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Spartanburg is a city in and the
seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...
of
Spartanburg County, South Carolina Spartanburg County is a County (United States), county located on the northwestern border of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 327,997, making it the fifth-most populous county ...
, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. For a time, the
Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...
(OMB) grouped Spartanburg and
Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
Counties together as the Spartanburg metropolitan statistical area, but as of 2018,the OMB defines only Spartanburg County as the Spartanburg MSA. Spartanburg is the second-largest city in the greater Greenville–Spartanburg–Anderson
combined statistical area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...
, which had a population of 1,385,045 as of 2014. It is part of a 10-county region of northwestern South Carolina known as "
The Upstate The Upstate is the region in the westernmost part of South Carolina, United States, also known as the Upcountry, which is the historical term. Although loosely defined among locals, the general definition includes the 10 counties of the commerc ...
", and is located northwest of Columbia, west of
Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
, and about northeast of
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
. Spartanburg is the home of
Wofford College Wofford College is a private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was founded in 1854. The campus is a national arboretum and one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the America ...
,
Converse University Converse University is a private university in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was established in 1889 by a group of Spartanburg residents and named after textile pioneer Dexter Edgar Converse. It was originally a women's college but now admits ...
, and
Spartanburg Community College Spartanburg Community College (SCC) is a public community college in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The college serves the citizens of Spartanburg, Cherokee, and Union counties in Upstate South Carolina. Campuses Spartanburg Community College has ...
, and the area is home to
USC Upstate USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of S ...
and
Spartanburg Methodist College Spartanburg Methodist College is a private Methodist college in Saxon, South Carolina, with a Spartanburg postal address. The college serves approximately 1,000 students (2020-2021 academic year). The college awards six associate degrees, a custo ...
. It is also the site of headquarters for
Denny's Denny's (also known as Denny's Diner on some of the locations' signage) is an American table service diner-style restaurant chain. It operates over 1,700 restaurants in many countries. Description Originally opened as a Diner, coffee shop un ...
. Spartanburg was ranked number 24 on the "150 Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2021-2022" by ''US News & World Report''.


History

Spartanburg was formed in 1785, after a deal was made with the
Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation (Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ ''Tsalagihi Ayeli'' or ᏣᎳᎩᏰᎵ ''Tsalagiyehli''), also known as the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It ...
in 1753, and was named after a local militia called the Spartan Regiment in the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
. The Spartan Regiment, commanded by Andrew Pickens, participated in the nearby
Battle of Cowpens The Battle of Cowpens was an engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17, 1781 near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina, between U.S. forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and British forces under Lieutenant Colo ...
. In 1831, Spartanburg was incorporated, later becoming known as the "Hub City"; railroad lines radiated from the city forming the shape of a wheel hub. It became a center of textile manufacturing in the late 19th century, with around 40
textile mill Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...
s being established through the early 1900s. During
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
,
Camp Wadsworth Camp Wadsworth was a World War I-era training facility for the United States Army. Located near Spartanburg, South Carolina, the post was in operation from its opening in July 1917 until it was inactivated in March 1919, following the Armistice ...
was used to train 100,000 soldiers for the war. Camp Croft trained soldiers during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The facility was transferred to the state and adapted as
Croft State Park Croft State Park is a state park in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, located on land used during World War II as Camp Croft, a US Army basic training center and prisoner-of-war camp. History The land that is now Croft State Park was farmed ...
. By the 1950s, the production in these mills began to decline as wages increased. Most textile manufacturing jobs were moved offshore by the companies.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.47%, is covered by water. The most common
soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former te ...
series is
Cecil Cecil may refer to: People with the name * Cecil (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) * Cecil (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Canada *Cecil, Alberta, ...
. The bedrock is mostly
biotite gneiss Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures an ...
.


Climate

The city of Spartanburg has a humid subtropical climate with long, hot, and humid summers, and cool to semimild winters. The average annual temperature is . In the summer from June through September, average highs are in the 80s °F (20s °C) to low 90s °F (30s °C), while in the winter, average highs are in the mid-50s °F (10s °C). Annual rainfall is spread fairly evenly throughout the whole year. Spartanburg receives very little snowfall, with the annual average being only . Average precipitation is and the average growing season is 231 days.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2010, 37,013 people, 15,989 households, and 9,721 families were residing in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 2,066.3 people per square mile (799.9/km2). The 17,696 housing units had an average density of 923.9 per square mile (356.8/km2). The
racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
was 49.55% African American, 47.15% White, 0.18% Native American, 1.33% Asian, 0.82% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.78% of the population. Of the 15,989 households, 28.9% had children under 18 living with them, 34.0% were married couples living together, 23.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were not families. About 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.33, and the average family size was 3.00. In the city, the age distribution was 25.2% under 18, 12.2% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,735, and for a family was $36,108. Males had a median income of $30,587 versus $23,256 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the city was $18,136. About 29.4% of families and 23.3% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 34.6% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.


2020 census

As of the
2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, e 38,732 people, 15,154 households, and 8,638 families resided in the city.


