Thinking of moving to Greenville SC

[Stephanie A]

Hello people! My husband and I are thinking of moving to SC. We live in Rhode Island, he is from Colombia and I have lived in RI for over 30 years. What are the main industries in Greenville and where are the safest areas to live? Thanks for your help.

[Patty]

Hi Stephanie!! I hope you will look into moving here because I did 13 years ago and I love it!! There are so many different people here from all over and I think it is because of the diversity in business here and once companies get a look at the area, they love it! Taxes are fairly low and housing is reasonable. Plus the area offers many travel opportunites being as we are only hours from the beach, about 2 1/2 hours from Atlanta and about 1 1/2 hours from Charlotte. The weather is pretty mild especially winter and spring and fall are so beautiful! This particular area of SC has BMW's NA headquarters as well as Michelins NA headquarters here. There is Bausch & Lomb and many manufacturing corp. but there are a lot of other companies such as GE and Hubbell Lighting, GNC and a ton of small business. I would be glad to send you some links that may give you more information, chamber, etc. You are more then welcome to email me if you wish. Let me know what you think.
[e-mail]

[Lisa]

The smaller towns like Simpsonville offer everything you need, close to Greenville, 80 miles from Columbia. Affordable living & convinence. Good area for children.

[Stephanie A]

Thanks for the info! Patty, those links would be a big help. My hubby is off in Miami scouting for jobs and catching up with old friends and family members he has not seen in years. I have never been to Florida, and the idea of spending summer there is scary! So SC is looking better and better...I am a cab driver up here in RI and I don't know what type of job I can get there. Well, thanks again.

[Patty Braud]

Patty,
Was reading your info on the net and would like you to to send me the liks, for we are planing to move that way also, we will be down for a week this weekend, and planing to spend some time at the home show and looking at home in the simpsonville area.

We presently reside in Califorina, I am from that side, Maryland and my wife is from United Kingdom.

Any information you may give me will be much appreciated.

george.phipps@vikinginterworks .com

[Nana]

Hi Stephanie, Hi George: My husband & I retired in SC a few yrs. ago. The Greenville area is really growing, with alot of businesses coming here. There are alot of 'new construction' developments in Greenville as well as in 'Simpsonville'. Simpsonville has alot of stores to shop at & you might like it because it's a more 'suburban type area'. Please do not move into the small 'clicky' towns though...because the 'old families' & 'natives' don't like anyone from out of state...especially the 'north'. If you like to live a bit out from Simpsonville, you might really like "Lake Rabon". It's a beautiful lake & we have probably more out of state neighbors than we have 'locals', which is good. There is a 'HOA', so you would be in a 'nice area', & it's only about 20 min. to Simpsonville.

[Cindy]

My husband, son, daughter, and I are in the process of locating a nice area in South Carolina to relocate. We are from New York (not NYC....about 150 miles from NYC). We are looking into the Simpsonville area since what I have been reading about the area seems to be positive. What about the school system? How are the winters? Please, any information would help tremendously! We have already sold our home and are renting till we get everything here squared away! Thank you in advance for any comments!

[Merle Adams]

Hidden History That Cities Don’t Want Tourist To Know.

We All Have Some Psychic Ability.
This Is My Psychic Experience In Greenville, South Carolina.

As a freelance photographer, I find myself traveling to many exotic places all over the world to take pictures. Recently, I decided to make a stop in the laid back Southern City of Greenville, S.C. Being a nature lover, I was attracted to the Waterfalls in the downtown area.

I checked into a local hotel that was advertised in South Carolina’s travel coupon book, the ad boasted of a Grand Opening Special with a hot breakfast, free internet, cable and more. The price was right and it was accessible to the downtown area. The room though nicely decorated, with a full refrigerator, microwave and cabinets had a dark look, even with the lights on. The drapes had heavy lining which blocked out any sunlight from the outside. This layout is great if you need to get some rest during the day, also I knew it wouldn’t be a problem for me to fall fast asleep after being tired from driving out of the state.

While in a deep sleep, I felt totally restless tossing turning and wakening up in a cold sweat after hearing screams in my dreams. I did not understand what prompted this despair that I felt. I have always paid close attention to my dreams, also keeping a Dreamer’s Dictionary for interpreting them. I didn’t know what to make of it, just realized I would follow up later.

Next, I showered got dressed and went out to one of the upscale downtown restaurants that had a nice view of the people walking up and down the sidewalk. After a wonderful dinner and a nice walk I decided to return to the hotel. Once I drove into the hotel parking lot, my heart felt like it skipped a beat after seeing a large fire truck sitting in the driveway of the hotel entrance. Some hotel guests were standing on the outside with no coats even though the weather was very chilly for this time of year. I rushed to park my car and jumped out to ask the crowd what had happened?

