The Greenville Area The same abundant streams and rivers, forested hillsides, and moderate climate that provided a home first to Cherokee Indians and later to Scotch-Irish and English settlers in the 18th century continue to attract new residents to Greenville today. Always considered convenient for travelers, traders and later textile manufacturers, Greenville is even more attractively situated today in the center of the “Boom Belt” between Charlotte and Atlanta. Greenville County boasts favorable taxes and affordable housing in a wide variety of price ranges and styles for residents entering the housing market for the first time or for those seeking larger, more prestigious residences. From the suburban Eastside to the well-established western part of the county, from the scenic mountains in the north to the verdant southern end, Greenville County offers warm, single-family neighborhoods with plenty of amenities and friendly apartment and condominium communities. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s estimates, Greenville has a population of about 56,000. That’s not a big city. Certainly not big enough to account for the vigorous building activity this area has seen in recent years. Look beneath the surface. South Carolina has restrictive annexation laws that make it difficult for cities to grow by expanding their boundaries. Most of Greenville is outside the city in suburban and urbanized areas in unincorporated parts of the county. These areas are big and getting bigger every day. Greenville County is the largest in South Carolina and in the past decade has seen significant population growth, particularly among those ages 25 to 44, which bolster the area economy. In 2005, the county had an estimated population of 407,000. The Greenville-Spartanburg metropolitan area, which includes the 10-county area, is estimated to have a population exceeding two million. Greenville’s economy continues to thrive, with capital investment announcements coming nearly each day. A good indicator is Greenville County’s unemployment rate, which, at 5.1 percent, has remained below the state rate for several years. Greenville County also is the state’s leader in retail sales and one of its leaders in accommodations tax revenues. Housing sales and the number of building permits issued are on the rise. Add it all up, and it means that if you can’t find what you’re looking for here, you probably don’t need it. There are, however, plenty of diversions relatively close by. From Greenville, North Carolina’s mountains are only an hour’s drive away. Charlotte is two hours northeast on I-85; take the same highway southwest, and about three hours later you’re in Atlanta. And you can leave for South Carolina’s beaches after breakfast and get to the coast in time for a late lunch. To aid in your exploration, we’ve divvied up the county into seven areas. AREA 1 The southern portions of this area offer the most housing opportunities, and its northern reaches glow with glorious scenery. If you start in downtown Greenville and drive northeast on Wade Hampton Boulevard (U.S. 29), after a few minutes you’ll find yourself in Taylors. On the way, you’ll pass Bob Jones University, a fundamentalist Christian school that’s worth checking out for its world-renowned collection of Renaissance and Reformation religious art. Taylors is a well-established area with numerous neighborhoods and developments worth exploring. If you turn off Wade Hampton Boulevard onto Edwards Mill Road and drive just under a mile, you’ll see the remains of an old mill whose water wheel was driven by Mountain Creek. From Taylors, you can continue on Wade Hampton Boulevard to Greer. Greer is split by the Greenville-Spartanburg county line and is catching growth from both directions. In spite of the rapid residential, commercial and industrial development going on here – growing from 16,800 in 2000 to over 20,000 today – Greer maintains its small-town aura. Families congregate in parks and playgrounds as well as in the quaintly steeple churches that abound. The Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport is also located in Greer. If you take Main Street (S.C. 14) north out of Greer, you’ll soon reach the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway (S.C. 11). On the way, you’ll pass close by the Campbell covered bridge, the last covered bridge in South Carolina. The highways intersect at Gowansville, near the Links O’Tryon, a golf course development. Go west on S.C. 11 for views of Glassy and Hogback mountains. Atop Glassy Mountain, you’ll find The Cliffs at Glassy, an exclusive community that features a nationally known golf course. On clear, calm days, it’s common to see hang gliders soaring over the countryside. North of S.C. 