Where in Greenville SC should my friends look for a house?

June 11, 2005 9:30 AM

Some friends just accepted jobs in Greenville, SC (moving from Boston area). Before they'll be able to hook up with a realtor, they want to do some house-hunting online. Does anyone have suggestions for towns to look at or towns to avoid?

They've got some dogs, so they want to buy a place with a decent-sized lot, and maybe close to parks where they can walk them. They also like sporting events (Sox and Pats fans) and artsy cultural stuff.

posted by thinds66 to home & garden (4 comments total)

I'm about an hour from Greenville, inside Georgia. I'm in GReenville once a month or so for things, and I'm impressed by the place. It has a small-town feel to it, but has a great downtown and a cultural center that consistently brings in big-name acts. Reminds me of Athens, GA, where I work and spend my days, but without an Atlanta close by, they get touring acts that skip Athens.

If they don't want to live in Greenville proper, I suggest Anderson, a small town between me and Greenville. It'd be about a half-hour drive to the city, has an old-timey downtown, a farmers' market, easy access to the lakes, and as a bonus, one of the country's best sushi shefs has recently decided to retire to Anderson and opened a small but excellent restaurant.
posted by ewagoner at 2:58 PM on June 11, 2005

Er... "sushi chefs".
posted by ewagoner at 2:59 PM on June 11, 2005

Greenville is the only town in the area unless they want to drive 20 miles. It's not big enough to have suburbs. As for 'parks', they should have no problem finding fenced-in softball fields or a nearby pasture.

The only real 'sports' nearby is Clemson University, but getting football tickets is next to impossible if they're not alumni. Clemson would have any artsy stuff you would normally find at a rural agricultural university. Atlanta is about 3 hours away. I don't know if Charlotte has any pro teams.

Do they know they are moving to redneck heaven? Charlotte Simmons, the character in Tom Wolfe's new novel, was from very near Greenville, albeit on the NC side of the border. I hope they are prepared for some massive culture shock.
posted by mischief at 3:08 PM on June 11, 2005

I don't know if Charlotte has any pro teams.

The Carolina Panthers and the Charlotte Bobcats are both based in Charlotte (~1.5 hours away from Greenville).
posted by mediareport at 4:33 PM on June 12, 2005