Hey, GVL. Grace here. 👋 It’s no surprise that Greenville is a great place to live. There are plenty of people who grew up here + have lived here for most of their lives (like Editor Ana), and then there are also lots of people living here like myself, who moved here from out of state. I’m originally from Maryland and moved here with my family when I was in middle school, so I’ve been here for a while now.

Today, we want to talk to the Greenville newbies – what brought you to the Upstate? Was it to be closer to family, the price of housing, or something totally different? We want to hear from you + highlight all of the awesome things that make our city such a great place to live.

We’ll be sharing your answers in a future newsletter.

Question

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#Answered:

Here’s just some what some of you said:

“[I moved from] New York state. I moved here to work for GE. The opportunities were better down here.” – Lauren W.

“We were living in Atlanta, and couldn't take the traffic any longer...Greenville is the perfect spot between a giant metropolitan city and a proverbial college town. There are plenty of ‘big city’ amenities, while still being a place where you can see the stars at night...” – Sean R.

“I was relocated here for work from Boston, MA. I stayed when I saw how cute downtown was and also realized I could throw out my ice scraper!” – Sarah S.

“I moved from Jackson, MS in 2000 because I got divorced & my parents had moved here for Dad’s job at Lockheed Martin. One of my best decisions ever!” – Kat G.

“Came for a job and fell in love with a city, a community, and a lifestyle. The job is gone, but we are 864 for life.” – Michelle S.

“I was looking for a cycling event to celebrate my 60th birthday and found out about the Hincapie Gran Fondo. We came down to do the event knowing nothing about Greenville and we were hooked. A year later we built our house and then we moved here in 2018!!” – Todd I.

“...I am originally from Detroit, Michigan. Born and raised there...almost 27 years ago, I had enough of the traffic, snow and cold, so I decided to move. I stayed overnight in Greenville (with my then wife) on the way back driving back to Detroit after touring Charlotte and Raleigh. It was a Thursday night in early September...there was something about Greenville that touched me. I asked my wife if she wanted to move to Greenville, she said yes, I didn't ask her again. Sold the house in 5 days, loaded up the moving truck, and headed down to Greenville knowing nobody and having no employment...moving to Greenville was one of the best decisions I've made in my life...I can't believe it's been 27 years...and I still haven't picked up a Southern accent.” – Stephen G.
“My fiancé and I moved from MD + DE for warmer temps, no snow shoveling and friendlier people. Our search found us Greenville and the city moved to the top of our list. After 2 visits we fell in love with the area, the food, and the south. Hall's creamed corn and the Swamp Rabbit Stecca bread is what did me in. We're retired and loving life!!” – Joe G.

“My parents are small business owners originally from Connecticut. They moved here because of lower taxes and business incentives, and after visiting them several times while living in Virginia after graduating from college, I fell in love with the area and followed in their footsteps!” – Tara W.

“Moved from Tampa, originally from Illinois. We were tired of the heat, cost of living, traffic, etc. Greenville gave that ‘city vibe’ with affordability and better commutes.” – Seth L.

“We had never been to the upstate area but had heard Greenville was better than Asheville, which we had liked for our next living location. Then, we got evacuated 3 consecutive years from Daufuskie Island due to Hurricanes, Matthew being a direct hit. Each evac we came to Greenville and we liked it more and more after every visit. We moved from beach paradise to Greenville in August 2019 and LOVE it. Clearly the pandemic has put a damper on everything, but a great place to live!” – Kevin M.

“A Google search brought me here! I had never been to Greenville but made the move after I searched ‘top places to live in South Carolina’ and Greenville was #1 on the list! I packed my bags and made the move from South Florida.” – Lauren C.

“I grew up in Rochester NY but had been living in New York City for 20 years. After my first kiddo was born I realized how inaccessible the city was and knew I wanted more for us. My husband and I began exploring options. My mom had moved to Anderson in 2011 so after visiting family in Raleigh and Michigan we took a trip to SC. As we walked over the Liberty bridge and saw the beautiful waterfalls, we looked at each other and said that this was home. The beauty, family friendly nature, ease of getting around and growth of the city was the main attraction. We left NYC in April of 2019 and purchased a house in the Sans Souci area, having never looked back. We ADORE Greenville!!!” – Heather R.

“We are from NY, we retired and wanted a slower pace to life. And we love the change of seasons and Greenville fit our needs perfectly. We visited and fell in love with downtown. The top notch restaurants, the sporting events and the friendly people sealed the deal! We’ve been here 7 years and have loved every minute of it!!! Thank you Greenville!!” – Loretta S.

“Atlanta native, but spent 4 years in Columbia for school and then a new job brought me to Greenville. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else!” – Kristie C.

“The beauty of downtown, the restaurants, the arts, and the southern hospitality!” – Diane H.

“I was looking for a cycling event to celebrate my 60th birthday and found out about the Hincapie Gran Fondo. We came down to do the event knowing nothing about Greenville and we were hooked. A year later we built our house and then we moved here in 2018!!” – Todd I.

“Lower taxes, better weather, close proximity to the mountains and a slower pace of life.” – Jill S.

“We moved to Greenville from West Virginia in January 2020. My husband and I were both promoted to new positions that required us to work at our employer's corporate headquarters in Greenville. We also have family in the area, so we were thrilled to make the move!” – Terri W.

“Graduated from Furman in '02, then moved all over the country for grad school and job changes (MD, AR, AZ), then chose to come back to Greenville from Phoenix when we both decided to work from home. We chose Greenville for the schools, the mountains, and to be closer to family.” – Pearce B.