Economy

Within the past decade, developers and community leaders have spearheaded an effort to revitalize Spartanburg's downtown commercial district. This has resulted in a remodeling of Morgan Square, the restoration of a number of historic structures and the relocation of several businesses and company headquarters to the downtown vicinity. These new developments include a nine-floor, 240-room Marriott hotel. Spartanburg is home to many large companies, including
Denny's Denny's (also known as Denny's Diner on some of the locations' signage) is an American table service diner-style restaurant chain. It operates over 1,700 restaurants in many countries. Description Originally opened as a Diner, coffee shop un ...
,
KYMCO Kymco (an acronym for Kwang Yang Motor Co, Ltd ()) (stylized as ''KYMCO'') is a Taiwanese motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. With approximately 3000 employees, Kymco produces over 570,000 vehicles annually at its factor ...
, Smith Drug Company,
Advance America Cash Advance Grupo Elektra is a Mexican financial and retailing corporation established by Hugo Salinas Price. The company has operations in Latin America and is the largest non-bank provider of cash advance services in the United States. It is listed on th ...
,
Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly ...
,
Spartanburg Herald-Journal The ''Spartanburg Herald-Journal'' is a daily newspaper, the primary newspaper for Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. History The origins of the paper lie with ''The Spartan'', a weekly paper reportedly first printed in about 1842 ...
,
RJ Rockers Brewing Company RJ Rockers Brewing Company is a beer brewing company based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, founded in 1997 by current owner/brewer, Mark R. Johnsen. The company is considered a microbrewery meaning it has an annual production of less than 15,000 ...
, American Credit Acceptance, and
Upward Sports Upward Sports is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission of "promoting the discovery of Jesus through sports". Upward Sports partners with churches in the US and Canada to bring youth sports ministry in their local communities. Upwa ...
. The economy of Spartanburg benefits from the BMW manufacturing facility located in the city of
Greer, South Carolina Greer is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, Greenville and Spartanburg County, South Carolina, Spartanburg counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 35,308 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census Greer is ...
, which is in Spartanburg County. As of February 2017, the plant employed around 8,800 people with an average daily output of about 1,400 vehicles. Spartanburg is also home to the world headquarters and research facility for
Milliken & Company Milliken & Company is an American industrial manufacturer that has been in business since 1865. With corporate headquarters located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the company is active across a breadth of disciplines including specialty chemica ...
, a textile and chemical manufacturer.


Top employers

According to Spartanburg's 2015 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the principal employers in the city are:


Arts and culture

Cultural events and institutions in the city include: *The Chapman Cultural Center, Spartanburg's cultural anchor for history, art, theatre, dance, music, and science, is located in a three-building complex on the northern edge of downtown. Opened in October 2007, the Center was designed by David M. Schwarz Architects of Washington, D.C. It houses the Spartanburg Art Museum, Spartanburg County Regional History Museum, Science Center, Little Theatre, Ballet, Music Foundation, and other groups that were formerly located in The Arts Center on South Spring Street. It is owned and operated by The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting arts and cultural agencies in Spartanburg County. *
Hub City Writers Project The Hub City Writers Project is a nonprofit organization in Spartanburg, South Carolina, dedicated to cultivating readers and nurturing writers through its independent small press, community bookstore, and diverse literary programming. The independ ...
, serves the community as a local publishing company and independent bookstore. *
Converse University Converse University is a private university in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was established in 1889 by a group of Spartanburg residents and named after textile pioneer Dexter Edgar Converse. It was originally a women's college but now admits ...
is a nationally known four-year liberal arts institution recognized for its strong music and visual art programs. It hosts events open to the community throughout the year. Twichell Auditorium is located on the campus of Converse University. Home of the Greater Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Twichell Auditorium has served as hosts to other groups such as the Spartanburg All-County High School Band and Boston Brass. Twichell Auditorium was built in 1899 and renovated for the school's centennial celebration in 1989. The 1500-seat auditorium is home to a 57-rank Casavant organ with 2,600+ pipes. Theatre Converse puts on several plays a year, and Converse puts on an opera annually, as well as opera scenes. The university has had major concerts in recent years with such artists as
Caedmon's Call Caedmon's Call is a contemporary Christian band which fused traditional folk with world music and alternative rock. They were composed of Cliff Young (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Danielle Young (vocals), Garett Buell (percussion), Jeff Mil ...
,
Jason Mraz Jason Thomas Mraz (; born June 23, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single " The Remedy (I Won't ...
, Corey Smith, and
Colbie Caillat Colbie Marie Caillat (; born May 28, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to fame through social networking website Myspace. At that time, she was the number one unsigned artist of her genre. After signing with Universal Republic R ...
. *Wofford College is a liberal arts college. Not traditionally known for its arts and cultural strength, Wofford has made notable strides to develop arts programs in recent years. Poet and environmental writer John E. Lane, theater artist Mark Ferguson, and visual artist
Kris Neely Kristofer M. Neely (born November 21, 1978) is an American creative writer and visual artist in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA who serves as Professor of Art and Director of Interdisciplinary Studies at Spartanburg Methodist College.George, Dusti ...
are all graduates of Wofford. Each returned to their alma mater to develop curricular and co-curricular opportunities in the Arts, including a Creative Writing program, a Theatre Major, and a minor in Studio Art. John Lane was also a critical visionary in the creation of the Goodall Environmental Studies Center in Glendale, SC. *The Spartanburg County Public Library headquarters, housed in an innovative building on South Church Street, is home to a voluminous collection of fiction, nonfiction, children's literature, A/V materials and items relating to local history and genealogy. The library hosts many meetings, concerts and presentations. The County Librarian is Todd Stephens. *The
Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium The Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium is a large-events venue in Spartanburg, South Carolina, located at 385 N Church St. It was built in 1951 and consists of a 3,217-seat theater with an 83'9"-by-86' stage and a 1,600-seat Exhibit Hall with 13,6 ...
is located on N. Church Street, across from the municipal building in the northwest end of the city of Spartanburg. The "SMA" has hosted acts such as
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
,
Crosby Stills and Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member ...
,
B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...
,
Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...
,
David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...
,
Lewis Grizzard Lewis McDonald Grizzard Jr. (October 20, 1946 – March 20, 1994) was an American writer and humorist, known for his Southern demeanor and commentary on the U.S. Southern states, American South. Although he spent his early career as a newspaper ...
,
Harry Connick, Jr. Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 List of best-selling music artists i ...
,
Gerald Levert Gerald Edward Levert (July 13, 1966 – November 10, 2006) was an Americans, American singer-songwriter and producer. Levert was best known for singing with his brother, Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon of the vocal group LeVert. Levert ...
,
Dave Chappelle David Khari Webber Chappelle ( ; born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for his satirical comedy sketch series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006), which he starred in until quitting in the middle of p ...
,
Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing a Jerry Seinfeld (character), semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom ''Seinfeld'', which he ...
,
Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...
, ''
A Prairie Home Companion ''A Prairie Home Companion'' is a weekly radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor that aired live from 1974 to 2016. In 2016, musician Chris Thile took over as host, and the successor show was eventually renamed ''Live from He ...
'', and many others. Originally built in an
Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
style and was renovated c. 2002 including a new facade and backstage with loading area.


