Greenville’s Charm Isn’t New
If I hear one more person say, “Greenville is so nice—now,” I’m going to scream, jump up and down, and slap their mother.
HELLO. It’s always been nice.
No, Falls Park is not new.
No, Fall for Greenville is not new.
No, Artisphere is not new.
And no, the Peace Center is not new.
These things have been here for decades. Greenville has always been nice, safe, and inviting. The only thing that has changed is the population—though sometimes it feels like pollution.
Back in 1979, Main Street went from four lanes to two, making room for angled parking. That started it all. Falls Park was created in 1967 and renovated in the late ’90s. The Liberty Bridge opened in 2004. Fall for Greenville first happened in 1982, Artisphere in 2003, and the Peace Center in 1990 (renovated in 2010).
Greenville has always been a hub of blue-collar jobs, good food, and outdoor adventure. Hiking, biking, lakes, waterfalls—it’s all here.
So why do people act like Greenville was a dump until recently? It’s been nice for over 40 years.
I moved here in 1984. That same year, I went to my first Fall for Greenville. And honestly? It was better then. You didn’t wait in hour-long lines. You could sample food from booth after booth, piling up more than you could eat, and leave knowing exactly which restaurants you wanted to visit. It was crowded, sure, but not suffocating.
Today, it gives me anxiety just thinking about it. Everyone fighting for space and air to breathe.
Better? No.
Greenville was better back then, and it was perfection in the early 2000s.
By 2004, everything everyone loves now—yeah, it was already here.
So please, stop saying “it’s nice now.” Every new chapter chips away at its original charm. And that’s sad.
I get it—it’s called progress. You can’t hide greatness forever. People will find it. And too often, they’ll try to make it just like the place they left behind.
My advice: come one, come all. But don’t bring your baggage. Leave that in the history books.