11, housing choices grow scarcer. The area is mountainous and most of it is not zoned. Additionally, much of the area lies within the Greenville Water System’s North Saluda watershed and is protected by easements granted to the Nature Conservancy. A drive up old U.S. 25 through the watershed takes you through beautiful scenery. Visit the Poinsett Bridge, a stone arch span built in 1820 as part of the first road from South Carolina’s coast to North Carolina’s mountains. Closer to town, along State Park Road, you’ll find numerous new homes. From its intersection with State Park Road, Altamont Road takes you to the top of Paris Mountain, where the real estate is pricey and the views are dazzling. AREA 2 This area is what folks refer to as the “Eastside,” and the term is synonymous with Greenville County’s explosive growth over the last 25 years. The completion of the BMW manufacturing plant in 1994 along I-85 near the Greenville-Spartanburg county line was a huge catalyst. Housing options abound in both established and new developments, as do choices for shopping and dining. Two of the Greenville County school district’s most prestigious high schools, Eastside and Riverside, are in this district, as is a branch of the Greater Greenville YMCA and South Carolina’s first permanent ice rink. The area stretches from the Greenville city limits to the Greenville-Spartanburg county line between Wade Hampton Boulevard and I-85. It includes part of the city of Greer — the part, in fact, in which the city has grown the most through an aggressive annexation campaign that has nearly doubled its geographic size. Apartment dwellers can easily find a home in this area. Pelham Road and East North Street are dotted with complexes offering everything from basic flats and townhouses to luxury units. The single-family home, however, defines the boom on the Eastside. A home can be found in almost any price range, from modest bungalows along Edwards Road to Thornblade, an elegant, upscale golf course community. There’s a wide selection of moderately priced and mid-range housing in developments that flank Pelham Road, East North Street/Old Spartanburg Road and Hudson Road. Hudson Road also sports several developments higher on the price scale. Nearby is Sugar Creek, one of the largest developments in South Carolina with more than 2,000 houses. Thornblade is one of the most prestigious developments in the Upstate, combining homes, garden homes and villas with a Tom Fazio-designed golf course. Thornblade Crossing, a gated town home community, is on Batesville Road. East Riverside Park and The Pavilion, both operated by the Greenville County Recreation District, are in Area 2. East Riverside Park, near Riverside High School, offers picnic, playground and athletic facilities. The Pavilion, on Scottswood Drive, features an Olympic-sized ice rink as well as soccer fields, indoor and outdoor tennis courts and a game room. The Eastside also has become a center for health-care services. The St. Francis Women’s and Family Hospital is on Commonwealth Drive. The Greenville Hospital System has an after-hours, urgent-care facility nearby, and a growing number of doctors are locating their offices in the area. AREA 3 The boom in Area 2 was so complete that prime residential real estate began to grow scarce. Consequently, Area 3 is now where much of the action is in Greenville County. Area 3 is informally known as the “Woodruff Road area” because the Woodruff Road corridor is where most of the commercial and business development is taking place. From Japanese hibachi cuisine to burgers and fries, restaurant choices are broad. The area also has attractions for the history-minded. Nathaniel Austin, one of Greenville County’s earliest settlers, built his homestead on Gilder Creek, which flows through Mauldin, at about the same time Richard Pearis was building his mill at Reedy River Falls in what is now downtown Greenville. In 1820, the Rev. Thomas Hutchings built the county’s first textile mill on the Enoree River at the present-day community of Pelham. The Williams Bates house, built in 1835 for an early textile pioneer, can be seen from S.C. 14 not far from the intersection with Pelham/Batesville Road. Housing choices are broad and much of the construction is newer than in other parts of the county. Much of it also is in the upper price ranges, but there are good buys to be found in older developments closer to Mauldin, Simpsonville and Fountain Inn. Planned communities with excellent amenities abound and luxury custom homes with amenities to match are the focus at KingsBridge on Batesville Road. This 135-acre master-planned, gated community features everything from maintenance-free garden home lots to homesites that span from one to two