One man yelled out,“someone burned popcorn in their microwave”. A hotel employee standing on the outside began to mumble,“This doesn’t look too good,” then went on to say,“You know six people died here by fire and around 11 people were injured in 2004. As he continued to talk I felt numb inside. Not being from this city but living in another state I didn’t have a clue of what happened in the past at this same hotel. It was the most tragic hotel fire in the history of the city. Was the dream I experienced earlier that day trying to tell me something? Well that night I didn’t put on my night clothes. I laid there in the hotel bed in my street clothing unable to sleep, fearful of the unknown.

After, returning home from my trip I decided to research the facts about this hotel fire. On the internet I typed in the name of the hotel in several of the top search engines. No indication about this hotel fire came up. Nothing until I went to archives online of greenvilleonline.com which is an online version of The Greenville Newspaper. After reading the many headline details of the fire, one headline indicated,“If they would have had a sprinklers system in the hotel lives could have been saved”.

You would think out of respect for the victims they would have changed the name of the hotel or even had this hotel torn down. It just doesn’t sit well with me to see this hotel treat this situation as, business as usual.

Some people need to realize the power of the Blog, for if I had the opportunity to read someone’s blog about this hotel in advance, I would have never checked in.

[annie]

I have lived in simpsonville for over 6 years now and in th s.e. for over 30 and i have to tell you i am really getting to hate it. If you weren't born here, you'll never be one of them. If you don't go to their churchs, well forget about it. If you have any allergies, this is the worst place in the country for that. People will befriend you, but stab you in the back in a heart beat. The traffic has become atrocious, not to mention the terrible drivers who would rather run over you and give you the finger. Just the other day in Traverlers Rest there was an incident with a semi and car, and it's not unusual anymore to hear about "road-rage" around here. The locals do not like "yankees", who in their minds is anywhere north of south carolina. But, the good news there is the yankees are probably out numbering the locals now. They are arriving every day for the weather, the golfing, whatever they think the south has to offer. Sorry, but I wouldn't recommend it.

[annie]

Lisa wrote:

The smaller towns like Simpsonville offer everything you need, close to Greenville, 80 miles from Columbia. Affordable living & convinence. Good area for children.

I'm sorry did you say small town? Have you been here lately? We may be a small town, but getting all the problems you see in g'ville. I consider us a suburb of g'ville and it may be affordable, but the school system in this state is awful. We are always on the bottom of the list for everything. Good area for children if they don't need exercise, you have to drive them everywhere. It's scarey for an adult to cross our streets, let alone a child.

[Jessica]

Can you help us out also. My husband and I are moving this summer. I am from KY and he is from CT. WE are currently in MA and I cannot wait to get back south! We are looking for a carpentry job for him. What do you suggest?

[annie]

Jessica wrote:

Can you help us out also. My husband and I are moving this summer. I am from KY and he is from CT. WE are currently in MA and I cannot wait to get back south! We are looking for a carpentry job for him. What do you suggest?

Jessica this is the place for carpenters!! Building is at an all time high here.

[DamYankee]

Stephanie A wrote:

Hello people! My husband and I are thinking of moving to SC. We live in Rhode Island, he is from Colombia and I have lived in RI for over 30 years. What are the main industries in Greenville and where are the safest areas to live? Thanks for your help.

My husband our 2 kids and I moved here 8 months ago from MA. We grew up in MA, but moved to Simpsonville, SC because my 3 sisters and mother some how ended up here. Like I said, 8 months ago we came here and my husband STILL has not found a decent job. He's an IT/Networking Eng., worked over 12 years at his last job, left on great terms, has excellent references, NO ONE will hire him. He spends 40-50 hours a week job hunting...Also, the benefits here are terrible, no one wants to give you health ins, at least nothing that's decent. The schools here are terrible compared to most of the rest of the country. If you go online to Greenville public schools and look at their school report cards you'll see what I mean. The drivers here are crazy. I swear it's like they're gunning for you. And I also have been flipped off and sworn at (with my kids in the car no-less). If we could go back, back to our old house, back to his secure job, we'd go in a heartbeat, but we can't and we feel totally trapped here. You will ALWAYS be an outsider if you come here, sure yeah, the weather is nice, homes are on the cheaper side but so is the construction (cheaply made homes compared to up north) cars are OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive, we had sold my husbands car when we moved and had to replace it when we got here. Well they want $8,000 for a 10 year old car with 200,000 miles on it! ALso there are so many scam artists around here you REALLY have to be careful, we almost 2 cars that were salavaged, one from a flood, the other had been totaled! Sellers never mentioned it. Groceries cost more because you have to pay tax on them, clothes also. TAXES on EVERYTHING here! Any way, I'd find another place to go, the grass is definitely NOT greener in Greenville, SC!

[Buzz]

Listen to the other Dam Yankee. Nobody is safe here. Hopefully he will also move back to Mass. where the people are genetically superior and everything is wonderful and happy. Hey, maybe you should move there instead. Sounds like a great place!

