I've got an interview for a job out that way. Didn't see many threads about Greenville that weren't directions on how to get out of there to somewhere else (or that weren't about the SC variety), and I was interested in hearing more about the area since I haven't spent much time there at all. What are people's experiences with Greenville, what is there to do out there, good places to eat, drink, shop, catch a movie, any apartment complexes you'd recommend, and so forth?

7/9/2011 2:28:25 AM

If you care about your life forget the place exists.

7/9/2011 4:49:22 AM

G-Vegas.

7/9/2011 5:56:03 AM

G-Vegas, ha, more like G-Troit.

7/9/2011 8:27:17 AM

Greenville sucks. That's all you need to know. And it's not very homo friendly.

7/9/2011 8:45:59 AM

invest in some kevlar. there were 4 shootings last week

7/9/2011 9:28:23 AM

Quote :

"And it's not very homo friendly."

Bad:
ECU has quite possibly the most black homosexuals as any college campus I've spent a few days on. I don't know about the town though.

Traffic: Greenville boulevard always sucks except during Sunday Morning when everyone is at church. During the day, and it doesn't matter what day, it's far worse than any traffic here in Raleigh (sans Capital boulevard at rush hour).

Nightlife: Horrendous. All the bars/clubs are down town. That place is crazy uncomfortable at night. All the clubs/bars have a ridiculous cover. You'll have to put up with college kids. I don't know of any place that caters to young professionals.


Good:
Relative to Raleigh, land and houses are cheap. You could probably get a sweet place in the country and commute into town.

7/9/2011 9:36:29 AM

I work at ECU.

There is not much to do here. There is a lot of mediocre food/fast food. Apparently, Hardee's was founded here and I've heard that Greenville was literally rated as having the highest number of fast food chains per capita in the US.

^I totally agree that Greenville Blvd traffic is god awful. No one in the town seems capable of driving.

The thing that really gets me is you would assume it's at least closer to the beach, but somehow it takes just about as long to get to Atlantic from Greenville as it does from Raleigh.

Pros:
-Nice disc golf course.
-The recently constructed greenway is fairly nice and it also has a dog park.
-Close to New Bern, Outer Banks, Washington if you have any interest in those areas

http://www.reddit.com/r/ECU/comments/i7b53/worthwhile_things_to_do_in_greenville/

7/9/2011 9:59:15 AM

In the past two years, Greenville's crime rate has dropped 11%, so it's on the right path.

Overall I don't think it's that bad. It's very much only a college town though.

7/9/2011 10:03:11 AM

I am moving there from New Bern and compared to New Bern it is good... but thats not saying much, college age people rather than retirees.

Quote :

"Close to New Bern"

if 40-50 mins is close then yes it is.

most clubs and bars have a $5 cover like most places in raleigh.

Quote :

"That place is crazy uncomfortable at night."

idk what that even means. crowded maybe?

I have heard the traffic is bad but idk if it is worse than capital or 40 to/from RTP.

Bottomline is it is better than any place in eastern NC except Wilmington as far as stuff to do that isnt fishing, hunting, and boating.

I used Wainwright properties they have a large number of rentals and dont seem to be too bad so far. they have some slums for cheap but also some higher quality places.

[Edited on July 9, 2011 at 10:26 AM. Reason : .]

7/9/2011 10:13:40 AM

So what exactly does Greenville offer the other places don't? College aged kids and a few bars?

7/9/2011 10:15:30 AM

A mall. football games. a wider variety of stores and restaurants. citywide internet. everything at ECUs campus. a bus system and taxis. more selection of apartments and lower apartment costs.

[Edited on July 9, 2011 at 10:49 AM. Reason : .]

7/9/2011 10:37:41 AM

Quote :

" what is there to do out there,"

Go to football games, drink, do something stupid, go to the ER, rinse and repeat. This will cover most of your major attractions.

Edit: ^ You can hit the mall on your mile long walk to the football stadium

Quote :

"good places to eat"

Parkers BBQ
Skylight Inn for more BBQ (in Ayden, but close enough)
Dixie Queen for seafood (in Winterville...basically a suburb of Greenville now, but I'm sure some Winterville native will come in here and get uppity about it)
The Mongolian House BBQ place (may have changed names?)

Quote :

"catch a movie"

There are basically only two options here

Quote :

" , any apartment complexes you'd recommend"

There are several places to avoid, but the names are escaping me at the moment b/c they keep changing names. One of them used to be called The Express. I would advise finding someone who knows some young doctors/older med students out there and go live where they live.

[Edited on July 9, 2011 at 10:45 AM. Reason : .]

7/9/2011 10:43:54 AM

I am from Greenville and recently moved back after spending 10 years in Raleigh/Cary area.

Now, I am happy to be back home, but I don't live in Greenville proper. I live ten miles outside of town in a rural area, surrounded by extended family and friends.

