Along Main Street, there are developments being built, new restaurants are popping up, and a thriving business district. But, according to United Way of Greenville County, life not far away in West Greenville is much different.
In West Greenville –
An average household income is about $14,000
14% of residents have at least an associate degree
44% of residents don’t have access to a car and one of the commonly used bus routes for people in that area ends at 4:30 p.m.
Unemployment is at 17 percent, compared to Greenville County as a whole, which was 3.9% in July. - Greenville Journal + United Way
“Gentrification has forced many service industry employees working in downtown Greenville to live further from the city center,” Bo Aughtry, principal of Windsor Aughtry Company, which has developed hotels downtown said.
And, with city buses picking up their last downtown routes at 4:30, when employees need to still be at work, public transportation is not always an option. “You can get a job in Greenville, but you have to be able to get to it.”
There are six-tenths of an eligible person for every job vacancy in the area, Carlos Phillips, president of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce said.
It’s important to remember that our city is more than just the pretty streets of downtown + that it’s vital to support our greater community.