[Thankyou]

Buzz wrote:

Listen to the other Dam Yankee. Nobody is safe here. Hopefully he will also move back to Mass. where the people are genetically superior and everything is wonderful and happy. Hey, maybe you should move there instead. Sounds like a great place!

I was thinking the same thing but u said it for me. I found out some great things about Greenville and my husband and I are moving there from Gainesville, Georgia next year. I have visited and have never experienced what the other lady was talking about. Thankyou for standing up for us. I look foward to moving there nxt year.

[annie]

Thankyou wrote:

<quoted text>
I was thinking the same thing but u said it for me. I found out some great things about Greenville and my husband and I are moving there from Gainesville, Georgia next year. I have visited and have never experienced what the other lady was talking about. Thankyou for standing up for us. I look foward to moving there nxt year.

Coming from someone who doesn't even live here yet!!!! Please..........

[annie]

Thankyou wrote:

<quoted text>
I was thinking the same thing but u said it for me. I found out some great things about Greenville and my husband and I are moving there from Gainesville, Georgia next year. I have visited and have never experienced what the other lady was talking about. Thankyou for standing up for us. I look foward to moving there nxt year.

Also you are a southerner, so this doesn't apply to you. You'd be welcome here. I came south in 1973 with my parents, and they still consider me an outsider. I'm talking more to the "yankees".

[Misc2000]

It's getting really crowded here in the upstate...

All the beautiful things we moved here for ten years ago are disappearing and will be gone soon.

I would recommend looking elsewhere if you plan on having/bringing a family with you.

After all of the public lake accesses and wildnerness have been closed off, it seems like the only thing left to do is go shopping. I'm from a mid atlantic state where people like to hang out and be friendly. Everyone is too busy being a consumer here. Additionally, cultural activities, outside of local culture, are, in my humble opinion, somewhat limited not in quantity, but in quality.

[OBZ2008]

I find it very interesting that the central theme of the complaints concerning the Greenville area has to do with how Greenville, and its outlying communities such as Simpsonville, has lost the very things that attracted people from other parts of the nation and the world to move to Greenville. Has anyone ever thought deeply about that concept? Road rage..crazy drivers..where did Greenvilians learn about that - who showed them how to do it? Bet it wasn't a "home grown" trait. Better yet, I wonder just how many long term Greenvilians are the actual perpetrators of crazy driving and road rage....hmmmm...something to think about. It's very easy to lump everyone into the same category, but it takes much more people skills to truly get to know a person regardless of their origin of birth or previous state address. I apologize to those who have been befriended and then hurt - for those who continue to feel like outsiders, etc. However, no matter where you go in the world, there will ALWAYS be haves and have-nots. There will ALWAYS be those who are so insecure within their own skin that excluding someone else or being friendly then nasty makes them feel like they are somebody. The characteristics are the same everywhere - only the names and faces change. I challenge those who feel like they don't fit in or feel they are spinning their wheels in a "cliche" town, church, or area to change their disposition by reaching out to someone else. It is when we focus on befriending someone else and helping those less fortunate than ourselves that our hurt feelings tend to put themselves where they belong - in the back seat. If we truly follow the golden rule, we cannot be blamed for not being good, kind, encouraging, and thoughtful of others regardless of how we think we may have been mistreated. It's time to start being adults and get off the playground with our silly "I am better than you" games. Greenville is like any other growing city/county; it is constantly changing. There is no way an influx of different cultures, characters, ways of life can come into an area and not change it. We need to all work hard to each do our part to keep Greenville as much of a beautiful and vibrant town that it is...and let's be nice to each other while we're at it.

[mike]

annie wrote:

I have lived in simpsonville for over 6 years now and in th s.e. for over 30 and i have to tell you i am really getting to hate it. If you weren't born here, you'll never be one of them. If you don't go to their churchs, well forget about it. If you have any allergies, this is the worst place in the country for that. People will befriend you, but stab you in the back in a heart beat. The traffic has become atrocious, not to mention the terrible drivers who would rather run over you and give you the finger. Just the other day in Traverlers Rest there was an incident with a semi and car, and it's not unusual anymore to hear about "road-rage" around here. The locals do not like "yankees", who in their minds is anywhere north of south carolina. But, the good news there is the yankees are probably out numbering the locals now. They are arriving every day for the weather, the golfing, whatever they think the south has to offer. Sorry, but I wouldn't recommend it.

Annie, you seem to have a little bit of bad luck down here. It sounds like you have some personal issues that you blame on where you live. I don't know of a more better place to live. The area is booming, with great schools and good jobs. There is plenty to do, and if you get bored, it's your own fault. We have the mountains 1 hour north, the beach 3 hours east, and Atlanta 2 hours south. I don't think it get's much better than that. The weather is mild year around, but the allergies can be a pain. Besides that, this place is great. I think you need to find new friends!