U.S. Route 21 or U.S. Highway 21 (US 21) is a major north–south

United States Numbered Highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these hi ...

in the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

that travels . The southern terminus is in

Hunting Island State Park Hunting Island is a secluded semitropical barrier island located east of Beaufort, South Carolina, United States in between Harbor Island and Fripp Island. Since 1935, it has been classified as a state park. It is the most-visited state p ...

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, south of the junction with US 21 Business and South Carolina Highway 802 (SC 802) in Beaufort. The northern terminus is in

Wytheville, Virginia Wytheville is a town in, and the county seat of, Wythe County, in southwestern Virginia, United States. It is named after George Wythe, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, and mentor to Thomas Jefferson. Wytheville's populat ...

at an interchange with Interstate 81 (I-81) and US 52. Despite the "1" indicating that it is a major north-south highway, U.S. 21 only travels through three states, and is no longer a cross-country route as it has been replaced with Interstate 77 in both Ohio and West Virginia. It also has the second-shortest length of all of the major north-south routes, just behind U.S. 91. The route travels through the states of South Carolina,

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 ...

, and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. It also connects through major Southeastern cities such as

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-largest ...

and

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 ...

. The northern portion of the road travels parallel to I-77 in northern South Carolina and North Carolina. The road also has three interchanges with I-26 in Lexington and Calhoun counties in South Carolina.

Route description

South Carolina

US 21 travels through the state. Beginning at

, US 21 travels west toward Beaufort, where it widens to four lanes. The route bypasses Beaufort to the south, going through Port Royal, Shell Point, and Burton. In the Beaufort area, US 21 passes by the entrances to Parris Island and MCAS Beaufort, the major Marine Corps installations in the area. North of Beaufort, US 21 continues as a four-lane

divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

and intersects with US 17. The route travels in a

wrong-way concurrency A concurrency in a road network is an instance of one physical roadway bearing two or more different route numbers. When two roadways share the same right-of-way, it is sometimes called a common section or commons. Other terminology for a concurr ...

with US 17 south for before turning north towards

Yemassee, South Carolina Yemassee () is a small Lowcountry town in Beaufort and Hampton counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 1,027 at the 2010 census. Yemassee is near the borders of Colleton and Jasper counties. The town is divided by the co ...

, where it becomes a rural two-lane road and intersects with US 17 Alternate. North of Yemassee, US 21 splits off and crosses

I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...

at exit 42. The two-lane route continues through rural portions of the state. US 21 goes through Smoaks and

Branchville, South Carolina Branchville is a town in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,024 at the 2010 census. History The community was so named because a railroad branch began at the town site. Branchville, located on the southern ti ...

and bypasses Orangeburg. North of Orangeburg, US 21 runs roughly parallel to I-26 until Gaston where it conjoins US 321 and becomes an urban highway. US 21 passes through Cayce, West Columbia, and Columbia. North of Columbia, US 21 splits from US 321, reverting to a rural two-lane road parallel to I-77. In York County, US 21 enters urban areas again, connecting Rock Hill and Fort Mill. Near the

state line, US 21 merges with I-77 near Carowinds, then enters North Carolina.

North Carolina

US 21 begins as a concurrency with I-77 in

Charlotte 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 ...

, which it repeats three times within the state. Its first break with I-77 is along Statesville Avenue, then proceeding through Huntersville and Cornelius, however, because of its close proximity to I-77 and North Carolina Highway 115 (NC 115), it has no interchange with I-485 by itself. The second break with I-77 occurs at Mooresville, where US 21 travels through the city and then northwest into Statesville. After Statesville, US 21 travels northeast to Harmony and Brooks Crossroads, before merging back with I-77 near Jonesville. However, Jonesville and Elkin connect with Business Hwy 21 thru centers of both towns, as an alternate route paralleling I-77. North of Elkin, US 21 splits with I-77 for the last time and goes north to

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...

, passing the

Blue Ridge Parkway The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is America's longest linear park, runs for through 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, linking Shenan ...

after a major, curvy section. North of Sparta, at Twin Oaks, US 221 overlaps with US 21 before entering

. US 21 travels through the western Piedmont of North Carolina, either combined with I-77 or as a two-lane rural road; from the South Carolina state line to Elkin, travelers can easily skip a majority of US 21 via I-77.

Virginia

After a few miles crossing the state line, US 21 reaches the town of

Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

, where it splits with US 221 and continues north. The route goes through the

Mount Rogers National Recreation Area Mount Rogers National Recreation Area is a United States national recreation area (NRA) in southwestern Virginia near the border with Tennessee and North Carolina. It centerpiece is the Lewis Fork Wilderness containing Mount Rogers, the highest p ...

before entering the city of Wytheville. After a short concurrency with US 11 in downtown Wytheville, it goes north and ends at the intersection of

I-81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Isla ...

