SUMMARY
The residents of Greenville, SC take great pride in their award winning and historic downtown area. An arts and entertainment center for the region – the downtown district is also experiencing commercial growth while maintaining its small town southern charm.
ARTICLE
Greenville, SC is the largest city in the Upstate region with a population close to 60,000. The Greenville County, SC population is over 420,000. With such a large, diverse population in the area – Greenville is a city that has maintained it ‘small town’ charm while expanding to meet the economic and cultural needs of its growing population.
Downtown Greenville has received a number of awards and accolades – as well as being featured in a number of publications including Southern Living Magazine. In 2003, Greenville received the Great American Main Street Award because of the community and local charm that the revived downtown provides to its residents.
Although the majority of the local population resides in the suburbs and outlying areas – the downtown area of Greenville, SC has experienced a bit of an economic and cultural boom in the last 10 years. A number of lofts and luxury condos have attracted more residents to the downtown area, while a thriving economic center has attracted a number of businesses to reinvest themselves in downtown Greenville.
The West End Historic District in downtown Greenville is considered the arts and entertainment district of the city. It features a number of fantastic restaurants as well as a popular shopping area known as the West End Market. The West End Market serves the Greenville County, SC population as a popular place to spend a Saturday afternoon strolling through the shops and art studios while waiting for a table at one of the many popular restaurants. Along with Falls Park on the Reedy River – the West End Market is a sort of anchor for the rest of downtown Greenville, SC.
Starting in the 1960’s, the city of Greenville began to reshape and re-envision what its downtown area could be. Initially the city began by rezoning a lot of the historic buildings in the downtown and Main Street areas. They also reduced the number of lanes on their Main Street from four to two. They created ample parking as well as installed tree lined pedestrian walkways in order to create an atmosphere conducive to business and commerce as well as arts and entertainment in the Greenville, SC downtown area.
These initial renovations have led to the popular downtown area that has received numerous awards and that the residents now enjoy. Pedestrian friendly and with ample green space, the historic downtown area has experienced continual and steady growth of the past half century. The residents of the Upstate region take great pride in their downtown area and flock there for a number of events that take place there.
The Greenville, SC downtown area is a vibrant commercial area – and a popular arts and entertainment district. More and more families and young professionals are moving into the luxury living spaces that are being developed. The overall look and feel of the area is positive and very rewarding for all of the residents of the Greenville County, SC area.
Updated: January, 2010