Points of interest

*Lawson's Fork Creek, a tributary of the
Pacolet River The Pacolet River is a tributary of the Broad River, about 50 miles (80 km) long, in northwestern South Carolina in the United States.white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...
,
raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight of ...
s,
wild turkey The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an Upland game bird, upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of Turkey (bird), turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic ...
s,
pileated woodpecker The pileated woodpecker (''Dryocopus pileatus'') is a large, mostly black woodpecker native to North America. An insectivore, it inhabits deciduous forests in eastern North America, the Great Lakes, the boreal forests of Canada, and parts of the ...
s,
mallard ducks The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argen ...
,
Canada geese The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), or Canadian goose, is a large wild goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North America, and it is o ...
and
snapping turtle The Chelydridae is a family of turtles that has seven extinct and two extant genera. The extant genera are the snapping turtles, ''Chelydra'' and '' Macrochelys''. Both are endemic to the Western Hemisphere. The extinct genera are '' Acherontem ...
s. *
Hatcher Garden and Woodland Preserve Hatcher Garden and Woodland Preserve is a public garden located at 820 John B. White Sr. Blvd. in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Admission is free and the garden is open to the public during daylight hours. Conifer Garden The Pinophyta, Conifer Ga ...
, is a preserve located in the midst of an urban environment. Retired social activist Harold Hatcher and his wife Josephine transformed an eroding gully into a thick woods and flower garden which now provides a haven for birds and other wildlife. Early European settlers to this area included French fur trappers, English woodsmen, and Scots-Irish farmers. Few remnants survive from these early pioneering days, but traces can be found in the more rural areas of the county. * Walnut Grove Plantation, an 18th-century farmhouse, has been preserved by The Spartanburg County Historical Association. The site of a locally famous skirmish during the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, it was the home of the Moore family. The plantation lies south of Spartanburg near the town of Roebuck, and is open to the public for tours and during annual festivals. *The Seay House, another 18th-century home, is a more typical representative of a pioneer home. Its single stone fireplace and simple construction were common traits of farmsteads from this period. *The Price House, the third 18th-century home maintained by the Historical Association, is unique. Its sturdy
Flemish-bond Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called '' courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall. Bricks may be differentiated from blocks by ...
brick construction and three stories are less common in this area. By carefully examining the original inventory lists of the house, the Historical Association has been able to retrieve period pieces that approximate the original contents of the house. First established in the 1780s as a courthouse village, Spartanburg may have been named for the Spartan regiment of the South Carolina militia. The city was incorporated in 1831, at the time of the 50th anniversary of the
Battle of Cowpens The Battle of Cowpens was an engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17, 1781 near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina, between U.S. forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and British forces under Lieutenant Colo ...
, a pivotal fight of the
American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
that took place only a few miles away. The city's streets and architectural record reflect the changes of the 19th and 20th centuries. *Morgan Square, the city's primary downtown hub, is the original courthouse village. It was founded adjacent to a small spring (now underground) on the western slope of a ridge, which forms the border of the Tyger and
Pacolet River The Pacolet River is a tributary of the Broad River, about 50 miles (80 km) long, in northwestern South Carolina in the United States.Daniel Morgan Daniel Morgan (1735–1736July 6, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from Virginia. One of the most respected battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783, he later commanded troops during the sup ...
, the general who commanded the American forces at Cowpens. A statue of Morgan was placed in the square in 1881. The oldest existing buildings on Morgan Square date to the 1880s. *The Magnolia Street Train Depot is one of the older buildings in Spartanburg and stands as a reminder of Spartanburg's old nickname "the Hub City," referring to the many transportation routes that connected Spartanburg with cities throughout the region. It is now the home of the
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
station, the Hub City Railroad Museum, and the Hub City Farmers' Market. * Hampton Heights Historic District is the city's oldest intact downtown neighborhood, located a couple of blocks south of Morgan Square. Architectural styles in this neighborhood range from large Queen Anne and Neoclassical homes to cozy early 20th-century bungalows.
Cotton mill A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning (textiles), spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system. Althou ...
s have abounded in the Spartanburg area since 1816, earning Spartanburg the reputation as the " Lowell of the South." Although there were few mills in the area before the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, technological advances, northern capital, and out-migration from the poor farms that made white labor available, created a wave of
postbellum may refer to: * Any post-war period or era * Post-war period following the American Civil War (1861–1865); nearly synonymous to Reconstruction era (1863–1877) * Post-war period in Peru following its defeat at the War of the Pacific (1879 ...
mill development here and in much of the Piedmont
South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
. Additionally, the abundant streams and rivers in the area are just beginning their descent towards the lower-lying
Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...
region. In many places, these waterways descend abruptly, providing a source for plentiful
waterpower Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a wa ...
. Cotton mills were built along these rivers to harness this power, and so began the region's servitude to
King Cotton "King Cotton" is a slogan that summarized the strategy used before the American Civil War (of 1861–1865) by secessionists in the southern states (the future Confederate States of America) to claim the feasibility of secession and to prove ther ...
. These mills, their owners and their slaves dominated the politics and economy of the region for nearly a century. Although nearly all abandoned, many mills remain along the riverbanks, the Piedmont equivalent of
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
ruins. *Glendale Mill is located off Lawson's Fork Creek southeast of the city. Although gutted by fire in 2004, a few towers and smokestacks remain, providing a dramatic backdrop to the dam, shoals and waterfalls of the creek below. The former company store now serves as the home of the
Wofford College Wofford College is a private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was founded in 1854. The campus is a national arboretum and one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the America ...
Environmental Studies Center. The Glendale Shoals bridge will be getting a $600,000 makeover, and will ultimately connect to the state's
Palmetto Trail The Palmetto Trail is a planned foot and mountain bike trail in South Carolina for recreational hiking and biking. Several of the sections are also equestrian trails. It will extend from the Oconee County, South Carolina, Oconee County mountains ...
. *Beaumont Mill, north of the downtown, has recently been purchased by Spartanburg Regional Healthcare who moved their billing, human resources, and medical records to the 180,000 square foot mill. The adjacent mill village has been designated as a local historic district. *Converse Mill is located east of the city along the Pacolet River. It has recently been purchased by a developer. The mill was reconstructed in 1903 after a huge flood washed away the original mill. The dam is still in use by Converse Energy Inc as a hydroelectric plant. When the United States entered
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
in 1917, one of the sixteen divisional cantonments for the training of National Guard troops was Camp Wadsworth, which is located in the vicinity of Westgate Mall. Large numbers of New York National Guardsmen trained there in addition to many southern troops. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Camp Croft south of the city trained Army recruits. This is now a South Carolina state park with the same name. Some portions of the park contain the original
quonset hut A Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanized steel having a semi cylindrical cross-section. The design was developed in the United States, based on the Nissen hut introduced by the British during World War I ...
s.


