Best Places29690, SC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 29690, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
29690 ranks 11,055th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores best on low property taxes, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 29690
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
29690's strengths and weaknesses
Where 29690 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 76% of zip codes
- School gradeB+, better than 75% of zip codes
Where 29690 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 29% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 75 pleasant days a year, better than only 36% of zip codes
- Short commute28.1 minutes each way, better than only 38% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 39% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 29690
A household needs to earn about $80,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 29690 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $72,853; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 29690's effective rate of 0.42%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 29690
29690's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 29690.
Who works in 29690, and how
Work in 29690 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 29690
29690 has more parkland per resident than 72% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 29690 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 29690, month by month
29690 sees roughly 75 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 56, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 44° | 33° |
| April | 77° | 64° | 51° |
| July | 93° | 81° | 72° |
| October | 78° | 65° | 54° |
Flying in and out of 29690
The nearest airport, Greenville Spartanburg International, is about 14 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 85 miles away.
The best schools in and around 29690
Schools across 29690 average a B+, better than 75% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Saluda Elementary SchoolA+ · 80% proficient
- Tigerville ElementaryA · 70% proficient
- Mountain View ElementaryA · 70% proficient
Top middle schools
- Polk County Middle SchoolA · 63% proficient
- Dacusville MiddleA · 60% proficient
- Flat Rock MiddleB+ · 52% proficient
Top high schools
- Polk County Early CollegeA · 75% proficient
- Landrum HighA− · 65% proficient
- Travelers Rest HighA− · 65% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 29690 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
29690 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 29690 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 29690 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 11% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 29690
Is 29690 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 29690 ranks 11,055th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, low disaster risk, and tree cover, and lowest on summer heat and transit. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 29690 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $323,204. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $72,853 median income, cost of living beats 51% of zip codes.
Is 29690 safe?
Yes, 29690 is safer than 69% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $353 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 29690?
July highs average about 93 degrees, and January highs near 56 with lows near 33. That works out to about 75 pleasant days a year, more than 36% of zip codes.
Is 29690 good for families?
Schools beat 75% of zip codes, crime safety beats 69%, and childcare runs $923 a month.
Compare 29690 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 29690. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 29690 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
29690 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 29690: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 29690: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 29690: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 29690: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
29690 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.