Welcome to the Upstate!

We are glad you’re here. Moving to a new country is one of the most exhilarating—and challenging—adventures you’ll ever embark upon. Our goal is to build your confidence in navigating a new culture and location. Make yourself at home!

The information below is provided to help international expatriates and residents who have recently moved to the Upstate region of South Carolina. PLEASE NOTE: Upstate International does not endorse any of the entities listed here and cannot be held responsible for problems resulting from private transactions. Individuals should use their own discretion in evaluating the merit of contacts listed here. If you would like your business to be included below, please contact Upstate International’s Executive Director.

Daily Living

Time Differences

www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/personal.html

For Quick Travel References

www.kayak.com

Major Exchange Rates

www.xe.com

Newspaper Translations

www.Newstran.com

If you want to read the news in other countries but you don’t speak that language, this website may help.  This site has free computer-generated translations of 10,000 newspapers, and it’s easy to use.  Select the category you want (e.g., Arabic news in English, English news in Chinese, etc.) and Newstran.com will give you a page with links to translations of newspapers.  You can click on a link to read that newspaper.  This is a great way to get other perspectives on major news stories, and to see what’s happening on the local level around the world.  (Please note that computerized translations may not be linguistically accurate; they provide only a general sense of the meaning.)

Help for Small Businesses

www.score.org

Business in the US

www.usa.gov/business

Living Abroad

www.transitionsabroad.com

AuPairCare by Intrax, Elizabeth Botzis

www.aupaircare.com

Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce (Newcomer Information)

24 Cleveland Street

(864) 242-1050

www.greenvillechamber.org

Greenville Visitors Center

City Hall Office Building (1st floor)

206 South Main Street

(864) 233-0461 or Toll Free at 1-800-717-0023

www.visitgreenvillesc.com

Discover Upcountry Carolina Association

500 East North Street, Suite E

(864) 233-2690 or Toll Free at 1-800-849-4766

www.upcountrysc.com

City of Greer

New residents (http://www.cityofgreer.org/live/new_residents.php)

Children

Education

The state requires two documents as a prerequisite to enroll a child in a South Carolina public school. The Department of Health and Environmental Control Immunization Form is required of all children; however, DHEC allows a thirty-day waiver for students to present records or begin immunizations. A birth certificate or other proof of age, as determined by the school district, is required for the first-time enrollment for children entering kindergarten or first grade.  In addition, your district may require written proof of residency. A district may not deny a student enrollment due to the lack of proof of immigration status, and a district should not request that information of the parent.  Social Security Cards or numbers are not required, nor must parents be required to present South Carolina driver’s licenses for their proof of residency.

Cultural Care Au Pair

Anette Menke is the local childcare coordinator for Greenville, SC. She provides service and support to host families and their au pairs throughout the summer and full-year programs.  Her contact info is [email protected] or (864) 517-0103.

Upstate Parent

Free monthly magazine, available throughout the Upstate with lots of information for parents about upcoming events.

305 S. Main St., P.O. Box 1688, Greenville, SC 29602

www.upstateparent.com

Roper Mountain Science Center

Planetarium shows, educational programs, holiday lights, living history farm, etc.

(864) 281-1188

www.ropermountain.org

Kidding Around Greenville

kiddingaroundgreenville.com

Hospitals & Healthcare

Allan Bennett Memorial Hospital

(864) 348-8200

Greenville Hospital System

(864) 455-7000

www.ghs.org

Greenville Memorial Hospital

(864) 455-7000

Hillcrest Hospital

(864) 967-6100

Greer Memorial Hospital

https://www.ghs.org/locations/greer/greermemorial/

 Pelham Medical Center

https://www.spartanburgregional.com/locations/pelham-medical-center/

St. Francis Hospital

(864) 255-1000

St. Francis Women’s & Family Hospital

(864) 675-4000

Waterstone Dentistry

(864) 232-0440

Immigration and International Relocation

American Red Cross Restoring Family Links Program– Caseworkers at local chapters around the U.S. help to locate missing reletived by working with partners.

