Neighborhoods: the heart of Greenville.

• Author: White, Knox H.
• Position: Business development in Greenville, SC

The City of Greenville, South Carolina, has a population of about 60,000 people, residing in a county of more than 350,000 and a metro area with a population approaching one million people. Our region has been particularly successful in attracting international companies - more than 241 from 18 nations, accounting for 69 percent of all jobs in the area.

Much of our success comes from a commitment to partnerships between the public and private sectors. In our economic development policies, we stress partnership between government at all levels - city, county, and state - and partnership between government and business. The early 1980s saw the development of a hotel and convention center complex at the north end of Main Street. In 1990, the $42 million Peace Center for the Performing Arts opened on the south end of Main Street, thereby anchoring six blocks of prime real estate. Both of these major projects were the result of public-private partnerships. Our latest, and largest, public-private project is now under construction: a $63 million, 17,000-seat arena funded 57 percent by the private sector.

Downtown continues to attract major investors and scores of small entrepreneurs who have breathed new life into once-abandoned buildings. An eclectic mix of music and entertainment events has recast Main Street as a major nighttime destination for young professionals, aging baby boomers, college students, and teens. The city has become a prime destination for conventions. Our downtown is in the midst of a 20-year journey from "bust" to "boom" and is a good model for the rest of the country struggling to strike the right balance between growth and quality of life.

While the economy is the backbone of the city, our neighborhoods are truly its heart and soul. Much of the quality of life we enjoy is a result of the relationship between a thriving economy and stable, secure...