Greenville

I'm staying with old friends in Greenville, SC, a city of about 55,000 in a county with around 400,000. It's a fine small city that is really on the ball with civic development. The downtown is nicely landscaped, with a fine park centered on the Reedy River and its falls that run right through the middle of town. It's an excellent place to picnic, dine at sidewalk cafes, or just hang out in the sun by the water. One of these pictures shows a curving pedestrian bridge over the river, connecting both banks with a graceful arc supported by suspension cables located entirely on the downstream side of the bridge.
There is a batch of fine new architecture in Greenville, including a state of the art minor league ballpark, a concert hall, and several office buildings and condos. Several older buildings have also been restored. It's a great example of development that is friendly to both business and people.
Greenville has been very successful in attracting high end businesses. BMW has an assembly plant here, and Michelin has located its North American headquarters in the city. The basic scenario is strong growth in high paying jobs, and considerable development, but in a planned manner that leaves a lot of open space that is being used wisely. And you can still buy a massive house for the price of a one bedroom condo in Monterey!