It is VERY kid-friendly, with a neighborhood Christmas parade, Easter Egg Hunt, and many events at the pool during the summer. There is also a neighborhood swim team if you're interested in that as well.
Let me know if you have any questions, and good luck!
I just looked into half mile lake and it looks really nice and affordable! Is that outside the city limits? How are the schools in that area? Thank you!
I just looked into half mile lake and it looks really nice and affordable! Is that outside the city limits? How are the schools in that area? Thank you!
No problem. The neighborhood is about a mile north of the Greenville city limits. The neighborhood is in the Paris Mountain Elementary / Sevier Middle / Wade Hampton High district. Wade Hampton was ranked the #4 high school in the state by US News & World Report (link). Our son isn't school-aged yet, so I cannot speak from personal experience.
Ok thank you! My daughter is 2 as well (almost 3) and then we have an 8 month old son.
I have another random question. What is the health scene like in Greenville? Are there restaurants with healthier options, is there a Trader Joe's, etc? Is your YMCA nice? If not, what family friendly gyms would you reccomend? I work from home as a health coach and where we live now, healthy and active lifestyles are non existent.
I would say there is a large healthy lifestyle community here. There are multiple Y's and all are pretty nice. Cleveland Rd Y has two pools, tons of fitness classes, and a summer camp in the summer for the kids. There is also the Kroc Center downtown which is similar to a Y and is run by the Salvation Army.
I would say there are plenty of restaurants that are healthy. They aren't all covered in gravy and cheese.
Ok thank you! My daughter is 2 as well (almost 3) and then we have an 8 month old son.
I have another random question. What is the health scene like in Greenville? Are there restaurants with healthier options, is there a Trader Joe's, etc? Is your YMCA nice? If not, what family friendly gyms would you reccomend? I work from home as a health coach and where we live now, healthy and active lifestyles are non existent.
Thanks again for all your help!
In spite of the high rate of overweight and obesity in SC (and I work part-time as a health coach, too, trying to help with that!) there is actually a large group of people who are interested in a healthy lifestyle. The Y's are very nice, and inexpensive compared to some of the other fitness facilities. We have a Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Earth Fare, and Fresh Market, as well as the Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Market which sells organic produce. There is also Slow Foods Upstate, which holds a market on I think it's the third Thursday of the month during the growing season, selling local, organic produce, meat, and cheese. http://www.slowfoodupstate.com/earthmarket.htm
There are definitely restaurants with healthier options; just avoid most of the chain places!
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