UI Relocation Services

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: www.uscis.gov

For a comprehensive look at U.S. Visa Travel information: 

https://www.insuremytrip.com/research/us-travel-visa-information/

International Grocery and Gift Shops

Ten Thousand Villages

207 North Main Street

Greenville, SC, 29601

(864) 239-4120

[email protected]

www.tenthousandvillages.com

Trade Route Import Furniture & Accessories

The Shops at Greenridge

1125 Woodruff Road, Suite 1910

Greenville, SC 29607

(864) 234-1514

www.traderouteimport.com

Regional Groceries

Super H Mart (Asian)

2550 Pleasant Hill Rd

Atlanta, GA 30349

(678) 417-0206

Upstate International Groceries

Leopard Forest Coffee – This fair-trade coffee roasting company features coffee beans grown in Zimbabwe, Africa, then roasted and ground in Travelers Rest, north of Greenville

Language Training

UI Language Classes and Conversation Clubs

Greenville Literacy Association

www.greenvilleliteracy.org

Lifelong Learning

www.greenville.k12.sc.us/lifelong/index.asp

Greenville Tech – English as a Second Language

www.gvltec.edu/esl/

Furman University – Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

www.furman.edu/sites/OLLI/Pages/default.aspx

Library

Greenville County Main Library

25 Heritage Green Place, Greenville, SC

(864) 242-5000

See www.greenvillelibrary.org for more information and all regional branches.

Newspaper & Media

The Greenville News

The daily Greenville newspaper, with comprehensive local news, classifieds, sports, and other topics

(864) 298-4110

www.greenvilleonline.com

The Greenville Journal

Weekly newspaper with five locally written and edited sections that revolve around business, economic development, local events, arts, and current issues relevant to Greenville

(864) 298-4110

www.communityjournals.com

Charter Communications

(Cable Television & Broadband Internet)

www.charter.com

WYFF-TV Channel 4 (NBC)

Includes school closings

www.wyff4.com

WHNS-TV Channel 21 (FOX)

www.foxcarolina.com

Real Estate (Buying and Selling a House)

Mr. Bruce Bachtel (Keller Williams Realty)

800 Regent Park Ct.

Greenville, SC 29607

(864) 313-3606

[email protected]

Sara Yoon (Keller Williams Realty)

800 Regent Park Ct.

Greenville, SC 29607

Speaks Korean, and English

(864) 400-4100

sarayoon.yourkwagent.com

Haro Setian (Keller Williams Realty)

700 Airport Rd.

Greenville, SC 29607

Speaks Armenian, Russian, Spanish, and English

(864) 354-9515

[email protected]

Monika Scurti (Century 21)

Spartanburg, SC

1501 John B. White Sr. Blvd.

Spartanburg, SC 29306

mobile: 864.529.6761

Liliana de Angeli (C. Dan Joyner Co., Realtors)

Licensed in the State of South Carolina

Speaks Italian, French, and English

3539 Pelham Rd.

Greenville, SC 29615

Office: (864) 244-1010 Ext. 242

Cell: (864) 967-4497

www.lilianadeangeli.com

Maggie Worsham (Coldwell Banker Caine)

Office: (864) 250-4044

Cell: (864) 918-4452

www.cbcaine.com

Aivers Mecs (Mecs Realty)

Greenville, Spartanburg

Speaks Latvian, English

Office: (864) 909-2336

[email protected]

Rosana Quintero (Coldwell Banker Caine)

Speaks Portuguese, Japanese and English.

111 Williams Street, Greenville, SC

Office: (864) 315-7376

rquintero@cbcaine.com

Recreation & Entertainment

Greenville Convention and Visitors Bureau

www.visitgreenvillesc.com

Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau

www.visitspartanburg.com

City of Greenville

Includes a good list of things to do and see in Greenville
www.greenvillesc.gov

City of Spartanburg

www.cityofspartanburg.org

City of Greenville Special Events

http://www.greenvillesc.gov/72/Special-Events

City of Greer

Downtown Greer Events, Dining, and Shopping (http://greerstation.com/)

Greer Parks and Recreation (http://www.cityofgreer.org/departments/greer_city_park.php)

Religion

Interfaith Forum

Interfaith Forum (IF) is a coalition of faith communities, individuals and organizations in the Upstate of South Carolina that advocates social justice, promotes charitable outreach, and fosters mutual support and interfaith dialogue.

www.interfaithforum-sc.org