Young Professional: Why I Love Greenville, NC

©Journal Communications/Justin Kase Conder

Greenville, NC, is an attractive place for young professionals looking to develop their career and enjoy an ideal lifestyle, and many people are taking notice. 

Take Hunter O’Neal, a business banking portfolio manager with United Bank, who recently relocated to Greenville-Pitt County with his wife and 3-year-old. O’Neal details his favorite aspects of life in Greenville, from its collection of parks to its opportunities for social growth to its bounty of community activities.

What brought you to Greenville-Pitt County?

I was originally living in Martinsburg, West Virginia. We knew we wanted to move to North Carolina because we have family spread throughout the state; we just didn’t know where we wanted to live. I was already a portfolio manager with United Bank in Martinsburg, and they had a posting for my position in Greenville.

We moved down in April 2023, but we originally moved to Wilson, North Carolina. We had a temporary living situation just to get the vibe down here and see where it was that we wanted to live. We did that for five or six months. From research and trips into the towns to attend events, we ended up falling in love with Greenville. 

What about Greenville has allowed you to grow in your career and social life?

In terms of growth, the Young Professionals of Pitt County organization has been great. When I moved out here, I didn’t really know anyone in Greenville, so my manager recommended the group. When I joined, I started meeting people my age. I met a few people who also had kids, which was an easy thing to have in common. Now, as I attend events that they host, I’m meeting new people every time.

What do you love most about the community?

There are a ton of parks. There are at least six or seven parks within a 15-minute drive from where we live, and there are tons of other family-friendly activities. We fill up our calendar with events that are appropriate for our kid and that are free to attend. We had a blast at PirateFest, and we look forward to other events like the Christmas parade, as well. 

It’s kind of a catch-22 because the events and parades, whether you have kids or not, are like young professional mixers. You never know who you’re going to run into, and whoever you meet, you’re going to have something in common because you both wanted to go to the event for a reason. 

How else do you recommend newcomers get involved in the community? 

Greenville-Pitt County has some pretty active Facebook pages. When we moved down here, that’s how we started learning about all the local festivals. When you know nothing about the area and don’t know what’s going on, Facebook pages are a great way to get that information. 

What are your favorite things to do to relax and have fun? 

We go to a lot of the parks with playgrounds, but there are also places like River Park North, which has great hiking trails. Pretty much every park that has hiking trails also has a body of water and some sort of dock, too. 

Another thing that we enjoy is just going downtown. We check out local restaurants, get an appetizer, get a drink and then go to the next one. With the proximity of all the restaurants downtown, it’s really easy to do that. 

There’s actually an ice rink here, too, and that was not something that existed for us in West Virginia, so my wife and I got to go ice skating for the first time, and that was really a blast. 

What advice do you have for those who are on the fence about moving to Greenville-Pitt County? 

Don’t be afraid to take a weekend and come down. Find a festival and spend the rest of your weekend checking out the actual town. Every time we came to visit, we had a great time. That’s how we realized this was the place where we wanted to live.