Living in Greenville, South Carolina

The Vibe
Greenville is a small city (big town?) with an outsized sense of momentum. It’s no longer a hidden gem; it wins plenty of awards as a "best city", and people are moving here for the revitalized downtown, the walkable riverfront, and the balance between affordability and culture. It’s the kind of place where a brewery opens in a former textile mill, and families line up for weekend food truck festivals at the park.

The downtown core is compact. Giving it a tight-knit vibe. The community is friendly, although with so many newbies, it's hard to say the locals are any one thing. It doesn’t feel manufactured; downtown is genuinely used by locals, with a steady stream of festivals, art shows, and community events. That energy has begun to spill over into surrounding neighborhoods, many of which are experiencing investment and reinvention.

You’re 45 minutes from the mountains. Lakes are close. Atlanta and Charlotte are within a two-hour drive. It’s a Southern city, but it draws newcomers from across the country.

Greenville doesn’t overwhelm you with options, but it offers a more than sufficient mix of social and outdoor options for most. Falls Park on the Reedy is the center of it all—a city park with a waterfall, curved pedestrian bridge, and outdoor stages that anchor everything from yoga classes to concerts.

The Swamp Rabbit Trail runs through the city and connects to parks, neighborhoods, and nearby towns. Cyclists, joggers, and stroller-pushers use it daily. The Peace Center brings in live performances, touring Broadway shows, and music events. Locals crowd into Fluor Field in the West End for minor league baseball and community nights.

Food has taken off in the past decade. You’ll find fine dining on Main Street, but also serious barbecue, vegan bakeries, and newer Asian and Latin spots popping up around Nicholtown and beyond.

Annual highlights include:

• Artisphere (May): One of the Southeast’s top art festivals
• Euphoria (September): A food and music festival that feels distinctly Greenville
• Downtown Alive and Main Street Fridays: Weekly free concerts downtown during spring and summer
• The Upstate Shakespeare Festival in Falls Park

To see what locals do for fun, check out the Greenville Calendar of Events.

We highly recommend visiting Greenville and staying in the community at a VRBO instead of a hotel to get a feel for what it's like to live among the locals. You can also receive discounted fares on travel through our partnership with Expedia.

Greenville has a unique economic makeup. It’s a manufacturing and engineering hub, with a legacy tied to BMW, GE, and Michelin, all of which have major operations in the area. Tech and logistics companies are starting to grow their footprint, especially near the airport and in newer flex-space developments.

Many people work in health care, education, and hospitality, too. Smaller businesses and startups are slowly taking hold in the city’s co-working spaces and converted mill buildings. It’s not remote-first yet, but more employers are open to hybrid roles, and fiber internet is widely available.

Commutes are manageable by Southern standards. Traffic tends to snarl at the usual morning and evening hours, but you're rarely more than 20 minutes from the office unless you're coming in from the outer suburbs.