Arts and Culture Providing Substantial Revenue for the State

The SC Arts Commission recently reported that arts and culture contributed $2.4 billion to the state's economy in 2006, up 30% from 2001. That may be difficult to measure locally, but Greenville has certainly seen an impact from the arts. "The creative types like to be in a cool place, and Greenville is a cool place", says Ken May, deputy director of the South Carolina Arts Commission. Arts also have influence on relocation to the area, according to the Greenville Hospital System. When the GHS University Medical Center recruits physicians, the prospects have inevitably done their research on the availability of cultural amenities and it plays a large part in their decision to buy Greenville SC Real Estate.