Attractions

*The Hub City Farmers Market, an outdoor market held Saturday mornings from 8:00am – 12:00pm from April to December at Harvest Park in the Northside neighborhood, showcasing local (often organic) produce and goods. *Spring Fling, a weekend festival typically held the first Saturday of May, has many live artists, rides, and other assorted attractions. *Red, White and Boom, a Fourth of July event held at Barnet Park featuring patriotic music and a fireworks display. *The International Festival, an event showcasing culture and cuisine from countries around the globe held at Barnet Park on the first Saturday in October. *Music on Main, a street concert event held every Thursday (April through August) downtown. *The Greek Festival, a major street festival that is held in September by the local Greek community at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. The festival offers Greek food and cultural activities, and is the sister festival to the Greek Festival held every spring in Greenville. *Dickens of a Christmas, a Victorian holiday event held annually in downtown Spartanburg on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. *Festifall, an historical celebration held on the grounds of the 18th-century Walnut Grove Plantation in October, featuring demonstrations and reenactments. *Taste of the Backcountry, a historical celebration held on the grounds of the 18th-century Price House in April, featuring food samples and demonstrations. *Th
Hub City Hog Fest
is an annual barbecue festival and competition that benefits Mobile Meals. It is held in the heart of downtown Spartanburg with food trucks, over 40 BBQ teams, and two days of live music. *Hub City Railroad Museum *Spartanburg Music Trail which is a series of signs throughout downtown recognizing local musicians. *The Hotspot Skatepark *The Beacon Drive-In (Since 1946).