acres. AREA 4 The development in Area 3 spilling across I-385 has become a flood. Indeed, Mauldin, Simpsonville and Fountain Inn, which are strung out along the highway, have long been among the fastest-growing areas not only in South Carolina but also in the Southeast. They don’t call it the Golden Strip for nothing. The area will be further boosted by the International Center for Automotive Research under construction at I-85 and Laurens Road. The center is a project of Clemson University and is expected to bring thousands of jobs to the Upstate. With about 6,600 residents, Fountain Inn established a reputation for itself because of its success in attracting industrial development. Industrial and commercial growth in the area has been tremendous, with manufacturers such as Hitachi and Kyocera Mita building plants and W.W. Grainger erecting a huge distribution center. Residential construction is starting to catch up to the pace of industrial development and builders have taken advantage of easy access to I-385 and of rolling open countryside that used to be prime farmland. The district includes the area from the Greenville city limits down to the Greenville-Laurens county line between I-385 and U.S. 25. Established communities include Neely Farm and Powderhorn. Houses in Saddlers Ridge and Standing Springs Estates are priced for first-time buyers. Just up the road is Simpsonville, another town happily taking the new-home spillover from the Eastside with a population of 15,000. Downtown Simpsonville is working hard to provide entertainment and services for its new residents and additional shopping is abundant to the north along Woodruff Road. Closer still to the city of Greenville is Mauldin, once merely a bedroom community, now a viable town in its own right facing burgeoning growth like the rest of the region with about 19,000 residents. But city leaders are keeping expansion in check with a plan that includes improved infrastructure, new schools, recreational facilities and city beautification. AREA 5 This area, defined by U.S. 123, U.S. 25 and the Saluda River, consists mostly of established neighborhoods of modest homes and industrial and commercial development. Communities around the Lakeview Golf Course in the south include Chesterfield Estates and Belle Terre Acres. The area has seen increased residential and commercial development due to the completion of the Southern Connector, I-185, which serves as a bypass through the southern part of the city and connects I-85 to I-385. AREA 6 This area stretches from the outskirts of Greenville to the N.C. state line. Area 6 is the crucible in which Greenville County’s position as a manufacturing center was formed in the early part of this century. The textile communities on Greenville’s West Side are long in the tooth and much diminished, but Greenville owes quite a bit to them. It will be helpful if you start your tour in downtown Greenville and work your way out. Arranged in a rough arc around the central city are the mill communities of Mills Mill, Dunean, Judson, Brandon, Woodside, Monaghan, Poe and American Spinning. Only a couple of the old mills still produce textiles; several have been converted to other uses. Mills Mill has recently been converted into high-end loft condominiums. Many of the old mill village houses have been well tended, and they might offer an alternative for entry-level home buyers with a strict budget. Moving out along Poinsett Highway, Buncombe Road, Cedar Lane Road and White Horse Road, you’ll see established neighborhoods of modest homes at affordable prices. Perhaps because the transportation network is not as well developed as on the Eastside, the area has lagged in residential growth. However, the farther you drive up Buncombe Road and White Horse Road, the more possibilities you’ll find for newer houses. You should investigate as well the area around Furman University and explore the Furman campus, which is breathtakingly beautiful. The school was originally on the southern fringe of downtown Greenville, but in 1958 moved to a new campus on Poinsett Highway. The focal point of the 750-acre school is a lake that features a bell tower moved from the old campus. Green Valley Country Club and Stratford Forest are two upscale communities in the area. You’ll also find some new construction in the Furman area. Builders have moved into the Travelers Rest area, and you’ll find increasing choices for housing in a variety of price ranges. Poinsett Highway (U.S. 25) takes you north past Furman University to Travelers Rest, so named by early settlers who found it an ideal spot to refresh before continuing arduous journeys into the mountains. The area’s attractions — proximity to both the city of Greenville and the mountains — continue