If you’re like me and curious about up-and-coming areas of the Upstate, you’ll be curious to know what under-appreciated parts of the Upstate are poised for transformation in the near future. Enter the small area near Downtown Greenville known simply as Dunean.
Dunean started as a military encampment during the Spanish-American War and ended up as a mill village. Now the area is littered (in a good way) with older mill houses that are gaining in popularity among home-buyers (especially Millennials).
So why do I think Dunean is on the rise? Two reasons. First, the obvious – Dunean is a cheap place to live near Downtown Greenville, and, if we’ve learned anything the past ten years, it’s that transitional neighborhoods near Downtown Greenville eventually experience revitalization. Dunean is poised for that type of transition, and we’re already seeing some of it happen.
But additionally, Dunean is in the crosshairs of Greenville County. In fact, Greenville County has an entire section of their website devoted to Dunean and it’s community plan, which you can view here.
So if you’re looking for a place to invest in real estate that could have a big payoff down the road, Dunean is a pretty good bet. It may take a few years, but I suspect a big revitalization is in Dunean’s future.
Dunean is a great area; however, revitilization I feel is just a nice way of saying gentrification. We have seen it in the San Souci area. Our church USED to provide meals to families that were cared for at the Frazee Center. Thanks to ‘revitilization,’ we are no longer needed there. So many sweet families had to move because they can no longer afford the rent.
Wouldn’t it be great if ‘revitilization’ actually helped those who lived in these areas instead of pushing them out and filling the pockets of the investors.
Just my thoughts….
Good thoughts! And I know exactly what you’re talking about in San Souci as I helped some clients move there last year.
However, I will point out that part of Dunean’s community plan does involve revitalizing low-income housing (and not to convert it to higher-income housing). It’s a tough tightrope to walk, but it seems they recognize what you’re describing and are trying to confront it reasonably.
That is awesome to hear!! Let’s hope it comes to fruition!!