Greenville is just a college town. You'll find plenty of places to eat and drink. And if you enjoy sports, ECU athletics is a big deal to everyone -- not just the college kids. The thing that I think that makes Greenville 'different' is that it maintains its 'ruralness.' Lots of family farmers, church oriented activities, everyone knows everyone, only a HS education level is not unusual, folks are friendly though not necessarily open minded.

And yes, traffic sucks bad in Greenville. In fact, I avoid going into town as much as possible because its so bad. I think Raleigh traffic is better because at least the roads were somewhat designed to handle it. No so in Greenville.

7/9/2011 10:49:35 AM

Where is all this bad traffic people are talking about? I've never encountered anything terrible except game days...and even that isn't bad until you get near the stadium.

Of course, I guess I rarely went into town during a work day. We always went in the evening or weekends and now I'm only ever there on a weekend.

7/9/2011 10:59:56 AM

Arlington from the hospital to Firetower is bad around 5 pm -- heaven forbid you get caught by the train. Greenville Blvd. is also pretty crappy.

7/9/2011 11:15:44 AM

All the lights seems to be poorly timed. Couple that with people that drive at about 15mph and a 4 lane road and you have a recipe for disaster.

7/9/2011 11:22:57 AM

Downtown is pretty grimey. The clubs and bars have $5 minimum cover, but many typically have free draft beer. I have yet to find a non-college bar.

7/9/2011 12:58:09 PM

Quote :

"most clubs and bars have a $5 cover like most places in raleigh."

how many places in Raleigh have a cover... Rum Runners? I'm drawing a blank here. definitely not most places.

7/9/2011 1:39:27 PM

Solas, Mirage, Still Life and I think a couple others.

7/9/2011 1:46:05 PM

Glenwood doesn't count. You shouldn't be there anyway. Grown ups go downtown.

7/9/2011 2:27:05 PM

I am not Asian, Arab, or Ed Hardy enough to go to those places.

7/9/2011 2:50:59 PM

If you guys think Greenville traffic is bad, you have no idea what bad traffic is like. Greenville is ECU+ ECU Hospital + many chain restaurants + 3-4 large manufacturing companies. It has a huge potential to grow though.

7/9/2011 3:00:01 PM

Yeah, I noticed Pitt County's population is rising, while most everything around it is decreasing or staying the same:

7/9/2011 4:09:56 PM

Greenville has changed a lot in the last 30 years. Much of what people consider to be Greenville (Firetower & Bell's Fork) was farmland when I was a child. There has been a lot of growth and there will continue to be growth. Greenville is a destination for much of eastern NC. A lot of people commute here for work, to shop, and to receive medical care. BUT a lot of people from Greenville make the drive to the triangle area for the same reasons though it's becoming less and less necessary as Greenville gets more stuff.

7/9/2011 6:17:17 PM

Quote :

"idk what that even means. crowded maybe?"

Shady. Tons of creepers out.

Quote :

"I have heard the traffic is bad but idk if it is worse than capital or 40 to/from RTP."

Capital is bad at rush hour. Traffic on 40 is irrelevant because it's only bad during rush hour and never on the weekend. Greenville Boulevard is always bad during the day. Especially on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

7/9/2011 6:37:06 PM

Quote :

"If you care about your life forget the place exists. "

lol this was my first thought. Last time I was in Greenville the "hot" late night hangout spot was Denny's. Hopefully that has changed.

7/9/2011 7:00:27 PM

The "hot" late night hangout is my bedroom.

No, really, it gets hot as hell. See the night sweats thread

7/9/2011 7:23:22 PM

Greenville Blvd and Arlington are probably the worst streets to drive on from day to day. You'd think some traffic engineers would have synced the lights like they did Capital Blvd and other streets downtown to eliminate the congestion. If they would get Greenville Blvd from Charles Blvd to Memorial Drive synced together, it wouldn't be as bad off.

7/9/2011 7:38:00 PM

Yea, they'll never do any of that shit.

Also, anything feeding into firetower around typical busy traffic hours is sure to be backed up 1-2 miles with idiots doing ~30mph

And Christ on a crutch, I don't think anyone here realizes roads need repaving on occasion. Bought a new car less than a year ago and I already have to take the interior apart to derattle everything the roads have shaken to shit.

[Edited on July 9, 2011 at 7:41 PM. Reason : more cursing]

7/9/2011 7:39:33 PM

Quote :

"Last time I was in Greenville the "hot" late night hangout spot was Denny's."

As a Greenville native, I've never been to the local Denny's. That's how "hot" it is to hangout there.

I also gotta say that if you'd asked about Greenville ten years ago, I would have told you to stay the heck away given your lifestyle choices. However, it's quite a bit more open minded than it use to be.

7/9/2011 7:56:31 PM

Quote :

"given your lifestyle choices."

I know this will probably derail the thread, but I hate when people use this phrase. Having sex with someone of the opposite sex isn't considered a lifestyle choice.

7/9/2011 8:43:28 PM

Fine. Given that you're married to another man.

...

I'm openly bisexual, but I have no problem using the 'tactful language' of the 'moral majority.'

