Viola: Greenville, SC

Start Fresh Near The City
Parker Street was at a low point in downtown Greenville. “Heavy rains would flood through the shacks at the bottom of the street,” says lifelong resident Shawn Coleman. Crime also filled the area. But a little over a decade ago, the Viola neighborhood was reborn, thanks to the efforts of the city, First Baptist Greenville, the Urban League of the Upstate, various community partners, and the residents themselves. Tidy homes with front porches replaced clapboard homes in decay. Better drainage and new streets, sidewalks, parks, and attitudes transformed the neighborhood.