Sports

Spartanburg is host to the NFL's
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
training camp each year on the campus of
Wofford College Wofford College is a private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was founded in 1854. The campus is a national arboretum and one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the America ...
. Historic Duncan Park Stadium was once home to the Spartanburg Stingers in the
Coastal Plain League The Coastal Plain League (CPL) is a wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league, featuring college players recruited from throughout the nation. The league takes its name from the Class D level Coastal League which operated in the area from 19 ...
and the Spartanburg Crickets in the
Southern Collegiate Baseball League TheSouthern Collegiate Baseball League (SCBL) is a non-profit, wooden bat collegiate summer league affiliated with the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball. Established in 1999, the league has six teams located in the Charlotte metropolit ...
and is the oldest minor league baseball stadium in the country. It was also once home to the
Spartanburg Phillies Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat, seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest c ...
, a minor league team of the
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
. It now is the home stadium for the baseball teams of
Spartanburg High School Spartanburg High School is the public high school in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It is part of Spartanburg County School District No. 7. The current principal is Vance Jones, a former assistant principal at the school. The district includes m ...
and the
Spartanburgers The Spartanburgers are a collegiate summer baseball team playing in the Coastal Plain League. The team plays its home games at Duncan Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The team, formerly the Gastonia Grizzlies, relocated from Gastonia, North ...
. The Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas is held each year at Wofford's Gibbs Stadium. It is a high school football all-star game played between the top players from South Carolina and the top players from
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
. The USC Upstate Spartans, Spartanburg Methodist College Pioneers, and the Wofford College Terriers offer a variety of sports for both men and women.
Converse College Converse University is a private university in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was established in 1889 by a group of Spartanburg residents and named after textile pioneer Dexter Edgar Converse. It was originally a women's college but now admits ...
also offers NCAA Division II women's sports teams. The city hosts the Spartanburg Criterium. The
criterium A criterium, or crit, is a bike race consisting of several laps around a closed circuit, the length of each lap or circuit ranging from about 400 m to 10,000 m. Overview Race length can be determined by a number of laps or total time ...
is a yearly event and is usually one of the events associated with
Speed Week Bonneville Speedway (also known as the Bonneville Salt Flats Race Track) is an area of the Bonneville Salt Flats northeast of Wendover, Utah, that is marked out for motor sports. It is particularly noted as the venue for numerous land speed recor ...
which is part of the
USA Crits The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
bicycle racing series. The event is billed as the “fastest night in Spartanburg.”
Upward Sports Upward Sports is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission of "promoting the discovery of Jesus through sports". Upward Sports partners with churches in the US and Canada to bring youth sports ministry in their local communities. Upwa ...
, a Christian-based sports organization for kids, is headquartered in Spartanburg.


Government

The current mayor, Jerome Rice, was elected in 2021. Spartanburg operates under a
city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a "Mayor–council government" council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief execu ...
form of government in which the mayor and six city council members have equal votes. Council members represent districts within the city and the mayor is elected at large. The council appoints a city manager, who is responsible for the daily administration of city governmental affairs. City Hall is located at 145 West Broad Street. The Spartanburg County Administration Building (this is the old Sears building which was vacated in the mid-1970s when Sears moved to Westgate Mall and renovated in the late 1980s or early 1990s) is located at 366 North Church Street. It is across the street from the
Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium The Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium is a large-events venue in Spartanburg, South Carolina, located at 385 N Church St. It was built in 1951 and consists of a 3,217-seat theater with an 83'9"-by-86' stage and a 1,600-seat Exhibit Hall with 13,6 ...
.


Education


Colleges

Spartanburg is a college town, with four institutions of higher learning: *
Spartanburg Community College Spartanburg Community College (SCC) is a public community college in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The college serves the citizens of Spartanburg, Cherokee, and Union counties in Upstate South Carolina. Campuses Spartanburg Community College has ...
*
Converse University Converse University is a private university in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was established in 1889 by a group of Spartanburg residents and named after textile pioneer Dexter Edgar Converse. It was originally a women's college but now admits ...
– Founded in 1889, Converse is a comprehensive doctoral institution. * Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) – Carolinas Campus. First classes began in Fall 2011. *
Wofford College Wofford College is a private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was founded in 1854. The campus is a national arboretum and one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the America ...
– Founded in 1854, Wofford is a
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...
liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 1,500 students. In the area: *The
University of South Carolina Upstate The University of South Carolina Upstate (USC Upstate) is a public university in Valley Falls, South Carolina, near Spartanburg and with a Spartanburg postal address.Compare to: (shows the university is not in the Spartanburg city limits)
(formerly known as University of South Carolina Spartanburg, or USCS), in Valley Falls. *
Spartanburg Methodist College Spartanburg Methodist College is a private Methodist college in Saxon, South Carolina, with a Spartanburg postal address. The college serves approximately 1,000 students (2020-2021 academic year). The college awards six associate degrees, a custo ...
– The only 2-year, private, residential college in the state, in
Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
*
Sherman College of Chiropractic Sherman College of Chiropractic is a private graduate college focused on the health sciences and located in unincorporated Spartanburg County, South Carolina, with a Boiling Springs postal address; it is outside of the Boiling Springs census-desi ...
– South Carolina's only chiropractic college


Public and private schools

Most of the City of Spartanburg's public schools are run by
Spartanburg County School District 7 Spartanburg County School District No. 7 (SCSD7) is a public school district in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, US. The district includes most of the city of Spartanburg, as well as all of Ben Avon, Drayton and Whitney, most of Camp Cro ...
, one of seven loosely affiliated districts located in Spartanburg County. District 7 students are zoned to
Spartanburg High School Spartanburg High School is the public high school in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It is part of Spartanburg County School District No. 7. The current principal is Vance Jones, a former assistant principal at the school. The district includes m ...
. However, the westernmost part of the city is served by
Spartanburg County School District 6 Spartanburg County School District 6 (SCSD6) is a public school district in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, US. Led by superintendent Dr. Darryl Owings, the district operates thirteen schools. It serves western Spartanburg as well as Arcadi ...
, which has two elementary schools within city limits. District 6 students are zoned to
Paul M. Dorman High School Paul M. Dorman High School is a high school located in Roebuck, South Carolina, United States. The school is part of Spartanburg County School District Six. It consists of a main campus for 10th-12th graders and a separate campus for 9th graders ...
in Roebuck. The Spartanburg area is home to the main campus of the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind, which is outside of the city limits in an
unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
. It has five Regional Outreach Centers throughout the state. The city is also home to Spartanburg Preparatory School, a K-8 public charter school that is the only "brick and mortar" charter school in the Upstate. Spartanburg is also home to Spartanburg Christian Academy, a K-12 private school in North Spartanburg, the
Spartanburg Day School Spartanburg Day School is an independent, college preparatory 2K-12 school, located in unincorporated Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States, with a Spartanburg post office address, in the Greenville-Spartanburg area. It consists of a ...
, a K-12 private school offering the International Baccalaureate in grades K-4, and to Oakbrook Preparatory and Westgate Christian schools, both K-12 private schools. Located in Hampton Heights, the Montessori Academy of Spartanburg is a PreK-8 private school providing a
Montessori The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...
educational approach. The Meeting Street Academy in downtown Spartanburg is a branch of a Charleston-based private school and currently offers PreK and Kindergarten. St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School is located in downtown Spartanburg. It is affiliated with the
Diocese of Charleston The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston is an ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Roman Catholic Church in the Southern United States that comprises the entire state of South Carolina. Currently, the diocese consists of 96 parishes an ...
and is K-8.


