Corporate Escape Artist

Heather Steinmetz / Pelham Medical Center Nurse

We moved here two months ago from Pennsylvania. We’re still unpacking our house and I don’t plan on moving again! I live five minutes away from Pelham Medical Center, so it’s a straight shot there and back. The quickest commute I’ve ever had. It’s really nice.

I’m originally from Ohio, but moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania when I was 21. During the pandemic, around spring of 2021, my husband and I decided that we needed to be closer to family. The isolation was difficult. We didn’t have family up there and no one to help with childcare. We have a 6- and 9-year-old. My brother and sister-in-law live in Greer. We’d visited a couple of times and really enjoyed it. They said, ‘You should move down here.’ And so far, we’re so glad we did.

Our kids love their school, so that makes me really comfortable to stay here long-term. I would say the public education system is the same, or even a bit better than their school up north. I was nervous moving down here in regard to schools, but their school is amazing! They have Chromebooks. Work is on-level, or above what they were doing in Allentown. They ride the bus and it’s so easy. I drop them off and head to work.

I work in the OR as a circulating nurse, which is a new position for me. Pelham Medical Center is excellent and the campus is gorgeous. I came from a hospital in the inner city. It was a low-income hospital and didn’t have a lot of supplies, or updated equipment. This is amazing down here. The patients are more satisfied. It’s easier to provide the best care, when you have the newest equipment and the best technology. And for the first time, I have weekends off. As a nurse that’s huge. We’ve got more family time and it’s a huge quality-of-life improvement for us.

We love downtown Greer and downtown Greenville. We are exploring all kinds of new places and restaurants, and the kids like Century Park. My son has started playing soccer. Socially, I feel the pace of life is a little slower here, but it’s not as slow as people might make it out to be as a stereotype. Folks are just really friendly. They value family time. That’s a thing down here: family, church. People are more focused on that rather than push, push, push. I’ve never had that before and it’s really nice.


We love our new neighborhood. The real estate is comparable to other areas. I think you get a little bit more for your money. We lucked out getting a 4-bedroom, 2.5-bath with a huge backyard for the dog. And we have a huge family room upstairs and a large kitchen. I love my kitchen! I wanted a neighborhood with a pool and the neighbors have been so welcoming.

I’ve gotten a little homesick, but mostly for friends. I don’t miss any food, or places in Allentown, mostly just friends. I am flying back up North next month to see them. GSP is so easy to get to and use. I love that the airport is not a nightmare. It has a ton of flights, and if a flight gets canceled, or delayed, we’re just ten minutes away. It’s not life-altering like it is in a bigger city. The TSA is never a long wait in security either. Never. Traveling isn’t stressful out of GSP.

This summer, I was actually expecting hotter temperatures. But it was actually the same as in Allentown. Maybe just a bit more humidity… and I’m really excited to have a more moderate winter. No more shoveling snow. We’re also looking forward to the holidays. We get to be with family. I want my kids to have close ties to family. That’s what this move has been all about. So far, no regrets.