Keys to the City

Facts & Fundamentals

Greenville County has a population of approximately 417,166 and over 56,000 people reside within the city limits.

Major employers include Michelin North America, General Electric, Greenville Hospital System, Lockheed Martin, Fluor Coorporation and Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, and the city is an important center for corporate offices, manufacturing and warehousing and distribution.

The SC state sales tax is 6% for non-grocery goods and 3% for grocery goods; restaurants and bars add a 2% hospitality tax for prepared food and drinks, and there is an 8% accommodations tax.

Weather

Greenville has four distinct seasons. Winters are generally mild, with average lows in the 30s and highs in the 50s. In the spring, lows are in the 40s and 50s and highs reach the 70s. Summers are humid, with temperatures usually ranging from the 60s to the high 80s. In autumn, highs range from 60 to 80, and lows 60 to 40. Average monthly precipitation is between 3.5 and 5.3 inches, usually in the form of rain. In the winter, the area receives occasional snow and ice.

Holidays & Business Hours

On federal and state holidays, many offices and businesses close or have truncated hours. Naturally, policies vary, but in general, the following holidays are broadly observed:

Coming & Going

The Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport is located approximately 12 miles from downtown Greenville and offers about 77 daily flights. Amtrak services Greenville on the Crescent Line to a number of Eastern U.S. cities such New Orleans, Atlanta, Greensboro, Washington D.C. and New York.

Making Your Way

Downtown Greenville and the West End are pedestrian friendly, and the Greenville Trolley runs from North Main Street to the West End on weekends. But if you plan to explore beyond the downtown area, driving is almost essential. I-385 provides easy access to most of the city's shopping and dining districts.

News & Views

The Greenville News is the primary source for daily local news. The free weekly publication The Greenville Journal offers a look at community people and events and is distributed in shops and businesses around town. Upstate Link, another free publication, focuses on arts, entertainment and lifestyle trends. For local business news, look no further than the GSA Business Journal.

Quirks & Curiosities

Many of Greenville's main roads change names at least once. Heavily trafficked Haywood Road becomes Howell Road and eventually changes names again to Edwards Road. Other name changes include Stone Avenue to Laurens Road, Augusta Street to Augusta Road, and Summit Drive to Bennet Street.

Getting Your Bearings

When you're not familiar with a city, you feel completely adrift. That's exactly what local visitors' centers hope to ward off. They've compiled a vast collection of resources to help you better understand a particular city, and they're more than eager to share their time, hints, and literature. In Greenville, the Visitors Center is located in the heart of downtown at the following adress:

City Hall Office Bldg., 1st Floor
206 S. Main St.
Greenville, SC 29601
864-233-0461
800-717-0023

Necessities - Post Offices

It's usually not too difficult to spot a drop box when you're out and about, but if you need to conduct more serious postal business, it's not always that easy. In Greenville, several locations are convenient to travelers and residents. They include:

Greenville
600 W Washington St
Greenville, SC 29602-9998
864-282-8441
Mon-Fri 7:30am-6pm

Park Place
2431 N Pleasantburg Dr
Greenville, SC 29608-9998
864-271-6606
Mon-Fri 8am-4:30pm, Sat 10am-2pm

Keith D Oglesby Station
100 Orchard Park Dr
Greenville, SC 29616-9998
864-288-5207
Mon-Fri 8:30am-6pm, Sat 10am-4pm

Common Courtesies

Although tipping is generally a personal matter, there are some guidelines that prove helpful to travelers. At restaurants, servers typically get 15% of the bill, although 10% acknowledges basic assistance, and 20% awards exceptional service. It is also common now for some restaurants to charge an automatic gratuity of 18% for groups. You should be aware of this possibility before providing an additional tip. Taxi drivers usually fit into similar guidelines by receiving a tip equivalent to 15% of the tab.

Often, a dollar tip covers many situations. Bartenders are customarily given $1 per cocktail, hotel maids are provided $1 for each day of a stay, bellhops get about $1 per bag, and a coat-check clerk typically receives $1 as well. The exception is a concierge, who generally receives $5-$10 for standard service (additional assistance suggests more).