Media

* Spartanburg's primary newspaper is the ''
Spartanburg Herald-Journal The ''Spartanburg Herald-Journal'' is a daily newspaper, the primary newspaper for Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. History The origins of the paper lie with ''The Spartan'', a weekly paper reportedly first printed in about 1842 ...
'', owned by
Gannett Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.The Post and Courier ''The Post and Courier'' is the main daily newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina. It traces its ancestry to three newspapers, the ''Charleston Courier'', founded in 1803, the ''Charleston Daily News'', founded 1865, and ''The Evening Post'', f ...
'' of Charleston, operates a bureau in Spartanburg, and publishes a Spartanburg e-edition and Spartanburg news online. * The ''Spartan Weekly News'' is a weekly newspaper with offices located in downtown Spartanburg. The paper covers all of Spartanburg County with an emphasis on the city of Spartanburg, and its coverage focuses on items of community interest and well as news from around the upstate of South Carolina. * "The Greer Citizen" publishes online and weekly in print * "The Woodruff Times" publishes online Spartanburg is part of the much greater Greenville-Spartanburg-
Anderson Anderson or Andersson may refer to: Companies * Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910 * Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car * Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer * Anderson ...
-
Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...
DMA which is the nation's 38th largest and is served by the following major television affiliates: *
WYFF WYFF (channel 4) is a television station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, United States, serving Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina as an affiliate of NBC. Owned by Hearst Television, the station maintains studios on Ruther ...
4 (
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
), broadcasting from
Greenville, SC Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...
* WSPA 7 (
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
), broadcasting from Spartanburg *
WLOS WLOS (channel 13) is a television station licensed to Asheville, North Carolina, United States, broadcasting American Broadcasting Company, ABC and MyNetworkTV programming to Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. It is owned by Sincl ...
13 (
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
), broadcasting from
Asheville, NC Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...
but also from
Anderson, SC Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 28,106 at the 2020 census, and the city was the center of an urbanized area of 75,702. It is one of the principal cities in the Green ...
on WMYA DT-2 (a digital subchannel) * WGGS 16
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...
/
Christian Television Station Christian Television System or CTS is a South Korean religious broadcasting system for Christians. The station has its own radio and TV. History The station started on December 15th of 1954 for the purpose of establishing a civil religious networ ...
*
WHNS WHNS (channel 21), branded on air as Fox Carolina, is a television station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, United States, broadcasting Fox network programming to Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina. Owned by Gray Television, ...
21 (
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
), broadcasting from
Greenville, SC Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...
*
WMYA WMYA-TV (channel 40) is a television station licensed to Anderson, South Carolina, United States, broadcasting the digital multicast network Dabl to Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina. It is owned by Cunningham Broadcasting and op ...
40 ( My Network TV), transmitting from Anderson, SC but also on WLOS DT-2 a digital subchannel of Channel 13 out of
Asheville, NC Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...
*
WYCW WYCW (channel 62) is a television station licensed to Asheville, North Carolina, United States, serving as the CW outlet for Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. It is owned and operated by network majority owner Nexstar Media Gro ...
62 (
The CW Network ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
), licensed to
Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...
but broadcasting and transmitting from Spartanburg


Infrastructure


Transportation


Major highways

*
Interstate 85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, n ...
*
Business Loop 85 Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...
*
Interstate 26 Interstate 26 (I-26) is a main route of the Interstate Highway System in the Southeastern United States. Nominally east–west, as indicated by its even number, I-26 runs from the junction of U.S. Route 11W (US 11W) and US 23 in ...
*
Interstate 585 Interstate 585 (I-585) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway of I-85 in the US state of South Carolina. It is an orphan auxiliary route to I-85 since 1995 when the Interstate was relocated further north bypassing Spartanburg. In a concurrency ...
*
U.S. Route 176 U.S. Route 176 (US 176) is a spur of US 76 in the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina. The U.S. Highway runs from US 25 Business and North Carolina Highway 225 (NC 225) in Hendersonville, North Carolina, east to US 52 in Goose Cre ...
*
U.S. Route 29 U.S. Route 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States highway that runs for from Pensacola, Florida to the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland in the Southern United States, connecting the Florida Panhandle to the Baltimore-Washington me ...
*
U.S. Route 221 U.S. Route 221 (US 221) is a Spur route, spur of U.S. Route 21. It travels from Perry, Florida, at U.S. Route 19 in Florida, US 19/U.S. Route 98 in Florida, US 98/U.S. Route 27 Alternate (Florida), US 27 Alternate to Lyn ...
*
South Carolina 9 South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz' ...
* South Carolina 295 * South Carolina 56 * South Carolina 296 * South Carolina 215 * South Carolina 129


Public transit

Spartanburg is served by the Spartanburg Area Regional Transit Agency (SPARTA), covering the city of Spartanburg and the surrounding urbanized area with 8 routes leading to a wide variety of destinations. All SPARTA buses are equipped with bicycle racks. Two hybrid-electric buses were added to the fleet in 2012. The SPARTA Passenger Center is located at 100 North Liberty Street and also serves
Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...
buses. Mass Transit is provided to all citizens of Spartanburg County through Spartanburg County Dial-A-Ride. It is a door to door service that operates six days a week.


