Woodruff is a city in
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, located in
upstate South Carolina
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 ...
. The population was 4,333 at the
2020 census.
Geography
Woodruff is located at (34.740530, -82.032580).
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 0.54%, is water.
History
The Earliest History of this area begins with the membership of “The Church of Christ on Jamey’s Creek” dated September 18, 1787. The church was so called as this was the nearest point of designation since “Jamey’s Creek” heads of McArthur Street behind the Woodruff State Branch Bank on North Main Street. The creek is now called “Jimmie’s Creek”. The early members traveled some distance to attend this church. They were from the communities of Cavins,
Enoree,
Crescent
A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself.
In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his ...
,
Green Pond,
Switzer and others in
Laurens County. Most of the early settlers had come from Virginia and North Carolina. They were primarily veterans 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 ...
and their families. Joseph Woodruff received a grant of 200 acres (which would later become Woodruff, S.C.). He came to this area from
Yadkin River Valley in North Carolina after his service in the Revolution. The first census of Spartanburg District, in 1790, shows who his neighbors were. All of these people were farmers. There were a few country stores in those days, and these were supplied by “Wagoner’s”. One of Joseph Woodruff's sons, Thomas, remained in this area and had dreamed of founding a town. But, he did not live to see Woodruff incorporated. His two sons, Dr. Charles Pinckney Woodruff and Captain A. B. Woodruff were most instrumental in carrying out their father's wishes. Therefore, the town was named in Thomas Woodruff's honor. There was no town nor industry until after the town was chartered in 1874. Men from the rural areas came into Woodruff to establish businesses and the town began to grow. The two Woodruff brothers worked vigorously to get the railroad to run through the town.
The railroad was completed in 1885. This caused a rapid growth of business. The oldest standing home in Woodruff today is the home of Danny Verdin, located on Main Street. The house was built in the 1830s by Harrison Patillo Woodruff, son of Thomas. “Squire Jim” Westmoreland bought his home in 1874 when he came to Woodruff to establish a mercantile business. The home of Dr. Charles Pickney Woodruff stood where the Woodruff Post Office is now located. Capt. A. B. Woodruff's home was located on East Georgia Street. The site is now used as an overflow parking lot for the Lanford Funeral Home.
oodruff sc websiteThe
Old Woodruff High School,
First Presbyterian Church of Woodruff
First Presbyterian Church of Woodruff (Woodruff Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church) is a historic church at 300 W. Georgia Street in Woodruff, South Carolina.
It was built in 1911 and added to the National Register of Historic Places
...
, and
Hurricane Tavern
Hurricane Tavern, also known as Workman Farm, is a national historic district located near Woodruff, Spartanburg County, South Carolina. The district encompasses 30 contributing buildings, 1 contributing site, and 1 contributing structure on a r ...
are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.
Government and city departments
Kenneth Gist is the current mayor, the city manager is Lee Bailey. City Council members include Mattie Norman, Toni Sloan, William "Buddy" Arnold, James Smith, Scott Dickard and Sharon Kelly.
The town is also noted for being situated near an international aeromodelling center, Triple Tree Aerodrome, where the world's largest model airplane event happens annually, Joe Nall Week.
Other city departments include the fire department (The Woodruff Fire Department became a part of The Trinity Fire Department in July 2019, parks and recreation, building codes and zoning, police department, streets department, and sewer department.
Education
Spartanburg School District Four, is the district that serves Woodruff, and other nearby areas. With roughly 2800 students. The district superintendent is Dr. W. Rallie Liston. The district has one of the best high schools in the state.
SCSD4 has four schools.
Woodruff Primary School (3K-2nd Grades)
Woodruff Elementary School (3rd-5th Grades)
Woodruff Middle School (6th-8th Grades)
Woodruff High School (9th-12th Grades)
Throughout its history, Woodruff High has experienced a large amount of success in athletics, most notably football. Under the leadership of Coach W. L. Varner, Woodruff High athletics has numerous state titles.
Woodruff is also home to the Project Fun Homeschool Co-op which serves students in Spartanburg, Greenville, Laurens and Union counties.
Woodruff has a
lending library
A lending library is a library from which books and other media are lent out. The major classifications are endowed libraries, institutional libraries (the most diverse), public libraries, and subscription libraries. It may also refer to a librar ...
, a branch of the Spartanburg County Public Library.
Media
Woodruff has a radio station that is Woodruff specific;
WQUL
WQUL is a daytime-only classic country radio station located in Woodruff, South Carolina, south of the Greenville-Spartanburg area. The station is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast on 1510 AM with a power of ...
is a radio station located in Woodruff that plays oldies, carries local sports games, and keeps the community abreast of local events. It can be found at 95.9 FM.
Demographics
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 ...
, there were 4,212 people, 1,577 households, and 891 families residing in the city.
2000 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 2000, there were 4,229 people, 1,678 households, and 1,130 families 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 1,154.8 people per square mile (446.1/km
2). There were 1,869 housing units at an average density of 510.4 per square mile (197.2/km
2). The racial makeup of the city was 68.53%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 27.71%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.17%
Native American, 0.14%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.02%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 1.63% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.80% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 3.74% of the population.
With a population 4,229 there are three Authur state banks within a mile of each 3 homeless shelters yet statistically no Woodruff residents are homeless. There are 4 mortuaries in the city of 4,229.
There were 1,678 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,824, and the median income for a family was $32,966. Males had a median income of $26,204 versus $21,467 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 $14,535. About 15.5% of families and 18.4% 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 19.3% of those under age 18 and 19.3% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
*
Ken "The Hawk" Harrelson, Former Major league baseball player, current T.V. broadcaster for the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
*
Sammy Taylor, major league baseball player from 1958 to 1963 with the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
,
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
,
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
and
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
.
*
Tony Rice (American football)
Tony Rice (born September 5, 1967) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and World League of American Football. Rice is perhaps best remembered as the dynamic option quarter ...
, quarterback for University of Notre Dame (1986-1988, 1988 NCAA Football National Champions),
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
and
World League of American Football
NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa League) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally f ...
.
*
Wilson Casey
Wilson Casey is an American columnist, book author, political humorist, entertainer, speaker, and record holder. He earned two Guinness World Records (trivia marathon and radio broadcasting) for a thirty-hour live, continuous broadcast on radio st ...
, Trivia Guinness World Record holder, professional entertainer/speaker, nationally syndicated newspaper columnist in 500+ newspapers, most-read writer from the Carolinas with 50 versions of published books, works, and calendars.
*
Willie Varner
W. L. "Willie" Varner (May 22, 1926 – January 20, 2009) was a high school football coach. He coached for 42 seasons (1954–96) at Woodruff High School in Woodruff, South Carolina, amassing 383 victories, 10 state titles, and 28 conference titl ...
(1926-2009), National High School Sports Hall of Fame
References
External links
City of Woodruff official website
{{authority control
Cities in South Carolina
Cities in Spartanburg County, South Carolina
Populated places established in 1787