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We are interested in the upstate area and prefer to live at 1200 plus elevation with hill/mountain views.
We are coming from the bay area and love the topography of the Carolinas.
Our budget in around 900,000 and we also might consider the Knoxville Tennessee area as we love lakes and rivers.
Any suggestions/experience as to how these areas compare?
Asheville would less of a culture shock compared to the others. With your budget you could afford it. Walhalla and the other towns around Lake Jocassee and Lake Keowee are nice too.
Travelers Rest and some parts of Pickens County if you want to be near Greenville and the mountains.
Any idea how the general feel of upstate SC compares to the East Tennessee/ Knoxville area?
We are libertarian/somewhat conservative(I guess that's relative) but not particularly religious (non church going).
Any idea how the general feel of upstate SC compares to the East Tennessee/ Knoxville area?
We are libertarian/somewhat conservative(I guess that's relative) but not particularly religious (non church going).
We came from southern CA and looked at the whole area from Knoxville/Asheville/Upstate SC. Definitely liked the upstate best of all. Mountains, lakes, woods, good people. We made a list of several possible homes, flew out for a weekend and drove all over. We also did online research of each potential city.
You can research a ton online, but until you actually visit a place, you won't know what you may like.
The whole stretch from Travelers Rest - Pickens - Seneca has some gorgeous areas.
It is nice to hear about your experience.
We have been to these areas and are still trying to narrow it down for another trip. What in particular makes the Upstate more attractive to you?
What area did you end up choosing and are you happy with your move?
It is nice to hear about your experience.
We have been to these areas and are still trying to narrow it down for another trip. What in particular makes the Upstate more attractive to you?
What area did you end up choosing and are you happy with your move?
Nowhere in Greenville is ‘in the mountains’. To get cities/towns in the mountains, you’re going to have to head north into western NC., as another poster pointed out. Travelers Rest is certainly closer to the mountains, but it is not a ‘mountain town’ and doesn’t have a whole lot. I suggest taking a close look at Hendersonville. It is about 22 miles south of Asheville and about 35 miles north of Greenville. Brevard would be another possibility, but it is smaller and not as conveniently located. TN is is not as genteel as the Greenville area, and not as genteel as the small towns/cities in western N.C. We looked all over TN, east to west, north to south, and it just wasn’t for us. Keep in mind housing prices in WNC are going to be higher than in the Greenville area and certainly higher than in TN, with the exception of Franklin/Brentwood, but you should be able to find something nice in your price range.
Greenville will give you milder winters than Asheville with proximity to the mountains. You can see the Blue Ridge fron various spots in Greenville.
I prefer to live close but not in the mountains because they lose their magic if you are in them all the time. I also start feeling walled in.
Asheville and Knoxville look more stark in the winter than western SC.
Funny how we are all different… we’re at 2650 feet and will never tire of the view of mountains out our back windows, the cooler temps, and sheer beauty. No ‘walled in’ feeling whatsoever..
We live in north Greenville County, 15 miles from downtown Greenville. We're at 1100', and have a winter view of the Blue Ridge Mountains out the back, and Paris Mountain from our front porch. Our location is handy to Greenville, and also handy to the great parks along Hwy 11, Such as Caesar's head, Jones Gap, and Sassafrass Mountain. In your budget, you could either be in an upscale neighborhood, or a custom build on acreage. In the rural south, there are mobile homes and run-down shacks dotted all over, so if that bothers you, concentrate your efforts on subdivisions. We're in a poorer area, but the people are great and friendly. I don't care what kind of house they live in. We're on 9 acres, in a small custom home that I designed and built, and we couldn't be happier. We're somewhat conservative and religious (but not fanatical), and much prefer the vibe of Greenville over Asheville.
The views depend entirely upon the local topography. One of the best views of the mountains is from the Wal-Mart parking lot in Travelers rest. Go figure.
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