Greenville is gaining national recognition as a place to retire with its recent inclusion on USA Today’s List of Five Great Lesser-Known Places to Retire. The article states active retirees are attracted to Greenville due to a unique combination of climate, proximity to cultural and recreational amenities, affordable cost of living, access to excellent health care, and job opportunities.
Greenville’s central location in Eastern North Carolina allows retirees to enjoy local shopping, dining, and entertainment options, along with larger cultural amenities in Raleigh and coastal recreational opportunities along the Pamlico Sound and Outer Banks. “Greenville is an attractive location for retirees because of our diversity of destination amenities,” states Andrew Schmidt, Interim Executive Director of the Greenville-Pitt County Convention & Visitors Bureau, “The combination of the number of outdoor activities available, social and cultural attractions, abundant health care facilities and a mild climate are drawing people’s interest from across the country.”
Quality of life is a major concern for retirees, and Greenville offers convenient access to excellent healthcare services at Vidant Medical Center and the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. Many retirees are also drawn to Greenville for the affordable cost of living, often finding comfortable homes priced less than $125,000. Dede Carney, local realtor and Convention & Visitors Authority board member, states, “People looking to relocate to Greenville can find a wide range of affordable and luxury homes. I think we are located in the perfect intersection of education, business, and technology.”
Ranked by Area Development among the top 10% of locations in the United States for economic and job growth, Greenville provides many employment opportunities for people who choose to work following retirement. Carl Rees, City of Greenville Economic Development Manager, says, “As a growing university-medical hub in the heart of the mid-Atlantic region, Greenville has much to offer to people of all ages. For individuals and couples finishing up first careers, Greenville offers the perfect mix of competitively priced housing, quality health care, year round recreation and opportunities for second careers supported by an innovation environment that only a university community can provide.”
With a population nearing 90,000 residents, Greenville still retains a small-town Southern charm thanks to friendly and genuine people who take pride in creating and maintain a sense of community to ensure anyone who relocates to Greenville will find themselves in good company.
To view the full USA Today article, please visit: http://www.usatoday.com/story/experience/weekend/lifestyle/2014/08/06/5-great-lesser-known-places-to-retire/13686239/
