By James T. Hammond

Pelzer, a former textile mill village, is getting a new look from developers. Just 16 miles from Greenville, on the Anderson County side of the Saluda River, the community prospered with the mill built in 1882. It was the first electrified town in South Carolina, powered by the mill’s turbines.

The river crossing had been known as Wilson’s Ferry. My third Great Grandfather John Wilson owned the land, and represented the district in Congress. He’s buried under the village water tower.

The town has been slow to recover from the mass mill closings of the 20^th century. In 1950, Pelzer had a population of 2,692; by 2010 just 89 people lived in the village.

Other Upstate villages have fared better. Growth in Simpsonville is driven by the region’s manufacturing renaissance. Travelers Rest has prospered with the wildly popular Swamp Rabbit Trail. Easley and Pickens want to reproduce that model by converting a rail line into a recreational trail.

When I left Greenville in 1979, Main Street was a hallow shell. Retailers including Belk and J.C. Penney moved to suburban malls. Furman University left a gaping hole in the heart of the city with its move to the suburbs. But visionaries were working to breathe new life into the small southern town that once touted itself as the Textile Capital of the World.

What a difference 40 years has made. We are entering a third generation of civic leaders who daily have made it their mission to made Greenville’s urban core a place where people want to live, work, play, and raise families.

Greenville County’s population in 2010 was 451,225, according to the U.S. Census. By 2015, that number was estimated to have grown to 474,903, and to 498,766 in 2016.

Local officials estimate that on average 22 people moved to Greenville County daily in 2016. The city is getting about 11 of those new residents per day. The Greenville News reported that the 5.8% growth rate makes the city the fourth fastest growing in the nation.

My life choice is that, on balance, change is good. You who read this are part of this change. The Greenville I find today is infinitely better than the city I left in 1979. How about you? Are you happy with this rapidly evolving place we call home?