We have a close friend who recently moved from Manhattan to South Carolina. During the Covid pandemic, he decided that his wife and young son would be better off with a bigger house. Bigger meant something different to our friend: he and his wife traded their 900 sq ft. apartment for a 2,400 sq. ft home in the Greenville neighborhood.
When you’re making the decision to move from New York to South Carolina, you probably have a lot of questions. Can I get decent sushi in South Carolina? We’re located on the ocean, so yes, you absolutely can get decent sushi in the Palmetto State.
But what other reasons might you have for packing up and moving across the country—or at least down the U.S. eastern seaboard—to make your home in the South. Admission: some of the writers of this article are transplants to Greenville themselves.
(For our Northern friends, Greenville is located in the western top corner of South Carolina, smack dab in the middle of Blue Ridge Mountains.)
Greenville and its surrounding neighborhoods have a lot to recommend to the northern transplant. Greenville County has more than half a million residents; the Greater Greenville area has a population of more than 1.5 million people.
There are many reasons to move South nowadays, but at Wilson Associates we want to celebrate the wonders of our city and state. If you’re considering moving from New York to South Carolina—in fact if you’re thinking about moving from anywhere in the country to SC—we present you with the 7 top reasons why you should make this move.
What’s It Like Living in Greenville, SC?
We’ve already established that you can buy sushi in South Carolina. We also have restaurants and stores—provided you don’t mind tying your horse to the hitching rail outside :).
The reason we’re focusing on Greenville, SC is because it is one of the Palmetto State’s best cities. You probably know Charleston. Rainbow Row, Fort Sumter, blah, blah, blah. No knock against Charleston. We love the Lowcountry as much as the next South Carolinian. Enjoying delicious painkiller cocktails on your skiff makes for the perfect afternoon.
But why would our colleague and friend move from New York to South Carolina to settle in Greenville?
Plenty of reasons from good eats to downtown shopping to its culture.
Good Eats and Treats
Do you like fried food? We’re not your doctor, so you can be honest with us.
South Carolina boasts some of the most downhome, succulent, countrified cooking that you can imagine. We have our BBQ and fried chicken of course, but also have a number of more unique delicacies guaranteed to whet your appetite.
From fried green tomatoes to she-crab soup, the Palmetto State has the reputation for turning garden-variety foods into culinary sensations.
Affordability
Affordability is one of the key reasons that folks from across the country are moving to South Carolina in droves. Take our friend who moved his family from New York to South Carolina just recently.
The current average rental price for a one-bedroom apartment in NYC? $2,129 per month. That’s one bedroom presumably for two or two people—you can scrunch in more if you go with bunk beds…but, excuse us, that’s fricking ridiculous!
For less money, you can buy this beautiful Craftsman-style home with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths in one of Greenville, SC’s tony neighborhoods.
You may not be able to get Afghan cuisine at 3am as in New York, but if you’re willing to wait until 11:30am, the good folks at Aryana Afghan in downtown Greenville would be delighted to serve you up some of their scrumptious eats.
Jobs
As workers in New York and elsewhere flee the high cost of living associated with the coasts, they want to settle down in a place where they can afford to live. They also want to live somewhere with jobs.
As a state, South Carolina’s population is outpacing all but four other U.S. states, and the economy and jobs are booming. Over the next ten years, job growth in South Carolina will increase by 39.8%, which is five percentage points higher than the national average.
Millennials are moving to South Carolina to take advantage of its great employment opportunities.
It’s Going to be Warm Today
What’s it like living in Greenville, SC? It’s an economically vibrant, friendly city where nightlife and family life mingle in perfect harmony.
AND, it’s warm. We chuckle when we see transplants from New York and elsewhere doing lawn work in short sleeves in the middle of December, but that’s what it’s like living in South Carolina.
Wilson Associates official position on snow: it’s cold, it’s terrible, and should be avoided at all costs.
That Good Old Southern Hospitality
As a New Yorker, you might be completely comfortable avoiding your neighbors like the plague. We get it: hospitality isn’t for everyone. You don’t need to talk to your neighbors. You’ll be able to afford enough space in South Carolina that you can stretch out and not see them for days.
But if you do accidentally wander into your neighbor’s yard, and they’re enjoying a backyard BBQ, don’t be at all surprised if they invite you over for a pimento cheeseburger. That’s just the way we roll in SC.
Keeping Things Slow
Do you know the reasons Southerners move slower than the rest of the country? They’re too busy figuring out how to solve the world’s problems.
Things do move slower in the South, but for many of those who make the move from New York to South Carolina, this comes as a welcome and delightful surprise.
If the hectic pace of your lifestyle has you running around like the proverbial chicken, you may enjoy the slower pace of things in Greenville and South Carolina.
Natural Beauty
Tired of the concrete jungle? Ready to settle into a home where you can sit on your deck in the evenings and enjoy some sweet tea while you watch the sunset over the mountains?
South Carolina is known for its lowcountry beaches (Charleston and the Atlantic seaboard) and mountainous upstate (Greenville).
Hiking, water sports, or a day at the beach—South Carolina has all the outdoor activities that you can desire.
Natural beauty and the great outdoors. It’s not for everyone, but it may be for you.
Buying a Home in South Carolina
If we haven’t convinced you to join our little-big community in Greenville, SC or South Carolina in general, then you’re clearly a person who can’t be moved. Did you read the part about the temperature and the low cost-of-living?
But if you are thinking about moving from New York to South Carolina, whether you’re a snowbird or permanent resident, Wilson Associates has your home buying needs covered.
We have intimate knowledge of the best properties in the best neighborhoods for you to start your journey down South headed in the right direction.
