Friday, November 7, 2014

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
Skyline of Downtown Greenville
Official seal of Greenville
Seal
Official logo of Greenville
Logo
Location in South Carolina
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 (/ˈɡrnvɪl/; locally /ˈɡrnvəl/) 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!


5 comments:

  1. Saturday afternoon...back from my road ride (was an absolutely FABULOUS day!)...flipping thru all the awesome football games, and saw a Red Bull Dreamline show...it was the guys on BMX bikes riding thru a crazy course of jumps...and it was in Asheville NC! (we talked a bit about Asheville last week...I found it on the map not too far north of Greenville). Boy did it look BEAUTIFUL there...rolling hills, just starting to turn fall colors (I think it as filmed a week ago). I think Susie mentioned it was a somewhat more expensive retirement area for corporate types...even so I'm adding it to my list of places to watch. From MY perspective (road and Mt biker) it looks AMAZING. It will be interesting to follow these places thru the winter, watching temps and snow and such.

    AS to the ongoing football games, so far looks like Notre Dame AND Auburn are having BAD days...we'll see if either of them can pull it out. Some great games later too...Bama/LSU, Ohio State/Mich State...(and I peeked in at my pathetic Michigan...score sitting at 7-7 in the late 3rd quarter...Northwestern isn't looking too awfully sharp either). I think the OSU/M-State game will show who's who in the Big 12. That's a pretty big grudge match too.

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  2. Boy, Greenville sounds promising!

    I was interested in the LA documentary, although promoting it as the "biggest fraud ever" seems overblown to me -- but designed to appeal to the general American public who would never have heard or cared about him if he'd won only 4 Tours or the Worlds I guess. Let us know what you thought of it. I surely would prefer if the media would stop giving Tyler and Floyd platforms.

    Lovely day here today, too, autumn's last gasp it seems. So I am spraying off my potted citrus trees, and once nightfall hits they are coming inside for the winter. It is supposed to get down to 22F overnight Tuesday and that is too cold to hide them in the garage.

    I got my flu shot Thurs. before last (mandatory) and by Fri am was having chills, coughing, yucky feeling -lasted all week, didn't start to feel good until this past Thurs. That is the 1st time I have ever had a reaction to the shot. I think that my immune system was a bit challenged already since I was already coughing a bit after inhaling dust while shoveling leaf mulch, maybe that is why.

    Got better just in time, I was afraid I was going to have to skip seeing "The Lion King" -- I went and so glad I did. It is a beautifully imagined and costumed version of the children's movie -- the story almost doesn't stand up to the staging. Highly recommend you see it if you have the chance!

    Rae

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    Replies
    1. Rae, I've been lucky to never had any side-effects from the flu shots. I pretty much get them every year...was forced to my entire Navy career and now I do it just because I DO NOT want the flu!. Had it ONCE...and it hit me the day my first ship pulled out of port (so it was also my first Sea-day ever). Not a good combo I can tell you...sea-sick AND flu...I wanted to DIE!)

      We had a FABULOUS week/weekend...this week our temps are back down to our normal (daytime highs in the low 60's).

      Never had a chance to see Lion King, but I've seen a few broadway shows...Peter Pan (LONG ago...with Sandy Duncan as Peter), Phantom of the Opera, and Les Miserabes...all phenomenal! When we saw Les Mis we wanted to see Lion King but couldn't get tickets...but LM was just fabulous (had a rotating circular stage...so throughout the show the main dude would be actually walking forward, even though he was appearing to stay in place. The entire stage would be dark except for the spotlight on him, and off in the back they'd build each set as the floor went by....and it would rotate into view as he walked up to it....really original!) And the Phantom...the scene down in the catacombs on the rowboat...the stage was special built and it had hundreds of 'candles' that came up thru the fog, and the boat was driving a programmed route thru the fog/candles...just fabulous! And THEN...when the chandelier falls....I had NO idea (didn't know the story)...I had paid big bucks for great seats...we were lierally UNDER the chandelier...so when it was about to fall the spotlights went up to it, which was actually hanging over us out in the crowd...as everybody looked up...I looked up just as it started to fall...I think I screamed and jumped out of my seat...and then instead of falling down, it swung away and went into the stage...I think the entire place got a hoot out of ME freaking out. I was quite embarrassed obviously.

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  3. And what a CRAZY Saturday of College football! The top 25 losses were staggering as powerful teams fell like dominos! Most significant was #3 ranked Auburn's loss, taking them OUT of the playoff picture, all on a late fumble.

    Michigan (NOT in the top 25) held on to win a less than stellar game against another less than stellar team Northwestern. And Ol' Blue's nemesis (Ohio State) beat high ranked Michigan State in a powerful fashion (rats). Bama held on to beat LSU on the road, keeping them in the hunt, TCU looks pretty freaking amazing, and so does Arizona State. And don't count Baylor out either...even though likely NONE of these teams I just mentioned will have a berth in the mini playoff. Possibly Bama...but they have a very tough game on Sat (Ole Miss I believe).

    It's really getting exciting as the season winds down and the wins and losses mean so much more. It's been a pretty wild ride thus far, and I don't see that changing in the next few weeks as the season wraps up. Hang onto your hats ladies and gents!

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  4. I was hoping I'd be able to chat today but can't. Hopefully tomorrow!

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