Hi All,
I just joined UP, and I figured I'd start by introducing myself and my interest in this forum.
I'm a lifelong resident of Silver Spring, MD (suburb of DC), except for my 4 1/2 glorious years at Clemson from '88 - '92. While I was visiting my sister's family (they live in Devenger Place) in December, for the first time I began giving serious thought to the possibility of relocating to Greenville, mainly when my sister talked about real estate costs and when I watched my three year old son playing with his cousins. For the past four months my wife and I have been seriously considering this option. As I began my earnest quest to learn all I could about Greenville, I quickly found Urban Planet, and this forum has become an unparalleled resource for me. So let me offer a word of thanks to all.
During my years at Clemson I probably visited downtown Greenville four or five times; my sister's wedding and few concerts and basketball games at the old arena are all I can think of. And during fairly regular visits with my sister's family the past fifteen years, not once do I recall going into town. So I was surprisingly thrilled as I began to learn of Greenville's recent revitalization and growth. I had no idea! For years my wife and I have mulled the idea of living in DC, but we never fully embraced the idea of being in a city that large - at least in the parts that were somewhat affordable (we are now priced out of most anything within thirty miles of DC). Suddenly, Greenville was becoming a way to live in a city with ample cultural amenities that was still manageable and affordable.
Our interest reached the point that in April we spent a week with my sister, visiting the family but also taking frequent and intentional "scouting trips" downtown to get to know the city and investigate myriad "livability" issues. The bottom line is that we were swept off our feet, and I am now ramping up my search for a job in Greenville (I work in GIS), as we are 80 - 90% sure we would make this move if I found an attractive position.
So, I decided that I'd go ahead and join this forum formally, since I still have tons of questions and I'm sure I'll be coming back here frequently to get them answered. I think I have some things to contribute as well. Thanks again for being one of my main portals into getting to know Greenville, and I look forward to interacting with you.
By the way, I'd like to share my impressions from my visit, but I think this post is long enough already, and they probably would fit better elsewhere. Is there a topic along the lines of "a visitor's first impressions"? Perhaps it would make more sense to divide my thoughs along geographic and topical lines and post them in existing threads.
