Greenville: The new boomtown for active adults

More than 2,600 students who attend Furman University call Greenville, South Carolina, home – at least until they graduate, and they may likely stay on indefinitely. Census data show that Greenville is the choice of an ever-increasing set of 65 and older individuals, who account for 16% of the county’s population of 523,000. John Jeter of Greenville Journal reached out to some of the residents to understand why they retired in Greenville.

World travelers Lenny and Shirley Wichmann put down roots in Greenville because it has so much to offer in terms of cultural and recreational choices, as well as continuing education opportunities through Furman’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. OLLI Director Nancy Kennedy said, “They come to classes and they make friends, and then they’re going to lunch and then, ‘Oh, my goodness, you should join my hiking group,’ and it just sort of snowballs.”