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[prephd]

Tell me what you know!

Thanks.

[prytania3]

It's not that far from Gaffney.

[reener06]

Based on a conference a few years back:

-nice downtown area with shops & restaurants, but I didn't check it out that much
-near Charlotte, which can be a plus or minus depending on your viewpoint
-near the western Carolina mountains, which is nice, but also not far from the beach
-BMW plant used to be there, I think it still is; if so, big employer
-overall, nice taste of the South but close to the mountains, which I like; however, I can't tell you much more, sorry.

[charlesr]

Great small city.

[prephd]

Anyone know what the local culture is like? That's something I can't find from a google search.

[skinnymargarita]

Lived near Flat rock which is close for a summer. Nice people, slow, pretty, can't say much more. Some people had never been outside of Flat Rock.

[locutus]

Anyone know what the local culture is like? That's something I can't find from a google search.

Are you familiar with the South, culturally speaking, or do you want something more specific?

[chomp96]

Greenville-Spartanburg is a relatively-well-educated area, and (along with Charleston) is one of two parts of SC that many Forumites from other parts of the country could happily live in.  The GSP area has some high-tech industry that draws comparisons to Raleigh-Durham, with less traffic.  The public schools are good overall, although it's no Fairfax County, VA or Cambridge, MA.

The location is nice (very close to foothills/mountains) and it's just over an hour from Asheville, an hour and a half from Charlotte, and two hours from Atlanta.  The cost of living is very low, compared to almost any metro area outside of the Rust Belt; the median home price was about $140K a couple of years ago.

Both Furman (in Greenville) and Wofford (in Spartanburg) are respected LACs, and Converse isn't bad, either.  There are some other institutions in the area (SC-Upstate and the ubiquitous Bob Jones immediately come to mind).

When I interviewed at one of the local colleges, I had a hard time finding anything to dislike about the place.  However, I'm a native southerner and married with kids, so YMMV.

[canadatourismguy]

Chime...Greenville is a beautiful town and would probably be the only place in SC I'd live other than Charleston.  The schools are good and the quality of life is high.  I think it may be higher than perhaps Charleston because cost of living is so much lower (though Charleston has many more amenities).

[airball]

I don't know about Greenville, but SC seems to be a pretty forgiving place if you are prone to anti-Semitic gaffes.

http://thetandd.com/articles/2009/10/18/opinion/doc4ad90f14cb86e810566587.txt

[spork]

It's not that far from Gaffney.

Just past the peach.


What chomp96 said -- a fabulous area.

[mended_drum]

There's a strong and growing arts community in the Upstate (which is what natives call that area of South Carolina); even the much smaller Spartanburg has an arts center, complete with a ballet, and the Greenville Peace Center brings in all kinds of big shows.  It's sort of weaving itself into the vibrant Asheville area, so if you're fond of concerts, film, theater, or painting/drawing/sculpting, there's much to find with a little bit of looking.  Recently, this has helped faculty in the area who don't belong to a local church or socialize through their children expand their social network a bit.

Lots of food choices, with Greek having a long tradition in the area and various forms of Indian restaurants opening everywhere.  In addition to Furman, Wofford, and Converse, there is a branch of the University of South Carolina (USC-Upstate), a number of community colleges other 2-year institutions, and, of course, Bob Jones University.

Greenville has a reputation of being more conservative overall than its neighbors (Asheville and Spartanburg), but partly that's because of Bob Jones U. and certain very vocal pastors.  Several of the colleges / universities provide domestic partner benefits, and there was an Upstate Pride march this year.

The area's economy used to depend on textiles, though most of those are on the way out (Millikan being the major company remaining, and the one with close ties to local colleges and universities).  The BMW plant is still there, and partially because of it, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport can get you to most of the major hubs--but Charlotte is easily drivable if you find a cheaper flight directly from there.  Boeing has just announced that they're moving a plant into the area, and the jobs that brings are pretty exciting to the locals.

The weather is fantastic.  Four seasons with gorgeous fall foliage, but a real snow only once every four or five years.   This climate means that if you garden, you can get two growing seasons in with the colder weather plants (lettuces, etc).  PM me if you have specific questions.

[spork]

Culturally-speaking, the larger towns and cities of the upstate SC are not nearly as "southern" as other parts.  And I wouldn't classify much of SC as "deep southern," like AL or MS.  People say "bless your heart" but you can often tell what they really mean by it.

[prytania3]

Woh. Aren't you forgetting Clemson?

[chomp96]

Clemson is out in the middle of nowhere, about 30 miles from Greenville (in the opposite direction from Spartanburg).  It's a decent R1, with all of the nice things that come along with that.