Greenville SC, is THIS the place to retire?

George Hincape thinks so. I have to admit that I know pretty much ZERO about Greenville, other than that Big George is from there, and still lives there I believe. I know (just found out recently) that he sponsors a Gran Fondo, which just took place about 2 weeks ago, in which Lance and some other Postal/Discovery guys were invited. Lance was legally ruled out by USADA and didn't ride, even though it wasn't a sanctioned race event. Boy, are they EVER going to let up on that guy? (oh, and speaking of Lance, I saw an ad for another documentary / show about Lance. It's called "Stop at nothing" and aired tonight (Friday)... and I'm already set to record it.

And back to today's topic....retirement in Greenville SC. Again, HUGE thanks to Wikipedia and Weather.com for providing a bunch of the info.

Greenville, South Carolina

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Greenville
City
City of Greenville
Skyline of Downtown Greenville
Seal Logo
Location in South Carolina
Coordinates: 34°50′40″N 82°23′8″WCoordinates: 34°50′40″N 82°23′8″W
Country	United States of America
State	South Carolina
County	Greenville
Founded	1831
Government
• Mayor	Knox H. White (R)
Area
• City	67.7 km2 (26.1 sq mi)
• Land	67.3 km2 (26.0 sq mi)
• Water	0.2 km2 (0.1 sq mi)  0.23%
• Urban	829.4 km2 (320.3 sq mi)
• Metro	7,221 km2 (2,788 sq mi)
Elevation	294 m (966 ft)
Population (2013)
• City	61,397[1]
• Rank	6th (SC)
• Density	911.7/km2 (2,361.4/sq mi)
• Urban	400,492 (US: 93rd)
• MSA	850,965[2] (US: 65th)
• CSA	1,438,550[3] (38th)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	29601-29617, 29698.
Area code(s)	864
FIPS code	45-30850
GNIS feature ID	1245842[4]
Website	www.greenvillesc.gov

Greenville (/ˈɡriːnvɪl/; locally /ˈɡriːnvəl/) is the seat of Greenville County in upstate South Carolina, United States.^[5] The city's mayor is Knox White, who has served as the mayor of Greenville since December 1995.^[6] With a population of 61,397 as of 2013, it is the sixth-largest municipality in the state.^[1] While having a small city population, its urban population was 400,492 as of 2010, making it the third-largest urban area in South Carolina as well as the fastest growing.^[7] Greenville is the largest city in the Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The MSA had a population of 850,965 in 2013, making it the largest in South Carolina.^[2]
Greenville is the largest city in the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson Combined Statistical Area. According to GSA Business Market Facts, the CSA had a population of 1,438,550 as of 2013, putting it in the position of largest in the state.^[3] The CSA, a 10-county region of northwestern South Carolina, is known as "The Upstate". Greenville is located approximately halfway between Atlanta, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina along Interstate 85, and its metropolitan area also includes Interstates 185 and 385.
Greenville has gained recognition in various national publications such as CNN Money, which ranked Greenville as one of the "Top 10 Fastest Growing Cities in the U.S." Bloomberg named Greenville the 3rd Strongest Job Market, 2010; and Forbes named Greenville the 13th Best City for Young Professionals. Additionally, the state of South Carolina has been ranked within the top 10 fastest-growing states and economies by the U.S. Commerce Department.

Here's the average temperature and rainfall graphs from Weather.com:

 

It would appear that the rainfall is quite consistent throughout the year (THAT would be quite unusual to me I have to admit). The daytime highs throughout the winter are ok....not a whole lot different than where I live now actually other than we don't drop into the 50's for daytime highs. Our night-time lows are close...we definitely get into the 30's (and occasionally below). The big diff for me is the summertime highs, AND the consistent rain. 

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the weather:

Climate

Greenville, like much of the Piedmont region of the southeastern United States, has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), with four distinct seasons; the city is part of USDA Hardiness zone 8a, transitioning to 7b in the northern and eastern suburbs.^[9] Winters are short and generally cool, with a January daily average of 42.2 °F (5.7 °C). On average, there are 59 nights per year that drop to or below freezing, and only 1.3 days that fail to rise above freezing.^[10] April is the driest month, with an average of 3.36 inches (85 mm) of precipitation.
Summers are hot and humid, with a daily average in July of 79.9 °F (26.6 °C). There is an average 43 days per year with highs at or above 90 °F (32 °C).^[10] Official record temperatures range from 107 °F (42 °C) on July 1, 2012, down to −6 °F (−21 °C) on January 30, 1966; the record cold daily maximum is 19 °F (−7 °C) on December 31, 1917, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is 80 °F (27 °C) on January 12, 1937, the last of three occasions.^[10] The average window for freezing temperatures is November 4 thru April 1, allowing a growing season of 217 days.^[10]
Precipitation is generally less frequent in autumn than spring,^[10] and on average, Greenville receives 47.2 inches (1,200 mm) of precipitation annually, which is somewhat evenly distributed throughout the year, although summer is slightly wetter; annual precipitation has historically ranged from 31.08 in (789 mm) in 2007 to 72.53 in (1,842 mm) in 1908.^[10] In addition, there is an average of 4.7 inches (11.9 cm) of snow, mainly in January thru March and rarely November or April, with more frequent ice storms and sleet mixed in with rain; seasonal snowfall has historically ranged from trace amounts as recently as 2011–12 to 21.4 in (54 cm) in 1935–36.^[10] These storms can have a major impact on the area, as they often pull tree limbs down on power lines and make driving hazardous.

OK....enough on the weather. How about Real Estate? Is it pricey? Cheap? THAT is just as important as the weather. Well...here's what I found: It seems rather CHEAP (in comparison to where I currently live anyway). Single family homes, 3 bedroom 2 bath, just under 1300sq feet. Here's some screen-shots of pictures and info:

 Of course, I know NOTHING of the area this house is in having never been there. So I can't say if this is a good deal or not. But it looks pretty nice...I could see us living in a house like this. 

This is the opening paragraph from "visitgreenvillesc.com":

WELCOME TO THE GREENVILLE EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT.

Nestled into the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Greenville, South Carolina has combined traditional southern charm, stunning natural beauty and an unexpected contemporary cool to create one of America's hottest emerging destinations and fastest growing cities. From a revitalized downtown ranked among "America's Ten Best" by Forbes Magazine to downtown Greenville's one-of-a-kind Liberty Bridge, quaint shops, boutiques, and fabulous restaurants to a world-class collection of museums, galleries, and Read More..

Oooh...sounds nice.

Appreciate any thoughts on this subject. I am getting excited to start visiting some of these places in the coming few years, and start to narrow the list down. 

Have a great weekend!

Cheers!