to draw residents. Several new high-end developments are located in Travelers Rest. Continue out of Travelers Rest for a stroll around the campus of North Greenville College. Nearby is Laurel Valley, a community centered on a P.B. Dye-designed golf course, The Gauntlet. The other route out of Travelers Rest, U.S. 276, takes you to the top of Caesar’s Head, past Caesar’s Head State Park and Raven Cliff Falls and on to Brevard, N.C. At the top of the mountain, there’s a close-knit community where there are housing opportunities for those with a rugged spirit. Just up U.S. 276 from Travelers Rest, you’ll pass through Slater-Marietta, an old mill community. Above Slater-Marietta, Area 6 begins to take on its mountain glory. At the intersection of U.S. 276 and S.C. 11, head north a bit on 11 to Pleasant Ridge County Park. A short distance after U.S. 276 crosses the Middle Saluda River, River Falls Road turns off to the right. There are housing opportunities — some with picturesque mountain views — along River Falls Road and Gap Creek Road. At the end of River Falls Road is the entrance to Jones Gap State Park, which offers hiking, fishing and primitive camping. U.S. 276 goes on up to the top of Caesar’s Head Mountain. On the way up, stop at Bald Rock, a huge granite outcropping that provides panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. At the top of the mountain is the access trail to Raven Cliff Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in the eastern United States. AREA 7 This area is the city of Greenville, the business, cultural, and government center of Greenville County. Housing choices in all price ranges are plentiful. You’ll find character and charm and more than a few treasures. Main Street underwent a major revitalization about 25 years ago, and the tree-lined boulevard is beautiful throughout the year. Nightlife has returned to downtown, and the central business district is a social gathering place most similarly sized cities would love to have. The renovation of Falls Park on the Reedy River includes a 355-foot suspension bridge, 20 acres of public gardens and two amphitheaters, which host the annual Upstate Shakespeare Festival, Art in the Park and other concerts and events. The park has encouraged residential and commercial construction nearby. Some of the more interesting housing opportunities can be found in downtown buildings that are being converted into apartments and condominiums. The West End Market is pumping new life into a part of downtown that had long been neglected. The north end of downtown is anchored by the Hyatt Hotel and Greenville Commons, the south end by the Peace Center for the Performing Arts. Piazza Bergamo is a plaza built to commemorate Greenville’s link with Bergamo, Italy, a sister city. One of the most exciting newer developments in Greenville is the restored Westin Poinsett Hotel. In its glory years, the Poinsett was known for its high-class ways. In fact, the change in the cash register at the front desk was polished to a high gloss. Having fallen into disrepair, the 12-story building, which was built in 1925 and is in the National Register of Historic Places, was reopened in all its glory in 2000. Near downtown are four neighborhoods designated as historic preservation districts — Earle Street, Park Avenue, Hampton-Pinckney and Pettigru Street. The Earle Street and Hampton-Pinckney districts feature fine old homes. Whitehall, the oldest house in Greenville (1813), is on Earle Street. With restored older homes and newer businesses the Pettigru District is recognized as a local historic preservation district. North Main Street is in full color every spring, thanks to its median planted with hundreds of dogwood trees. Streets fan out into inviting neighborhoods and private estates. You might be surprised to discover a Frank Lloyd Wright house only minutes from downtown. Probably the most prestigious addresses in the city are McDaniel and Crescent avenues. The Augusta Road area was one of the earliest areas of expansion when Greenville began growing and today it has a character all its own. Retailers and restaurants are plentiful along Augusta, and the streets turning off it lead into comfortable neighborhoods. Chanticleer, a decidedly upscale development, is off Faris Road near the Greenville Hospital System’s Grove Road campus, the Upstate’s largest and most sophisticated center for medical services. Cleveland Park, near downtown, is the largest park operated by the city of Greenville. It’s also the site of the Greenville Zoo. The park is connected by a bicycle path with Reedy River Falls Park, the place where Greenville was born sometime around 1765 when Richard Pearis built a trading post and gristmill. CHARLOTTE OBSERVER FILE PHOTO