If friendly people, an affordable cost of living, big-city benefits, and unbounded natural beauty epitomize an ideal quality of life, then the Upcountry justifiably ranks among the country’s top places to be. Living is indeed easy here, and there’s a lifestyle to suit every taste.
Condominiums in downtown Greenville define convenience by putting residents within walking distance of the city’s showpiece, Falls Park, as well as theaters, restaurants, and shops. These urban perks find space in developments such as Poinsett Corners (across the street from The Peace Center for the Performing Arts), McBee Station (ground-level Mary Beth’s serves one of downtown’s best breakfasts), and RiverPlace, which overlooks the Reedy River and is home to boutiques, restaurants, and several galleries.
“The city has done a wonderful job of juxtaposing the historic with the modern in downtown Greenville,” says Sherry Dusek, a Poinsett Corners resident who moved with her husband four years ago from Washington state. “We are deliriously happy to have access to the Peace Center and all of Main Street’s many attractions just outside our doorstep—and we don’t have to pay for parking!”
While downtown living means the city is your backyard, many prefer to have an actual backyard. A few minutes east of downtown, Verdae is a planned community with a mix of single-family homes, townhomes, and apartments; shops and restaurants; and an 18-hole golfcourse. The centerpiece of the development is the 20-acre Legacy Park, a community park with paved walkways, a central cabana for parties and picnics, a regulation volleyball court, and a planned amphitheater.
Northeast of Greenville along I-85, Spartanburg finds its soul in the arts. This textile town—once known as “Hub City” for the railroad lines that crisscrossed the area—now embraces an intellectual, cultural, and artistic lifestyle, fueled in part by Spartanburg County’s eight colleges and universities.
Just one visit convinced Brooklynite Danielle Sanders and her husband, Corey, to set down roots in Spartanburg. When they saw Hampton Heights, they fell in love with the close-knit neighborhood— the city’s oldest—within walking distance of downtown’s Morgan Square. Among the clutch of gracious homes dating from 1885 (This Old House magazine named Hampton Heights one of the best places to buy a Queen Anne), they chose a“fixer-upper” Arts and Crafts bungalow on the spot. “It’s an exciting time to be in Spartanburg,” Danielle says. “There are so many people here who have great vision, ideas, and dedication to the town. We feel we’re really part of something.”
That same small-town feel pervades Greer, a city of some 25,000 located near the BMW plant, halfway between Spartanburg andGreenville. In the heart of downtown, Greer Station beckons with 12 blocks of shops and restaurants. The Great Bay Oyster House serves fresh seafood, and for tapas—think lobster cigars—The Cazbah is popular for its rooftop-dining scene.
About a half-hour southwest of Greenville, the city of Anderson offers a slower pace of living, but it isn’t stuck in the past. A full 36 blocks of Anderson’s revitalized downtown teem with shops (specialty cookware at The Kitchen Emporium and Gifts), restaurants (filet mignon at Sullivan’s Metropolitan Grill), galleries, and more. And most all folks in Anderson enjoy the 962-mile shoreline of Lake Hartwell as their backyard.
Deb Potter prefers the rural life. She and her husband own Merciful Hearts Farm in Anderson County. In less than 30 minutes they can be in downtown Greenville, where she takes skeins of hand-dyed wool and free-range eggs to sell at the Saturday Market. “It’s the best of both worlds for us,” Deb says. “We have the benefit of amenities nearby, yet we can be home on the farm at night.”
Not far north of Anderson, life moves at a clip-clop pace in circa-1790 Pendleton, where the entire town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Just 10 minutes away, Clemson is the quintessential college town. And it’s no surprise that life here revolves around Clemson University, featuring the 295-acre South Carolina Botanical Garden, free festivals, and performances.
Recreation is de rigueur at planned golf communities such as The Reserve at Lake Keowee, 30 minutes north of Clemson, with a Jack Nicklaus–designed course, 200- slip marina, and access to the lake and miles of hiking trails. At The Cliffs Valley in northern Greenville County, surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, roughly half of the residents are secondhome owners. “The activities at The Cliffs are terrific,” says Pete Rodgers, a golfer and cyclist from Pennsylvania who owns a second home here. “There are theme dinners, wine clubs, and free lectures on subjects ranging from health to horticulture,” he says.
No matter which lifestyle you choose, in the Upcountry, you can have it all: The serenity of small town living with the sophisticated trappings of a big—but not too big—city. There’s no denying that Upstate residents possess an enviable quality of life. And by all accounts, it keeps getting better.
adapted from an article in Spirit Magazine, May 2011
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