7/9/2011 9:46:02 PM

I'm sure you don't want "haters" in this thread, but I hope the job you're going there for is a good one, because I have nothing but bad things to say about Greenville. I'm not from Greenville, but I lived nearby and I had family that live there, so I spent a lot of time there both as a kid and later in life. My brother went to school at ECU, and my mother went there for grad school. There's nothing about the place that would make me want to live there for any long period of time, certainly not long-term. Even for college towns is a pretty awful one--few actual restaurants that aren't chains (with the notable exception of BBQ), little variety in nightlife or even bars that aren't swamped with drunk college students, high crime rate that seems constantly at your doorstep, migrant student populations, et cetera. Sure, you can get a house or an apartment cheap, but that's because no one wants to stay there.

The college crowd is the worst kind--the drunkest and rowdiest. The bros are epic and the girls are... jersey-esque. ECU has some redeeming features, and if you were a student you could find ways to make it bearable, but outside of the university there's nothing there to make it worthwhile to an outsider (unless maybe you're looking to troll for some younger women...). There's certainly plenty of racial tension, and it carries over into other topics--sexuality definitely being one of them. My brother was a "scholar" at ECU, a future teacher, and I remember him being an awful bigot when he found out his roommate was homosexual--and yeah that's a personal anecdote but it was definitely reflected in his peers.

I don't know--I like ECU for the most part. I don't like the students. I don't like the city. Yeah, they got a mall, big whoop. There's some music, but not much variety. They got football, okay, if that's your thing. I personally don't think there's a whole lot of redeeming features, but again, if it's your kind of place and you want this job and you're just looking for good things about the city, not personal critiques, then I guess this is pretty worthless.

7/9/2011 10:25:18 PM

Quote :

"jersey-esque"

LOL, wat?

Most of the students actually come from Eastern NC...so I'm just gonna assume you're talking out of your ass with all the stereotypes/generalizations you're throwing around.

[Edited on July 9, 2011 at 11:47 PM. Reason : .]

7/9/2011 11:46:00 PM

the only good thing in greenville is Bs bbq.

7/9/2011 11:56:01 PM

Greenville is 8 times the size of the NC town where I grew up population-wise and that place has no colleges... community or otherwise, so I figure I can get along alright down there. But its still best to know as much about what I might be getting into as possible.

I noticed a few ppl mentioning crime. I assume if I live somewhere more rural and commute then I'm probably okay, but if I'm living more in town, are there good neighborhoods? Areas to avoid? I love being within walking distance from stuff.

7/10/2011 2:10:33 AM

There are plenty of nice areas to live in. If you want to be within walking distance of things, you might want to rethink Greenville.

7/10/2011 8:21:36 AM

Quote :

"LOL, wat? Most of the students actually come from Eastern NC...so I'm just gonna assume you're talking out of your ass with all the stereotypes/generalizations you're throwing around."

Nah, brah.

7/10/2011 12:50:25 PM

Quote :

"Bad: ECU has quite possibly the most black homosexuals as any college campus I've spent a few days on. I don't know about the town though. "

What the fuck

7/10/2011 12:59:57 PM

http://www.spotcrime.com/nc/greenville

for crime.


looks like my apartment will be in a decent place... cept for some car break ins awhile ago

and west greenville is pretty gangsta.. shots fired all over.

[Edited on July 10, 2011 at 1:16 PM. Reason : .]

7/10/2011 1:13:00 PM

I live really close to there

so that's a reason not to go

7/10/2011 1:42:08 PM

^x4 no idea if you're trolling or what, but if not, go educate yourself

http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/ipar/research/FactBook.cfm

7/10/2011 2:21:42 PM

Oh wow! I want to clarify that I don't think having homosexuals at ECU (black or otherwise) is bad. I meant for that comment to answer the quoted comment AND THEN start the bad list. I apologize for not proofreading.

7/10/2011 3:59:19 PM

yeah ok, you racist homophobe

7/10/2011 4:37:39 PM

But on a serious note, this thread is full of out-of-ass talkers.

Traffic on Greenville Blvd. is not "always bad during the day."

If you ever thought Denny's was a hotspot you were hanging with a pretty boring group of people.

The notion that any significant percentage of the girls are "Jersey-esque" is just absurd.

7/10/2011 4:49:30 PM

Winslows is a pretty good spot for "young professionals" . Complaining about $3 cover charges is weird to me. Drunk college students may be annoying, but it means that drinks in the entire city are very cheap. does "jersey-esque" simply mean girls that are out of your league?

Greenville has some nice neighborhoods/apts. There is plenty of racial tension, that is true. Crime is a high, but has been improving. The University provides quite a bit of entertainment and culture besides football. The cost of living is low. Greenville does suck, but that's if you're comparing it to a much larger metro area, which I think many of you are. ok Greenville rant over

7/10/2011 5:05:28 PM

^x4 haha yeah I was pretty when I read that.

7/10/2011 6:22:40 PM

^x4 haha yeah I was pretty when I read that.

7/10/2011 6:22:40 PM

Now that I think about it, cover charges make me mad too.

7/10/2011 9:09:13 PM