/ US 52. US 21 travels through western Virginia, mostly as a two-lane rural mountain road.

History

US 21 in the pre-Interstate era was a north–south highway connecting the area around

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also h ...

and the coastal South. One of the few true north–south routes to cross the middle Appalachian Mountains, it became an important corridor for motor traffic between northeastern

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, western

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, (with US 19) and western

New York state New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

with central

, central and southeastern

, and (by connecting with other highways) coastal

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 ...

and most of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. Many referred to the stretch of Hwy 21 from the Great Lakes Region to Florida as "The Lakes-to-Florida Highway". US 21 originally (in 1926) connected Cleveland, Ohio, and

. In 1935 it was extended to

Beaufort, South Carolina Beaufort ( , a different pronunciation from that used by the city with the same name in North Carolina) is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South ...

, and again in 1953 to its current southern terminus at the Atlantic Coast at

, between the city of Beaufort and Fripp Island. In the Interstate Highway era much of US 21 became an obvious corridor for a long-distance expressway. The

West Virginia Turnpike West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

between Charleston, West Virginia, and

Princeton, West Virginia Princeton, is a city in and the county seat of Mercer County, West Virginia, Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The city is coined the "Heart of Mercer County" or the "Jewel of the South" in past decades. The population was 6,432 at the ...

, was the first segment of a planned series of toll highways along or near US 21 from Cleveland to

. All of the other toll highways were shelved in favor of freeways built with Interstate funding; these freeways and the West Virginia Turnpike became I-77, which completely supplanted old US 21 as a long-distance through route. I-77 was later extended to

, also within a few miles of US 21. Between Cleveland and Charleston, all but a relatively short segment of US 21 was completely deleted in favor of I-77, the relics being State Route 21 (SR 21), SR 821 between Byesville and

Marietta, Ohio Marietta is a city in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Ohio, United States. It is located in southeastern Ohio at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, northeast of Parkersburg, West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, Ma ...

, and Guernsey County Road 35 and Tuscarawas County Road 3 (Salt Fork Road), named Old Twenty-One Road and closely follows the route of US 21 from Byesville, Ohio to the village of Newcomerstown, Ohio. County Road 35 briefly becomes a variety of street names as it passes through

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

, such as Byesville Road, North Avenue, 11th Street, and Clark Street, before reverting to Old Twenty-One Road on the north side of Cambridge. From there, much of the old US 21 is still intact, however, some sections were demolished and redirected in favor of I-77. Once crossing the Guernsey/Tuscarawas county line, it becomes Salt Fork Road for about a mile, before joining Ohio State Route 258, which takes it the rest of the way to Newcomerstown. In total, the entire section of Old Twenty-One Road between North Cambridge and Newcomerstown is a total of 22.5 miles. The section of US 21 between Mineral Wells and Charleston is now signed as County Route 21 in all four counties along the route (

Wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...

, Wirt,

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

, and Kanawha). Between Charleston and its current northern terminus at

, almost all of US 21 coincided with either US 60, US 19, or US 52, which remained as US 21 was deleted. The short segment of US 21 in southern West Virginia not coinciding with another U.S. Highway became an extension of

West Virginia Route 16 West Virginia Route 16 (WV 16) is a north–south route located in the U.S. State of West Virginia. The southern terminus of the route is at the Virginia state line in Bishop, McDowell County, where the route continues south as Virginia St ...

. In North Carolina, US 21 originally entered the state along today's NC 51 into Pineville, then followed Old Pineville Road into Charlotte. In the mid-1930s, US 21 moved over to South Boulevard from Old Pineville Road. In 1969, US 21 was rerouted following today's I-77 alignment, the old route was replaced by an extension of US 521. From 1975–87, US 21 moved north in segments onto I-77 to its current alignment ending at exit 16A (Sunset Road). Further north, US 21 originally followed Old Statesville Road, replaced in 1956 by NC 115. In 1966, US 21 was bypassed around Jonesville and Elkin, replaced with US 21 Business.

Major intersections

Special routes and auxiliary routes

There are currently four active business loops and two known connectors along its route. * U.S. Route 21 Business (Beaufort, South Carolina) * U.S. Route 21 Business (Orangeburg, South Carolina) *

U.S. Route 21 Connector (Orangeburg, South Carolina) Several special routes of U.S. Route 21 exist. In order from south to north they are as follows. Existing Beaufort business loop U.S. Route 21 Business (US 21 Bus.) is a business route in Beaufort that travels along Sea Island Parkw ...

* U.S. Route 21 Connector (Columbia, South Carolina) * U.S. Route 21 Business (Fort Mill, South Carolina) * U.S. Route 21 Business (Elkin, North Carolina) Auxiliary routes of U.S. Route 21 * U.S. Route 121 * U.S. Route 221 * U.S. Route 321 * U.S. Route 421 * U.S. Route 521

References

External links