Forbes has ranked Greenville, South Carolina as the 13th best place to live, but is it the best place for millennials? One major feature that cannot be overlooked is the cost of living. Depending on where you look, housing in Greenville is actually quite affordable. Downtown apartments right on Main Street might be out of the budget for a recent college graduate but with multiple apartment complexes and an expanding city, there are many options that millennials can choose from. Forbes also has the cost-of-living index at 95.5, right around the national average of 100 which means the housing in Greenville is as affordable as any other place in the country if you know where to look. Of course, finding a job is the most important factor when figuring out where to live, but according to Growella founder Dan Greene, Greenville has 49 percent more job openings than the average city they studied. They also found, as stated before, that housing is affordable with the cost of living in the city being 12 percent lower than the others studied. Figuring out how you will support yourself after college is a struggle almost everyone faces, luckily there are affordable, interesting and accessible cities to live in and Greenville is one of them.
Some of the things that attract people and millennials to Greenville is the abundance of activity there. If you enjoy the outdoors, according to Our Town America, it’s one of the top places to ride bikes. Greenville is also located near the Blue Ridge Mountains, a perfect spot for hiking and biking to get away from city life. Even if you don’t want to drive too far away for some activity, there is also a trail that goes right through downtown and continues for miles. The Swamp Rabbit Trail, as it is called, goes on for 22 miles with stops by bars like el Thrifty, towns such as Travelers Rest, and of course the Swamp Rabbit Café and Grocery. There is no shortage of activity in Greenville as it has outdoor activities surrounding the area and within the city limits.
Who do you generally want to spend your time outdoors with? A pet most likely, and even if you’re not a hiking person, there are still plenty of opportunities for you and your pet to go out and spend time together outside of your apartment. There are plenty of dog-friendly patios and restaurants such as Mac’s Speed Shop, Pour Taproom and the ever-famous Passerelle Bistro. At this bistro in Falls Park, overlooking the Reedy, you and your dog can enjoy a meal while sitting in the outdoor area.
Speaking of restaurants, there is an abundance of cuisine and amazing restaurants to choose from. One of my personal favorites, Otto Izakaya, has some of the best sushi I have ever tasted with equally amazing dumplings. However, if sushi is not your thing, there are still a lot of restaurants to choose from. Nose Dive, home of amazing fish and chips, Soby’s, a southern-style menu and famous cheddar biscuits and Luna Rosa, famous for its fantastic gelato, are some other great restaurants to go to. I could list many more restaurants with Italian, Persian, Korean and of course American cuisine but that would take too long. There is no shortage of good food nor a variety of it which makes Greenville an even better place to live.
“Greenville is having a moment.” Livability stated. Its active downtown scene and many top tier restaurants and shops is what brings many people to Greenville. Not to mention, there are yearly festivals like Artisphere, Fall for Greenville, and many more that take place throughout the year. Along with bar crawls, axe-throwing and a zoo, there truly is no shortage of activities in Greenville. However, the most important part when choosing a place to live is its affordability and job offers. If you are offered a job that takes place in Greenville, the city itself should be a pro on your list when debating on whether or not you’ll take the job. It’s affordable, interesting, exciting and an overall great place to live that anyone would love to be in.
https://livability.com/best-places/top-100-best-places-to-live/2019/sc/greenville
https://www.ourtownamerica.com/press/millennials-moving-to-the-upstate-greenville/
https://www.forbes.com/pictures/mhj45effk/13-greenville-s-c/#7cab68f33c2b
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/22/the-25-best-cities-in-the-u-s-for-millennials.html