Airports

The
Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport The Upstate is the region in the westernmost part of South Carolina, United States, also known as the Upcountry, which is the historical term. Although loosely defined among locals, the general definition includes the 10 counties of the commerc ...
(GSP) lies mostly in suburban Greer, and it serves Greenville as well as Spartanburg. It has become one of the busiest airports in South Carolina. The
Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport The Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport (IATA: SPA, ICAO: KSPA, FAA LID: SPA) is a general aviation airport located in the city of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The airport is from downtown Spartanburg, which makes it popular for private and co ...
(SPA) is a general aviation/small craft airport owned and operated by the City, which lies southwest of town.


Railroad station

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's ''Crescent'' train connects Spartanburg with the cities of New York,
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
,
Greensboro Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...
, Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte,
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham and New Orleans. The Spartanburg station, Amtrak station is situated at 290 Magnolia Street.


Healthcare

Spartanburg County's healthcare is mainly provided by Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System. Spartanburg Regional is a public, not-for-profit, integrated health care delivery system with several facilities in Spartanburg, including: * Spartanburg Medical Center (SMC), a research and teaching hospital with two locations: Spartanburg Medical Center campus on East Wood Street and Spartanburg Medical Center — Mary Black Campus on Skylyn Drive. Together, these campuses share a history that stretches back to the 1920s. Spartanburg Medical Center includes a total of 747 beds, and services that include emergency, surgical, maternity, cancer, a Heart Center and inpatient rehabilitation. * Spartanburg Hospital for Restorative Care (SHRC), a 97-bed long-term, acute-care hospital with a 25-bed skilled nursing facility. * Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute, providing an inpatient oncology unit and outpatient care, along with access to clinical trials and the latest cancer technology. * Bearden-Josey Center for Breast Health, a state-of-the-art imaging center for digital mammography, ultrasound, stereotactic breast biopsy and bone densitometry. * Medical Group of the Carolinas, a physician group with offices located throughout Spartanburg and Upstate S.C.


