10 Pros and Cons of Living in Greenville SC

10 Pros and Cons of Living in Greenville SC

Greenville, SC has been gaining in popularity recently, so we wanted to break down all the pros
and cons of living in Greenville SC to give you an unbiased overview of this expanding city.
Our team did some extensive research and determined all aspects of what makes Greenville
great, but also uncovered the annoyances and shortcomings that you may not realize on a short
trip or vacation to the city.
Greenville has earned many awards and has made it onto several “top city” lists recently. In fact,
we named it the 3rd best city in all of South Carolina and it was ranked 10th best on
Livibility.com’s top 100 cities in the US. But, there are several reasons why it may not be perfect
for everybody.

Pros of Living in Greenville SC

1. Thriving Downtown
Greenville is best known for its lively downtown area that offers an excellent blend of dining,
shopping, and entertainment options for all ages. The local government has been actively
investing to revitalize this area and the result has been a beautiful district that residents love to
spend time in.
The local planners made sure to develop a walkable area with mixed-use buildings containing
residential and commercial spaces to allow the whole community to interact and help develop
strong connections.
Today, downtown Greenville is filled with quaint cafes, craft breweries, and specialty boutiques
among several new residential buildings. There are also tons of great restaurants as Greenville
continues to build on its reputation as a foodie haven. It even made People Magazine’s list of
the 10 hottest foodie cities in America.
Additionally, downtown is the host to numerous fairs, festivals, and live music events all
throughout the year.

2. Growing Economy
Greenville’s strong growth has been tied to its ability to create jobs in the local economy and
attract talent and also large corporations to the city.
There are several Fortune 500 companies that have built an office in Greenville, which is pretty
impressive considering the relatively small size of the city. Michelin, 3M, Lockheed Martin, and
GE are some examples of big companies that are located in and around the Greenville area.
Meanwhile, Greenville’s job market is expected to grow by almost 40% in the next 10 years,
which is also higher than the national average.  Greenville’s emergence as a hub for technology
could potentially aid this growth even further.

3. Affordability
For all the great amenities and job prospects that Greenville offers, its cost of living is quite
reasonable. In fact, the overall cost of living is about 5% lower than the national average.
Your dollar goes a bit further here than other big cities in South Carolina and in the South in
general, making it a strong value.

4. The Great Outdoors
It’s right in the name of the city. The numerous parks and outdoor space around the city really
put the “green” in Greenville. There is the picturesque Falls Park on the Reedy that is located
right in the heart of the city, which contains a waterfall of the Reedy River that runs through the
city.
Along the river, there are numerous hiking and biking trails and well as the Greenville Zoo,
which is another impressive amenity for a small city to have.
Greenville is also surrounded by large expanses of nature, with many nature preserves, lakes,
and rivers just a short drive from downtown. On top of that, Greenville is just a couple of hours
away from the famous Blue Ridge Mountains, giving nature lovers a variety of choices to enjoy
the outdoors.

5. Weather
Residents of Greenville can expect to enjoy warm weather all year round as it is officially
located in a subtropical climate. Winter lows never go below freezing, while highs are in the mid
50s. Summers are warm, maybe too warm for some (we will get to that in the cons).
You can also expect to experience all four seasons in Greenville, with the chance of snow in the
winter, a beautiful transformation during the spring, the hot summer, and the crisp air and
radiant foliage in the autumn.

Cons of Living in Greenville SC

1. Rising Housing Costs
While the overall cost of living remains relatively low, housing prices in Greenville have been
increasing at a higher rate. According to Zillow, the average home value in Greenville is about
$230,000, which is up about 9% since last year. That also represents a 50% increase over the
last 5 years.
The Greenville real estate market is predicted to continue to be a hot market through 2021, as
low interest rates and a limited supply of houses should both contribute to higher home
valuations.
So, the best time to get into the market may be now.

2. Heat and Humidity
While Greenville’s subtropical climate may be great during the mild winters and pleasant spring
and falls, the summers can get excruciatingly hot.
It usually starts to reach above 80 degrees starting in May and it is not uncommon to have many
days of 90-100 degree weather between June and August.
On top of that, it can get extremely humid as well. Even though Greenville is not in the deep
south like Florida or Alabama, the heat and humidity is not much different.

3. Limited Diversity
Greenville continues to expand and improve, but remains a bit limited in diversity in terms of
ethnic and cultural aspects. Don’t expect Greenville to mirror the streets of New York City, which
also means that there are less options for authentic ethnic cuisines.
Additionally, there is a lot of suburban sprawl outside of downtown, with many similar, cookie-
cutter type subdivisions that some may find lack in character.

4. Crime
Not everything in Greenville is perfect. As the city continues to expand, it has had a difficult time
fully controlling all parts of the city. Currently, the crime rate in Greenville is 84% higher than the
national average. But, just like any city, it is not all bad and there are some specific areas to look
out for. This map can help you locate the safest neighborhoods in Greenville.

5. Congestion and Lack of Public Transportation
For a city of this size, Greenville suffers from a lot of traffic and congestion that you may not
expect. You may experience some pretty significant backups on Woodruff Road, a main
thoroughfare in the eastern part of town that leads to the main commercial district outside of
downtown.

It is easy to understand why, as that street is lined with all the major big box stores like Walmart,
Target, Costco, and other shopping plazas that the whole city heads to on weekends.
South Carolina drivers have also been characterized as “unpredictable” at times, which may
lead to some of the traffic.

Meanwhile, downtown Greenville is indeed very walkable, but you will need a car to access the
rest of the city, such as the commercial district mentioned earlier. The city lacks a strong public
transportation system, so you will likely need to use a car everyday unless you live
downtown. The overall walk score for Greenville is just 43 out of 100, while its transit score only
earned a 19 out of 100.

Summary
Greenville offers a great mix of downtown and suburban living with easy access to many
outdoor activities, and a growing economy. But, it suffers from rising housing costs, extreme
heat in the summer, areas of crime, and some unexpected traffic.
We hope that this review of the pros and cons of living in Greenville SC will help you decide if
this is the right place for you.