Notable people

*Ted Alexander (1912–1999), baseball pitcher in Negro league baseball, Negro leagues *Pink Anderson (1900–1974), blues musician; inspiration for the "Pink" in Pink Floyd *Norman C. Armitage (1907, as Norman Cudworth Cohn–1972), Olympic medalist saber fencer who lived in Spartanburg, S. C., and in honor of whom the Milliken company plant in Spartanburg County was named. *David Ball (country musician), David Ball (born 1953), country musician *Joe Bennett & the Sparkletones, Joe Bennett, lead singer and guitarist from the 1950s rock 'n roll band "Joe Bennett and the Sparkletones" *Ted Bogan (1909–1990), country blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. *Red Borom (1915-2011), Major League Baseball infielder for Detroit Tigers *Emma L. Bowen, healthcare and media activist *Mike Bullman, bandleader, lead singer and guitarist with Jesters III *James Francis Byrnes (1882–1972), lawyer, congressman, senator, Supreme Court Justice, advisor to FDR, Secretary of State to Truman, Governor of South Carolina *Wilson Casey (born 1954), syndicated newspaper columnist, speaking entertainer, and Guinness World Record holder *Mark Cerney (born 1967), founder Next of Kin Registry (NOKR) *Marshall Chapman (born 1949), singer-songwriter *Jeremy Clements (born 1985), racing driver *Landon Cohen (b 1986), football player, community-builder *Fieldin Culbreth (Born 1963), Major League Baseball umpire, Olympian *David Daniels (countertenor), David Daniels (born 1966), counter-tenor *Stephen Davis (American football), Stephen Davis (born 1974), American football, football running back * Steven Duggar (born 1993), baseball player for the San Francisco Giants *M. K. Fort, Jr., Marion Kirkland Fort (1921–1964), mathematician *Art Fowler (1922–2007), pitcher and pitching coach in Major League Baseball *Grace Beacham Freeman (1916–2002), poet, columnist, short story writer; South Carolina Poet Laureate 1985–86 *Hank Garland (1930–2004), legendary Nashville guitarist who accompanied Patsy Cline and Elvis, among others *One Man Gang, George Gray (aka One Man Gang) (born 1960), Pro wrestler *Fred Griffith (actor), Fred Griffith (born 1964), American actor and film producer *Mark Hammond (American politician), Mark Hammond (born 1963), South Carolina Secretary of State *Lee Haney (born 1951), eight-time Mr. Olympia record holder *Dennis Hayes (businessman), Dennis Hayes (born 1950), inventor of the Hayes modem *Heath Hembree (born 1989), baseball player *Adam Humphries (born 1993), NFL wide receiver *Walter Hyatt (1950–1996), country musician and songwriter *Joseph T. Johnson (1858–1919), United States Representative from South Carolina *Marcus Lattimore, football player *Donald Lawrence (born 1961), Gospel artist *Fred L. Lowery (born 1943), Southern Baptist clergyman, televangelist, and Christian author; former pastor of First Baptist Church of North Spartanburg *Leigh Magar, milliner and business owner *The Marshall Tucker Band, Southern rock band featuring George McCorkle, Doug Gray, Jerry Eubanks, Toy Caldwell, Tommy Caldwell (musician), Tommy Caldwell, and Paul Riddle *Marcus McBeth (born 1980), baseball player *Roger Milliken (1915–2010), billionaire owner of the largest privately held textile manufacturing firm in the world (
Milliken & Company Milliken & Company is an American industrial manufacturer that has been in business since 1865. With corporate headquarters located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the company is active across a breadth of disciplines including specialty chemica ...
) *Bud Moore (NASCAR owner), Bud Moore (1925–2017), NASCAR team owner/crew chief *D. J. Moore (cornerback), D. J. Moore (born 1987), football player *
Kris Neely Kristofer M. Neely (born November 21, 1978) is an American creative writer and visual artist in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA who serves as Professor of Art and Director of Interdisciplinary Studies at Spartanburg Methodist College.George, Dusti ...
(born 1978), artist and educator *Samuel J. Nicholls (1885–1937), United States Representative from South Carolina *Angela Nikodinov (born 1980), U.S. figure skater *Cotton Owens (1924–2012), NASCAR team owner/crew chief *David Pearson (NASCAR driver), David Pearson (1934–2018), NASCAR champion *Kitty Black Perkins (born 1948), Chief Designer of Fashions for Barbie, designer of the "First Black Barbie" *Arthur Prysock (1929–1997), jazz singer *Betsy Rawls (born 1928), pro golfer, member of World Golf Hall of Fame, born in Spartanburg *Mike Reid (defensive back), Mike Reid (born 1970), NFL player *Gianna Rolandi (1952–2021), operatic soprano *Al Rosen, Al "Flip" Rosen (1924–2015), MLB 4-time All-Star third baseman and first baseman, MVP, 2-time home run champion, 2-time RBI leader *Donald S. Russell (1906–1998), former South Carolina governor, president of the University of South Carolina, US Senator, and member of the US 4th Circuit Court of Appeals *Archibald Rutledge (1883–1973), South Carolina poet laureate, resided in Spartanburg for about 20 years *Jack Smith (American racing driver, born 1924), Jack Smith (1924–2001), NASCAR driver *Carey Wentworth Styles, founder of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Atlanta Constitution *Gina Tolleson, Miss South Carolina USA 1990, First runner-up Miss USA 1990, Miss World 1990 *Wayne Tolleson (born 1955), baseball player *Sandra L. Townes (1944–2018), United States District Court judge *Buck Trent (born 1938), country music instrumentalist who accompanied Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton, among others *Ira Tucker (1925–2008), lead singer of the influential gospel group the Dixie Hummingbirds *William Walker (composer), William "Singing Billy" Walker (1809–1875), compiler of shape note tunebooks, including ''Southern Harmony, The Southern Harmony, and Musical Companion''. *Celia Weston (born 1951), actress *Zion Williamson (born 2000), men's basketball player currently playing for New Orleans Pelicans, and formerly for Duke men's basketball, Duke


Gallery

Image:Clock tower in Spartanburg, SC IMG_4815.JPG, Clocktower Image:Spartanburg, SC, City Hall IMG_4837.JPG, City Hall Image:Fountain at Morgan Square, Spartanburg, SC IMG_4821.JPG, Closeup of Morgan Square fountain Image:Section of downtown Spartanburg, SC IMG_4823.JPG, Part of downtown Spartanburg Image:Citizens and Southern National Bank, Spartanburg, SC IMG_4826.JPG, Citizens and Southern National Bank Image:First Baptist Church in Spartanburg (lower view) IMG_4827.JPG, First Baptist Church Image:Steeple of First Baptist Church, Spartanburg, SC IMG_4830.JPG, High steeple of First Baptist Church Image:First Presbyterian, Spartanburg, SC IMG_4828.JPG, First Presbyterian Church Image:St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, Spartanburg, SC IMG_4832.JPG, St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church


See also

* List of municipalities in South Carolina


References


Further reading

* Cooper, Peter (1997). ''Hub City Music Makers''. Spartanburg, S.C.: Holocene Publishing. . * Landrum, J.B.O. (1900). ''History of Spartanburg County''. * Racine, Philip N. (1999). ''Seeing Spartanburg''. Spartanburg, S.C.: Hub City Writers Project. . * Racine, Philip N. ''Living a Big War in a Small Place: Spartanburg, South Carolina, during the Confederacy'' (Univ of South Carolina Press, 2013). * Teter, Betsy Wakefield (Ed.) (2002). ''Textile Town: Spartanburg, South Carolina''. Spartanburg, S.C.: Hub City Writers Project. . Pp. 346. 40 authors provide a detailed community study, using oral histories, letters, and 200 illustrations and photographs. Central themes include labor strikes, family life in the mill villages, Depression-era hardships, race and desegregation, the boom of WW2 production, and late-twentieth-century deindustrialization. * WPA (1939). ''History of Spartanburg County''.


External links

*
Spartanburg Tourism Commission
* *
Spartanburg Regional Healthcare SystemGibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute
{{Authority control Spartanburg, South Carolina, Cities in South Carolina Cities in Spartanburg County, South Carolina County seats in South Carolina Populated places established in 1831 1831 establishments in South Carolina